Leipzig 2002 – scientific programme
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EP: Extraterrestrische Physik
EP 2: Extraterrestrik-Poster
EP 2.6: Poster
Monday, March 18, 2002, 13:30–14:30, Galerie 1
Ionization of the Earth’s Upper Atmosphere in Large Energetic Particle Events — •Edwina Wolff1, John Burrows2, May-Britt Kallenrode1, Miriam von König2, Klaus F. Künzi2, and Manuel Quack2 — 1Department of Physics, University of Osnabrück, Germany — 2Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Germany
To investigate the influence of solar energetic particle events on the terrestrial atmosphere (e.g. due to ionization and/or hadronic interaction) a number of aspects are under consideration, such as the species of the precipitating particles, their energies, fluences as well as a repetition rate of events. In preparation of a refined model of particle interactions with the atmosphere, we investigated the chemical consequences of well- known recent events, characterized by high particle fluences in the tens to a few hundreds MeV (e.g. the Bastille Day event at July 14, 2000). Although very effective for atmospheric chemistry these events are too rare and too short-lived to contribute significantly to the total atmospheric variability. However, recent research suggests that in historical times higher fluences and higher frequencies of occurence of such high fluence events may have led to a greater impact than has been appreciated previously. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of large historical energetic particle events on atmospheric ionization and chemistry (e.g. NOx and Ozone behaviour following Carrington’s white light flare in 1859).