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- Newnham, D. A., et al.
(författare)
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Observations and Modeling of Increased Nitric Oxide in the Antarctic Polar Middle Atmosphere Associated With Geomagnetic Storm-Driven Energetic Electron Precipitation
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. - 2169-9380 .- 2169-9402. ; 123:7, s. 6009-6025
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nitric oxide (NO) produced in the polar middle and upper atmosphere by energetic particle precipitation depletes ozone in the mesosphere and, following vertical transport in the winter polar vortex, in the stratosphere. Medium-energy electron (MEE) ionization by 30-1,000 keV electrons during geomagnetic storms may have a significant role in mesospheric NO production. However, questions remain about the relative importance of direct NO production by MEE at altitudes similar to 60-90 km versus indirect NO originating from auroral ionization above 90 km. We investigate potential drivers of NO variability in the southern-hemisphere mesosphere and lower thermosphere during 2013-2014. Contrasting geomagnetic activity occurred during the two austral winters, with more numerous moderate storms in the 2013 winter. Ground-based millimeter-wave observations of NO from Halley, Antarctica, are compared with measurements by the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) spaceborne spectrometer. NO partial columns over the altitude range 65-140 km from the two observational data sets show large day-to-day variability and significant disagreement, with Halley values on average 49% higher than the corresponding SOFIE data. SOFIE NO number densities, zonally averaged over geomagnetic latitudes -59 degrees to -65 degrees, are up to 3 x 10(8)/cm(3) higher in the winter of 2013 compared to 2014. Comparisons with a new version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, which includes detailed D-region ion chemistry (WACCM-SIC) and MEE ionization rates, show that the model underestimates NO in the winter lower mesosphere whereas thermospheric abundances are too high. This indicates the need to further improve and verify WACCM-SIC with respect to MEE ionization, thermospheric NO chemistry, and vertical transport.
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| 2. |
- Sanchez-Cano, Beatriz, et al.
(författare)
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Origin of the Extended Mars Radar Blackout of September 2017
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. - : AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION. - 2169-9380 .- 2169-9402. ; 124:6, s. 4556-4568
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) onboard Mars Express, which operates between 0.1 and 5.5 MHz, suffered from a complete blackout for 10 days in September 2017 when observing on the nightside (a rare occurrence). Moreover, the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which operates at 20 MHz, also suffered a blackout for three days when operating on both dayside and nightside. We propose that these blackouts are caused by solar energetic particles of few tens of keV and above associated with an extreme space weather event between 10 and 22 September 2017, as recorded by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission. Numerical simulations of energetic electron precipitation predict that a lower O-2(+) nighttime ionospheric layer of magnitude similar to 10(10) m(-3) peaking at similar to 90-km altitude is produced. Consequently, such a layer would absorb radar signals at high frequencies and explain the blackouts. The peak absorption level is found to be at 70-km altitude. Plain Language Summary Several instrument operations, as well as communication systems with rovers at the surface, depend on radio signals that propagate throughout the atmosphere of Mars. This is the case also for two radars that are currently working in Mars' orbit, sounding the ionosphere, surface, and subsurface of the planet. In mid-September 2017, a powerful solar storm hit Mars, producing a large amount of energetic particle precipitation over a 10-day period. We have found that high-energy electrons ionized the atmosphere of Mars, creating a dense layer of ions and electrons at similar to 90 km on the Martian nightside. This layer attenuated radar signals continuously for 10 days, stopping the radars to receive any signal from the planetary surface. In this work, we assess the properties of this layer in order to understand the implications of this kind of phenomenon for radar performance and communications.
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