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A topside equatorial ionospheric density and composition climatology during and after extreme solar minimum
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Pfaff, R. F. Simoes, F. Bilitza, D. Ivanov, S. Heelis, R. A. Rowland, D. E. Klenzing, J. H. |
| Copyright Year | 2011 |
| Description | During the recent solar minimum, solar activity reached the lowest levels observed during the space age. This extremely low solar activity has accompanied a number of unexpected observations in the Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere when compared to previous solar minima. Among these are the fact that the ionosphere is significantly contracted beyond expectations based on empirical models. Climatological altitude profiles of ion density and composition measurements near the magnetic dip equator are constructed from the C/NOFS satellite to characterize the shape of the top side ionosphere during the recent solar minimum and into the new solar cycle. The variation of the profiles with respect to local time, season, and solar activity are compared to the IRI-2007 model. Building on initial results reported by Heelis et al. [2009], here we describe the extent of the contracted ionosphere, which is found to persist throughout 2009. The shape of the ionosphere during 2010 is found to be consistent with observations from previous solar minima. |
| File Size | 1202683 |
| Page Count | 34 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20120002636 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t43r5vf0g |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2011-09-06 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Solar Physics Ion Density Concentration Solar Activity Climatology Density Measurement Vertical Distribution Solar Activity Effects Ionospheric Composition Earth Ionosphere Minima Solar Cycles Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports ServerĀ (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |