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Killeen, T. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Killeen, T. L..

At least 19 records

Mid-Latitude Temperatures at 87 km: Results From Multi-Instrument Fourier Analysis

Using a novel Fourier fitting method we combine two years of mid-latitude temperature measurements at 87 km from the High Resolution Doppler Imager, the Colorado State University lidar, and the Peach Mountain Interferometer. After accounting for calibration bias, significant local-time variations on the order of 10 K were observed. Stationary planetary waves with amplitudes up to 10 K were observed during winter, with weaker wave amplitudes occurring during other seasons. Because of calibration biases among these instruments, we could estimate the annual mean temperature to no better than 193.5 plus or minus 8.5 K.

FOURIER ANALYSIS

Observations of Thermospheric Horizontal Winds at Watson Lake, Yukon Territory (lambda=65 Deg N)

Fabry-Perot interferometer observations of the thermospheric O I (6300 A) emission have been conducted from an airglow observatory at a dark field site in the southeastern Yukon Territory, Canada, for the period November 1991 to April 1993. The experiment operated in unattended, remote fashion, has resulted in a substantial data set from which mean neutral winds have been determined. Dependent upon geomagnetic activity, the nocturnal location of the site is either equatorward of the auroral oval or within oval boundaries. The data set is rich enough to permit hourly binning of neutral winds based upon the K(sub p) geomagnetic disturbance index as well as the season. For cases of low geomagnetic activity the averaged vector horizontal neutral wind exhibits the characteristics of a midlatitude site displaying antisunward pressure-gradient-driven winds. As the geomagnetic activity rises in the late afternoon and evening winds slowly rotate sunward in an anticlockwise direction, initially remaining near 100 m/s in speed but eventually increasing to 300 m/s for K(sub p) greater than 5. For the higher levels of activity the observed neutral wind flow pattern resembles a higher-latitude polar cap pattern characterized by ion drag forcing of thermospheric neutral gases. In addition, rotational Coriolis forcing on the dusk side enhances the ion drag forcing, resulting in dusk winds which trace out the clockwise dusk cell plasma flow. On the dawn side the neutral winds also rotate in an anticlockwise direction as the strength of geomagnetic disturbances increase. Since the site is located at a transition latitude between the midlatitude and the polar cap the data set provides a sensitive test for general circulation models which attempt to parameterize the contribution of magnetospheric processes. A comparison with the Vector Spherical Harmonic (VSH) model indicates several regions of poor correspondence for December solstice conditions but reasonable agreement for the vernal equinox.

Niciejewski, R. J.

Nocturnal Observations of the Semidiurnal Tide at a Midlatitude Site

Fabry-Perot interferometer observations of the mesospheric hydroxyl emission and the lower thermospheric OI (5577A) emission have been conducted from an airglow observatory at a dark field site in southeastern Michigan for the past several years. The primary functions of the observatory are to provide a database for correlative observations with the UARS satellite and to provide a synoptic measurement program for the coupling energetics and dynamics of atmospheric regions effort, An intensive operational effort between May 1993 and July 1994 has resulted in a substantial data set from which neutral winds have been determined from the bifilter acquisition sequence. A 'best fit' analysis in the least squares sense of the simultaneous measurements of the neutral winds to a 12-hour periodicity has provided amplitude and phase parameters for the semidiurnal tide as well as a measure of the mean wind. The measured tidal amplitude is greater at the higher altitude, though the seasonal behavior at both altitudes is similar with greater amplitudes during August/September and April/May. Both meridional and zonal wind components are consistent with a semidiurnal tidal description during the entire observational sequence except for the May to July 1993 period. The mean winds show annual variation in the meridional flow, being equatorward from May to October and poleward during the winter. The zonal flow is primarily eastward during the entire observational window with higher speed flows during May/June at the higher attitude and June/July at the lower altitude. A comparison with a semidiurnal tidal model indicates that the measured tidal amplitudes are a factor of 2 times greater, while the phases show similar equinoctial transitions.

Niciejewski, R. J.

