Response of Coupled Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere (MIT) System to Changing Levels of Geomagnetic Activity

Background/Significance: During space weather events, called geomagnetic storms here on Earth, the energy deposited at high latitudes into the Earth’s upper atmosphere can increase by 10- to 20-fold, leading to thermospheric heating and expansion and neutral composition changes. Heating and expansion of the thermosphere drives high-velocity disturbed neutral winds from the polar regions toward the equator. Within minutes of storm commencement, high-latitude electric fields penetrate to low latitudes. The plasmasphere, an inner part of Earth’s magnetosphere, erodes. All of these processes catalyze plasma flows along geomagnetic field lines, coupling the nearly collision-less magnetosphere to the highly collisional ionosphere and thermosphere. Knowledge of the electron and ion number densities along geomagnetic field lines is required to understand processes such as plasmasphere erosion and refilling, ionospheric outflows, magnetospheric particle precipitation, wave-particle interactions that regulate the response of the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere (MIT) system and plasmasphere dynamics. Whistler mode waves propagate close to geomagnetic field lines. Therefore, WM radio-sounding method permits field-aligned electron and ion densities measurements [Sonwalkar et al., 2011a; 2011b]. These measurements, combined with advanced physics-based model simulations, provide a powerful new approach [Reddy et al., 2018] to determine the underlying processes that play a role in the storm-time dynamics of the highly-coupled MIT system. Goals and Objectives: We propose a three-year research program to determine the response of the Earth's upper atmosphere to changing levels of geomagnetic activity through a combination of physics-based model simulations and analysis of whistler mode (WM) radio-sounding data from the IMAGE and DSX satellites. We will complement WM sounding measurements by those from other satellites (e.g., DMSP and CHAMP), ground-based ionosonde stations, and other indicators of geomagnetic activity, such as visible and radar aurora. The main objectives are: (1) Determine the evolution of field-aligned electron and ion densities profiles at low-, mid-, and high-latitudes as a function of geomagnetic storm activity using WM radio sounding data from IMAGE and DSX. (2) Simulate the evolution of observed field-aligned electron and ion densities profiles using physics-based models (e.g., SAMI2, SAMI3). (3) Use observation-simulation results to investigate the physical processes leading to storm time variations in field-aligned electron and ion densities and understand the response of the coupled MIT system to geomagnetic storms. (4) Use the proposed work as a springboard to launch a nationally competitive UAF space-weather research program using plasma waves. The proposed research program provides a graduate student with exposure to space weather research. Relevance to NASA and Jurisdiction: In Priority 1 of the 2020 NASA Science Plan, Strategy 1.4 pertains directly to space weather. The proposed work relates directly to NASA's Science Mission Directorate (Heliophysics Research) and the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center goal 1: "Expand Human Knowledge Through New Scientific Discoveries" and Objective 1.1: "Understand the Sun, Earth, Solar System, and Universe." The proposed work significantly contributes to addressing NASA's Heliophysics decadal survey goal: "Determine the dynamics and coupling of Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere and their response to solar and terrestrial inputs." This work aligns with Alaska NASA EPSCoR's goal, "Increase Alaska's ability to respond to research and technology development needs of NASA."

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