On calculating ionospheric conductances from the flux and energy of precipitating electrons

Auroral zone conductances can be estimated from the energy flux and average energy of precipitating electrons. Revised expressions are presented that relate height-integrated Hall and Pedersen conductance to the flux and average energy of a Maxwellian. It is shown that the accuracy of this method depends on the minimum and maximum energy within which the distribution is integrated to get the energy flux and average energy. It is also confirmed that the conductances produced by some of the more common auroral spectral distributions are similar to those produced by a Maxwellian with the same average energy and energy flux. The application of these results is demonstrated using precipitating electron measurements made by the Hilat satellite during a pass over Greenland.