Upper Thermosphere Winds and Temperatures in the Geomagnetic Polar Cap: Solar Cycle, Geomagnetic Activity, and Interplanetary Magnetic Field Dependencies

Ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometers located at Thule, Greenland (76.5 deg. N, 69.0 deg. W, lambda = 86 deg.) and at Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland (67.0 deg. N, 50.9 deg. W, lambda = 74 deg.) have monitored the upper thermospheric (approx. 240-km altitude) neutral wind and temperature over the northern hemisphere geomagnetic polar cap since 1983 and 1985, respectively. The thermospheric observations are obtained by determining the Doppler characteristics of the (OI) 15,867-K (630.0-nm) emission of atomic oxygen. The instruments operate on a routine, automatic, (mostly) untended basis during the winter observing seasons, with data coverage limited only by cloud cover and (occasional) instrument failures. This unique database of geomagnetic polar cap measurements now extends over the complete range of solar activity. We present an analysis of the measurements made between 1985 (near solar minimum) and 1991 (near solar maximum), as part of a long-term study of geomagnetic polar cap thermospheric climatology. The measurements from a total of 902 nights of observations are compared with the predictions of two semiempirical models: the Vector Spherical Harmonic (VSH) model of Killeen et al. (1987) and the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) of Hedin et al. (1991). The results are also analyzed using calculations of thermospheric momentum forcing terms from the Thermosphere-ionosphere General Circulation Model TGCM) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The experimental results show that upper thermospheric winds in the geomagnetic polar cap have a fundamental diurnal character, with typical wind speeds of about 200 m/s at solar minimum, rising to up to about 800 m/s at solar maximum, depending on geomagnetic activity level. These winds generally blow in the antisunward direction, but are interrupted by episodes of modified wind velocity and altered direction often associated with changes in the orientation of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). The central polar cap (greater than approx. 80 magnetic latitude) antisunward wind speed is found to be a strong function of both solar and geomagnetic activity. The polar cap temperatures show variations in both solar and geomagnetic activity, with temperatures near 800 K for low K(sub p) and F(sub 10.7) and greater than about 2000 K for high K(sub p) and F(sub 10.7). The observed temperatures are significantly greater than those predicted by the mass spectrometer/incoherent scatter model for high activity conditions. Theoretical analysis based on the NCAR TIGCM indicates that the antisunward upper thermospheric winds, driven by upstream ion drag, basically 'coast' across the polar cap. The relatively small changes in wind velocity and direction within the polar cap are induced by a combination of forcing terms of commensurate magnitude, including the nonlinear advection term, the Coriolis term, and the pressure gradient force term. The polar cap thennospheric thermal balance is dominated by horizontal advection, and adiabatic and thermal conduction terms.

Killeen, T. L.

Geomagnetic Storm Effects in the Low- to Middle-Latitude Upper Thermosphere

In this paper, we use data from the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite and a theoretical simulation made by using the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere/ionosphere general circulation model (NCAR-TIGCM) to study storm-induced changes in the structure of the upper thermosphere in the low- to middle-latitude (20 deg-40 deg N) region of the winter hemisphere. Our principal results are as follows: (1) The winds associated with the diurnal tide weaken during geomagnetic storms, causing primarily zonally oriented changes in the evening sector, few changes in the middle of the afternoon, a combination of zonal and meridional changes in the late morning region, and mainly meridional changes early in the morning; (2) Decreases in the magnitudes of the horizontal winds associated with the diurnal tide lead to a net downward tendency in the vertical winds blowing through a constant pressure surface; (3) Because of these changes in the vertical wind, there is an increase in compressional heating (or a decrease in cooling through expansion), and thus temperatures in the low- to middle-latitudes of the winter hemisphere increase; (4) Densities of all neutral species increase on a constant height surface, but the pattern of changes in the O/N2 ratio is not well ordered on these surfaces; (5) The pattern of changes in the O/N2 ratio is better ordered on constant pressure surfaces. The increases in this ratio on constant pressure surfaces in the low- to middle-latitude, winter hemisphere are caused by a more downward tendency in the vertical winds that blow through the constant pressure surfaces. Nitrogen-poor air is then advected downward through the pressure surface, increasing the O/N2 ratio; (6) The daytime geographical distribution of the modeled increases in the O/N2 ratio on a constant pressure surface in the low- to middle-latitudes of the winter hemisphere correspond very closely with those of increases in the modeled electron densities at the F2 peak.

