Dense Ne Plumes

1
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Geoeffective Flares
Deep Ionization
Disturbed Chemisty
Dense Ne Plumes
Equatorial Holes
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
D-Region Ionization
X17.2 flare protons arrive
Arc, D-layer 2003-10-30 091202
2
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Dense Ne Plumes
Equatorial Holes
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
Iridium
Greatly Expanded Field-Aligned Currents
http//www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/L.Wood/constel
lations/iridium.html
Region 2
Region 1
Northern Hemisphere
Field-Aligned Currents
Thanks to B. Anderson H. Korth, APL
3
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Dense Ne Plumes
Equatorial Holes
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
Thanks to M. Hairston, W.R. Coley, R. A.
Heelis, F. Rich, P. Reiff, A. Furtisch and B.
Moore.
4
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Dense Ne Plumes
Equatorial Holes
Expanded Currents
Ion Mass Ejection
Strongest ion outflow ever observed by POLAR/TIDE
-- high solar wind dynamic pressure 10/30 19UT -
10/31 2UT
More Typical Day -- Polar TIDE 10/15/03 133606
UT - 163601
Cusp Region
5
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Dense Ne Plumes
Equatorial Holes
Expanded Currents
Ion Mass Ejection
10/31 FAST Upflowing Ions (1/cm2/s)
Strongest Outflows in the Early Hours of 31 Oct
at LANL GEO, FAST Satellites
Dayside
Nightside
0200-0235 UT
LANL
0415-0445
0625-0700
0835-0910
1050-1125
6
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Dense Ne Plumes
Equatorial Holes
Expanded Currents
Ion Mass Ejection
FAST 10/31/03 0154-1306 UT
Downward ions (150-180º) Perp. Ions
(40-140º) Upward Ions (0-30º)
7
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
Equatorial Holes
Dense Ne Plumes
DMSP 1800 MLT
DMSP 2100 MLT
JPL, Ionospheric and Atmospheric Remote Sensing
Group
UT Dallas, William Hansen Space Center
8
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
Equatorial Holes
Dense Ne Plumes
Following each southward turning of the IMF
(10/29 0700, 10/29 1700 and 10/30 1700)
Trough

• Ne density builds on the dayside
• a deep equatorial hole develops at 20-22 hrs LT
• storm enhanced density plumes are drawn through
  midlatitudes.

Major questions How do penetration electric
fields, ring current polarization electric
fields, and the disturbance dynamo combine to
produce these ionospheric disturbances.
JPL, Ionospheric and Atmospheric Remote Sensing
Group
9
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Equatorial Holes
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
Dense Ne Plumes
Courtesy John Foster (MIT) Anthea Coster
(MIT) Bill Rideout (MIT) Fred Rich (AFRL) Jeff
Thayer (SRI) Tony van Eyken (EISCAT)
10
What Happened in Our Atmosphere?
Extreme Solar Activity of Oct 2003
Extreme Auroras
Intense Precipitation
Deep Ionization
Geoeffective Flares
Disturbed Chemisty
Equatorial Holes
Ion Mass Ejection
Expanded Currents
Dense Ne Plumes
Courtesy John Foster (MIT) Anthea Coster
(MIT) Bill Rideout (MIT) Fred Rich (AFRL) Jeff
Thayer (SRII) Tony van Eyken (EISCAT)
DMSP