Thermospheric responses to the 3 and 4 November 2021 geomagnetic storm during the main and recovery phases as observed by NASA's GOLD and ICON missions

Leveraging observations by two NASA missions-GOLD (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk) and ICON (Ionospheric Connection Explorer), we investigate concurrent responses of thermospheric composition, temperatures, and neutral winds to the geomagnetic storm on 3-4 November 2021, as well as their interplay at low and middle latitudes. The synergetic observations reveal remarkable depletions up to 60%-70% in GOLD O/N-2, along with large enhancements in GOLD temperatures poleward of 30 degrees in the middle thermosphere. Meridional winds from ICON observations are altered by similar to 100 m/s equatorward of 25 degrees N latitude and at 250 km, characterized by a reversal of prevailing northward winds to geomagnetic storm-driven southward winds. This study fills a need, after a decade-long gap, for observing concurrent and co-located responses of composition, temperatures, and neutral winds in the thermosphere to geomagnetic storms.

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Author Gan, Q.
Eastes, R. W.
Wu, Y.
Qian, L.
Cai, X.
Wang, Wenbin
England, S. L.
McClintock, W. E.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2024-01-16T00:00:00
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2025-07-10T20:05:05.491234
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:26886
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Gan, Q., Eastes, R. W., Wu, Y., Qian, L., Cai, X., Wang, Wenbin, England, S. L., McClintock, W. E.. (2024). Thermospheric responses to the 3 and 4 November 2021 geomagnetic storm during the main and recovery phases as observed by NASA's GOLD and ICON missions. UCAR/NCAR - Library. https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7bk1hgz. Accessed 23 August 2025.

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