Burns, A. G.

Large Enhancements in the O/N2 Ratio in the Evening Sector of the Winter Hemisphere During Geomagnetic Storms

In this paper, we have looked for enhancements of the O/N2 ratio in data measured by the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite in the middle latitudes of the winter hemisphere, based on a prediction that was made by the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere/tonosphere general circulation model (NCAR-TIGCM) that such increases occur. The NCAR-TIGCM predicts that these enhancements should be seen throughout the low latitude region and in many middle latitude locations, but that the enhancements in O/N2 are particularly strong in the middle-latitude, evening-to-midnight sector of the winter hemisphere. When this prediction was used to look for these effects in DE 2 NACS (neutral atmosphere composition spectrometer) data, large enhancements in the O/N2 ratio (approx. 50 to 90%) were seen. These enhancements were observed during the main phase of a storm that occurred on November 24, 1982, and were seen in the same region of the winter hemisphere predicted by the NCAR-TIGCM. They are partially the result of the depletion of N2 and, as electron loss is dependent on dissociative recombination at F(sub 2) altitudes, they have implications for electron densities in this area. Parcel trajectories, which have been followed through the NCAR-TIGCM history file for this event, show that large O/N2 enhancements occur in this limited region in the winter hemisphere for two reasons. First, these parcels of air are decelerated by the antisunward edge of the ion convection pattern; individual parcels converge and subsidence occurs. Thus molecular-nitrogen-poor air is brought from higher to lower heights. Because neutral parcels that are found a little poleward of the equatorial edge of the eveningside convection pattern are swept inward toward the center of the auroral oval, the enhancements occur only in a very limited range of latitudes. Second, nitrogen-poor air is transported from regions close to the magnetic pole in the winter hemisphere. During geomagnetic storms, enhanced meridional winds are driven by the increased pressure-gradient force that is associated with intensified Joule heating in the auroral oval. These pressure-driven winds decrease rapidly on the dayside beyond the auroral oval where the parcels originate, limiting the region into which the parcels can be transported. Thus these two processes drive values of O/N2 in a limited region of the winter hemisphere, and reinforce only in the evening sector, causing large changes in this region.

Burns, A. G.

Ground-based observations of ion/neutral coupling at Thule and Qanaq, Greenland

During December 1988, 24 hours of darkness and clear sky conditions permitted continuous observations of the O I(6300 A) airglow by a Fabry-Perot interferometer located at Thule Air Base, Greenland. Thus a continuous record of the F region neutral winds was obtained for that month. During this same time period, a digital ionosonde located at Qanaq, Greenland (110 km north of Thule Air Base), was in operation measuring electron density profiles and F region ion drifts. This combination of ground-based observations allowed the investigation of ion/neutral coupling at a temporal resolution of about 15 min. Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) data from the IMP 8 satellite were also available from December 16 to 24 and indicated intervals of B(sub z) northward IMF conditions during this period. Here we investigate the observed response of the neutral wind to convection changes in the ion drift inside the polar cap for southward and northward IMF B(sub z) conditions. In particular, we establish a control day illustrating the typical antisunward neutral wind and ion drift patterns observed for southward B(sub z) over Thule and Qanaq, and we compare it with observations made when the IMF B(sub z) is directed northward. The observations during periods of northward B(sub z) display sunward directed ion drifts over the polar cap accompanied by decreasing antisunward directed neutral winds. We investigate these times of northward B(sub z) further and demonstrate that the ion drag term alone cannot describe the observed response in the neutral wind during northward IMF.

Thayer, J. P.

One-dimensional hybrid satellite track model for the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite

A one-dimensional hybrid satellite track model has been developed to calculate the high-latitude thermospheric/ionospheric structure below the satellite altitude using Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite measurements and theory. This model is based on Emery et al. (1985) satellite track code but also includes elements of Roble et al. (1987b) global mean thermosphere/ionosphere model. A number of parameterizations and data handling techniques are used to input satellite data from several DE 2 instruments into this model. Profiles of neutral atmospheric densities are determined from the Mass Spectrometer Incoherent Scatter 1990 (MSIS-90) model and measured neutral temperatures. Measured electron precipitation spectra are used in an auroral model to calculate particle impact ionization rates below the satellite. These rates are combined with a solar ionization rate profile and used to solve the O(+) diffusion equation, with the measured electron density as an upper boundary condition. The calculated O(+) density distribution, as well as the ionization profiles, are then used in a photochemical equilibrium model to calculate the electron and molecular ion densities. The electron temperature is also calculated by solving the electron energy equation with an upper boundary condition determined by the DE 2 measurement. The model enables calculations of altitude profiles of conductivity and Joule heating rate along and below the satellite track. In a first application of the new model, a study is made of thermospheric and ionospheric structure below the DE 2 satellite for a single orbit which occurred on October 25, 1981. The field-aligned Poynting flux, which is independently obtained for this orbit, is compared with the model predictions of the height-integrated energy conversion rate. Good quantitative agreement between these two estimates has been reached. In addition, measurements taken at the incoherent scatter radar site at Chatanika (65.1 deg N, 147.4 deg W) during a DE 2 overflight are compared with the model calculations. A good agreement was found in lower thermospheric conductivities and Joule heating rate.

Deng, Wei

One-Dimensional Hybrid Satellite Track Model for the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) Satellite

A one-dimensional hybrid satellite track model has been developed to calculate the high-latitude thermospheric/ionospheric structure below the satellite altitude using Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite measurements and theory. This model is based on Emery et al. satellite track code but also includes elements of Roble et al. global mean thermosphere/ionosphere model. A number of parameterizations and data handling techniques are used to input satellite data from several DE 2 instruments into this model. Profiles of neutral atmospheric densities are determined from the MSIS-90 model and measured neutral temperatures. Measured electron precipitation spectra are used in an auroral model to calculate particle impact ionization rates below the satellite. These rates are combined with a solar ionization rate profile and used to solve the O(+) diffusion equation, with the measured electron density as an upper boundary condition. The calculated O(+) density distribution, as well as the ionization profiles, are then used in a photochemical equilibrium model to calculate the electron and molecular ion densities. The electron temperature is also calculated by solving the electron energy equation with an upper boundary condition determined by the DE 2 measurement. The model enables calculations of altitude profiles of conductivity and Joule beating rate along and below the satellite track. In a first application of the new model, a study is made of thermospheric and ionospheric structure below the DE 2 satellite for a single orbit which occurred on October 25, 1981. The field-aligned Poynting flux, which is independently obtained for this orbit, is compared with the model predictions of the height-integrated energy conversion rate. Good quantitative agreement between these two estimates has been reached. In addition, measurements taken at the incoherent scatter radar site at Chatanika (65.1 deg N, 147.4 deg W) during a DE 2 overflight are compared with the model calculations. A good agreement was found in lower thermospheric conductivities and Joule heating rate.

Deng, Wei

Annual and Semi-Annual Temperature Oscillations in the Upper Mesosphere

Fourier transform spectrometer observations of the mesosphere have been performed at the University of Michigan (latitude: 42.5 N) on a long term basis. A database of near infrared Meinel hydroxyl spectra has been accumulated from which rotational temperatures have been determined. Harmonic analysis of one-day averaged temperatures for the period 1992.0 to 1994.5 has shown a distinct annual and semi-annual variation. Subsequent fitting of a five term periodic function characterizing the annual and semi-annual temperature oscillations to the daily averaged temperatures was performed. The resultant mean temperature and the amplitudes and phases of the annual and semi-annual variations are shown to coincide with an emission height slightly above 85 km which is consistent with the mean rocket derived altitude for peak nocturnal hydroxyl emission.

Niciejewski, R. J.

TIMED Imaging Photometer Experiment (TIPE)

This document contains a summary of the TIMED Imaging Photometer Experiment (TIPE) instrument study at the time of the termination of project due to TIPE being de-selected from the Thermosphere, Ionosphere and Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission.

Mende, Stephen B.

Dynamics Explorer 2 observations of equatorial thermospheric winds and temperatures: Local time and longitudinal dependences

We have analyzed a large database of Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) measurements of equatorial (less than + or - 9 degs latitude) thermospheric neutral temperatures and horizontal wind components in the altitude range from 200 to 400 km for quiet and active geomagnetic conditions (Kp less than 3 and Kp greater than 3, respectively). Local time variations and longitudinal dependences on the duskside, dayside, and nightside have been separately examined. The dayside hourly averaged neutral zonal winds are relatively insensitive to variations in geomagnetic activity and appear to show an inverse dependence (lower zonal wind speed for higher Kp) in the midnight-dawn local time sector. The duskside neutral temperatures show a region of enhancement (by approximately 60 K) over the South Atlantic magnetic anomaly. The quiet time zonal winds are weaker than the corresponding active time zonal winds on the dayside near the South Atlantic magnetic anomaly. Enhanced ionization in the region, which increases the ion drag on the neutral gas, is suggested as the causal mechanism for these effects. The DE 2 averaged measurements have also been compared with MSIS-86/HWM90 and VSH models. The data and models are in good general agreement, though, the MSIS-86/HWM90 model predicts stronger dayside zonal winds than are observed under active conditions and the VSH model appears to underestimate the magnitude of the dayside zonal winds for both high and low Kp cases.

Wu, Q

Dynamics Explorer 2: Continued FPI and NACS instrument data analysis and associated scientific activity at the University of Michigan

The grant entitled 'Dynamics Explorer 2 - continued FPI and NACS instrument data analysis and associated scientific activity at the University of Michigan' is a continuation of a grant that began with instrument development for the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite. Over the years, many publications and presentations at scientific meetings have occurred under the aegis of this grant. This present report details the progress that has been made in the final three years of the grant. In these last 4 years of the grant 26 papers have been published or are in press and about 10 more are in preparation or have been submitted. A large number of presentations have been made in the same time span: 36 are listed in Appendix 2. Evidence of the high educational utility of this research is indicated by the list of Ph. D. and M. S. theses that have been completed in the last 3 years that have involved work connected with NAG5-465. The structure of this report is as follows: a brief synopsis of the aims of the grant NAG5-465 is given in the next section; then there is a summary of the scientific accomplishments that have occurred over the grant period; last, we make some brief concluding remarks. Reprints of articles that have recently appeared in refereed journals are appended to the end of this document.

Burns, Alan

A kinematic analysis of the high-latitude thermospheric neutral circulation pattern

'Synthesized' thermospheric neutral wind fields for solar maximum, December solstice conditions for both quiet and active levels of geometric activity, are provided on the basis of averaged measurements from the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite combined with theoretical model calculations. High-latitude DE 2 wind data obtained from multiorbit averages are merged with modeled winds from the NCAR thermosphere-ionosphere general circulation model. A 'kinematic analysis' is performed to decompose the merged semiempirical wind fields into their respective divergent and nondivergent components at high latitudes and to calculate the corresponding potential and stream functions. It is concluded that the nondivergent component of the high-latitude thermospheric neutral wind is representative of the convection-driven component of the neutral wind at F region altitudes. The nondivergent wind component comprises a large percentage of the total wind field for both quiet and active geomagnetic conditions.

Thayer, J. P.

The effects of neutral inertia on ionospheric currents in the high-latitude thermosphere following a geomagnetic storm

Neutral flywheel effects are investigated in NCAR-TIGCM simulation of geomagnetic storms that occurred in November 23, 1982 and December 7-8, 1982. Theoretical calculations from the latter storm are compared with measurements of currents form instruments on the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite. It is concluded that neutral flywheel effects can make a contribution to high latitude electrodynamics for a few hours after the main phase of a geomagnetic storm. The Hall currents that are driven by neutral winds during B(Z) northward conditions are generally in the opposite direction to those that occur during B(Z) southward conditions, when they are driven primarily by ion winds. The morphology of the field-aligned current system calculated by the NCAR-TIGCM during southward B(Z) conditions is in general agreement with observations.

