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- Title
Characteristics of the Effective Scale Height in the Topside Ionosphere Extracted From Swarm A and Digisonde Observations: Preliminary Results.
- Authors
Belehaki, A.; Tsagouri, I.; Paouris, E.
- Abstract
The ionospheric scale height is a key parameter that defines the shape of the electron density profile. Given that its direct calculation requires knowledge of the physical and chemical state of the plasma, the concept of the effective scale height was proposed to facilitate its application. It is defined as the scale height that fits the electron density profiles with the α‐Chapman function. Its main characteristics, including the diurnal and altitudinal variation are still under investigation. This paper focuses on the specification of its key characteristics at middle latitudes based on coincident Digisonde and Swarm A satellite data. Based on the assumption that the topside electron density profile is approximated with the α‐Chapman model of variable scale height, the effective scale height at the Swarm A altitude is calculated and compared with the effective scale height at hmF2 $hmF2$. A general conclusion is that the topside effective scale height at ∼450 km exhibits a diurnal variation with highest values in the early morning and evening sectors, while at hmF2 $hmF2$ it gets its maximum values at noon. At night, the effective scale height tends to increase with altitude, however in the daytime, its behavior is more complex. On a local scale, evidence for connection between spread F irregularities and high variability in the topside effective scale height is reported. These preliminary results indicate the potential to further exploit Swarm and Digisonde data for the development of a model for the effective scale height, able to support realistic electron density reconstruction models. Key Points: A clear diurnal pattern is identified in the topside effective scale height with peak values in the early morning and evening sectorsAt night, the topside effective scale height tends to increase with altitude, while in the daytime its altitudinal dependence is complexEvidence for connection between spread F irregularities and high variability in the topside effective scale height is reported
- Subjects
IONOSPHERE; ELECTRON density; ELECTRON plasma; MORNING; NOON
- Publication
Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics, 2022, Vol 127, Issue 2, p1
- ISSN
2169-9380
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2021JA030075