Solar cycle variations in F-region Te in the vicinity of the midlatitude trough based on AE-C measurements at solar minimum and DE-2 measurements at solar maximum

Magnetospheric energy deposited in the plasmasphere produces large enhancements in the electron temperature in the nightside ionosphere at the foot of the geomagnetic L shell that traverses the plasmapause. This temperature peak, which is associated with the midlatitude trough in electron density, often has a great enough amplitude to produce 630 nm emission known as a Sar-arc. The Atmosphere Explorer-C measurements made at solar minimum and the Dynamics Explorer-2 measurements made at solar maximum are used to illustrate how this signature of F-region electron heating changes with solar activity. