Observations of joule and particle heating in the auroral zone

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Abstract

Observational data from the Chatanika, Alaska incoherent scatter radar have been used to deduce atmospheric heating rates associated with particle precipitation and joule dissipation. During periods when Chatanika is in the vicinity of the auroral oval the height-integrated heat input to the lower thermosphere can be as large as 100 ergs cm−2 sec−1 with joule and particle heating rates of comparable magnitude. Altitude profiles of these heat inputs are also obtained, showing that the energy liberated by joule dissipation tends to peak at a substantially higher altitude (~130 km) than that due to particles (100–120 km). As a consequence, it follows that joule heating can be expected to provide a rapid means for creating thermospheric disturbances. It is also pointed out that joule and particle heating are permanent features of the auroral oval and polar cap. As such, expansion of the auroral oval leads to an increase in the total global heating and, hence, to the close relationship between magnetic disturbances and thermospheric perturbation.

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    This research was supported, in part, through NASA Grant NGR-05-009-075 and NSF Grant GA-36281.

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