High-latitude coupling processes between thermospheric circulation and solar wind driven magnetospheric currents and plasma convection

The high-latitudinal thermospheric processes driven by the solar wind and Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) interaction with the Earth magnetosphere are highly variable parts of the complex dynamic plasma environment, which represent the coupled Magnetosphere – Ionosphere – Thermosphere (MIT) system. The solar wind and IMF interactions transfer energy to the MIT system via reconnection processes at the magnetopause. The Field Aligned Currents (FACs) constitute the energetic links between the magnetosphere and the Earth ionosphere. The MIT system depends on the highly variable solar wind conditions, in particular on changes of the strength and orientation of the IMF. In my thesis, I perform an investigation on the physical background of the complex MIT system using the global physical - numerical, three-dimensional, time-dependent and self-consistent Upper Atmosphere Model (UAM). This model describes the thermosphere, ionosphere, plasmasphere and inner magnetosphere as well as the electrodynamics of the coupled MIT system for the altitudinal range from 80 (60) km up to the 15 Earth radii. In the present study, I developed and investigated several variants of the high-latitudinal electrodynamic coupling by including the IMF dependence of FACs into the UAM model. For testing, the various variants were applied to simulations of the coupled MIT system for different seasons, geomagnetic activities, various solar wind and IMF conditions. Additionally, these variants of the theoretical model with the IMF dependence were compared with global empirical models. The modelling results for the most important thermospheric parameters like neutral wind and mass density were compared with satellite measurements. The variants of the UAM model with IMF dependence show a good agreement with the satellite observations. In comparison with the empirical models, the improved variants of the UAM model reproduce a more realistic meso-scale structures and dynamics of the coupled MIT system than the empirical models, in particular at high latitudes. The new configurations of the UAM model with IMF dependence contribute to the improvement of space weather prediction.

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis.doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher

Universität Potsdam

Year

2016

Author dc:creator

• Prokhorov, Boris E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Holschneider, Matthias

• upper atmosphere model
• high-latitudinal thermosphere
• magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling
• solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field influence
• field aligned currents
• Upper Atmosphere Model (UAM)
• Thermosphäre hoher Breiten
• Kopplung zwischen Magnetosphäre, Ionosphäre und Thermosphäre
• Einfluß des Sonnenwindes und des interplanetaren magnetischen Feldes
• feldlinengerichtete Ströme

Statement dc:rights

• CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International

Repository record source_url

https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/9235

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:9235