Deng, W.

The Effects of Neutral Inertia on Ionospheric Currents in the High-Latitude Thermosphere Following a Geomagnetic Storm

Results of an experimental and theoretical investigation into the effects of the time dependent neutral wind flywheel on high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics are presented. The results extend our previous work which used the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere/Ionosphere General Circulation Model (NCAR TIGCM) to theoretically simulate flywheel effects in the aftermath of a geomagnetic storm. The previous results indicated that the neutral circulation, set up by ion-neutral momentum coupling in the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, is maintained for several hours after the main phase has ended and may dominate height-integrated Hall currents and field-aligned currents for up to 4-5 hours. We extend the work of Deng et al. to include comparisons between the calculated time-dependent ionospheric Hall current system in the storm-time recovery period and that measured by instruments on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite. Also, comparisons are made between calculated field-aligned currents and those derived from DE 2 magnetometer measurements. These calculations also allow us to calculate the power transfer rate (sometimes called the Poynting flux) between the magnetosphere and ionosphere. The following conclusions have been drawn: (1) Neutral winds can contribute significantly to the horizontal ionospheric current system in the period immediately following the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, especially over the magnetic polar cap and in regions of ion drift shear. (2) Neutral winds drive Hall currents that flow in the opposite direction to those driven by ion drifts. (3) The overall morphology of the calculated field-aligned current system agrees with previously published observations for the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B(sub Z) southward conditions, although the region I and region 2 currents are smeared by the TI(ICM model grid resolution. (4) Neutral winds can make significant contributions to the field-aligned current system when B(sub Z) northward conditions prevail following the main phase of a storm, but can account for only a fraction of the observed currents. (5) DE 2 measurements provide a demonstration of "local" (satellite-altitude) flywheel effects. (6) On the assumption that the magnetosphere acts as an insulator, we calculate neutral-wind-induced polarization electric fields of approx. 20-30 kV in the period immediately following the geomagnetic storm.

Deng, W.

Remote-sensing observations of F-region ion drift velocities using Dynamics Explorer-2 Doppler measurements of the O+(2P) 732.0 nm emission

Limb-scan observations of Doppler line profiles from the O+(2P) 732.0 nm emission at F-region altitudes, made with the Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) on the Dynamics Explorer-2 (DE-2) spacecraft, have been analyzed to provide measurements of the meridional component of the ion convection velocity along the instrument line-of-sight. The initial DE-2 results presented here demonstrate the first spaceborne use of the remote-sensing Doppler technique for measurements of ionospheric convection. The FPI meridional ion drift measurements have been compared with nearly simultaneous in situ ion drift measurements from the Retarding Potential Analyzer on DE 2. Once allowance is made for the temporal lag between the in situ and remote measurements, the results from the two techniques are in good agreement. The results of a simulation study demonstrate that the spaceborne interferometric technique has future utility for 2D imaging of the quasi-instantaneous ion convection pattern.

Carr, S. S.

An experimental investigation of thermospheric structure near an auroral arc

The paper compares observations of thermospheric parameters, made from DE-2 spacecraft during three successive orbital crossings of a quiescent dusk sector auroral arc, with the predictions of three fine-grid auroral arc models. DE-2 measured the ion and neutral window, electron and neutral temperatures, neutral composition, and energetic auroral electron spectra (5 eV to 32 keV) at about 320 km altitude. The DE-2 composition measurements showed a local increase of the N2/O ratio in the arc, which is interpreted to be a result of the upward motion of N2-rich air. A reduction in the measured neutral temperature of about 100 K in the arc, relative to temperatures on either side, was found for all three arc crossings. Of the three theoretical models examined, only one shows a tendency for the neutral thermospheric temperature to drop in the auroral arc, and the decrease is significantly less than the observed temperature change.

Eastes, R. W.