Identification

Title

The UT variation of the polar ionosphere based on COSMIC observations

Abstract

Mean polar electron content (mPEC) is used to analyze the polar ionosphere in both the Antarctic and Arctic. The mPEC is calculated over the polar region covering geographic latitudes higher than 60° from the global distributed vertical total electron contents based on electron density profiles observed by Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC). Using this parameter, the universal time (UT) variation of the polar ionosphere is quantitatively characterized. This UT variation exists an opposite phase (i.e., a 12‐hr phase difference) between them. The mPEC standard deviation (SD) in the Antarctic is larger in summer and autumn (being 1.37 and 0.78 TECu, respectively) and smaller in winter (0.29 TECu) and spring (0.61 TECu). The SD in the Arctic, however, is the largest in winter (0.14 TECu). In other seasons, the SD is less than 0.1 TECu. (being 0.07 TECu in spring, 0.05 TECu in summer, and 0.08 TECu in autumn, respectively). We use SD over the mean value to describe relative intensity of mPEC variations. This relative intensity is larger in winter for both Antarctic and Arctic regions. The UT variation in intensity is much stronger in the Antarctic than in the Arctic. These characteristics are attributed to the fact that the separation of the geomagnetic pole and geographic pole is dihedral and the angle is larger in the Antarctic. The larger angle causes more electrons transported into the polar region when the geomagnetic pole is on the dayside and fewer electrons transported into the polar region when the geomagnetic pole is on the nightside.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7qv3p2k

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2019-04-30T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact