Bonn 2020 – scientific programme

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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 1: Near Earth Space

EP 1.3: Talk

Monday, March 30, 2020, 17:15–17:30, H-HS VIII

Middle atmosphere ionization from particle precipitation derived from the SSUSI satellite UV observations — •Stefan Bender and Patrick Espy — Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Solar, auroral, and radiation belt electrons enter the atmosphere at polar regions leading to ionization and affecting its chemistry. Climate models usually parametrize this ionization and the related changes in chemistry based on satellite particle measurements. Precise measurements of the particle and energy influx into the upper atmosphere are difficult because they vary substantially in location and time. Widely used particle data are derived from the POES and GOES satellite measurements which provide in-situ (≈ 800 km and geostationary) electron and proton spectra.

We present electron energy and flux measurements from the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imagers (SSUSI) satellite instruments. This formation of satellites directly observes the auroral zone in the UV from which electron energies and fluxes are inferred. We use these observed electron energies and fluxes to calculate ionization rates and electron densities in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. We compare the calculated electron densities to those measured by the EISCAT radars in order to validate the SSUSI derived energies and fluxes as well as the atmospheric ionization models. The validated SSUSI data will help to improve the auroral particle parametrizations used for climate models.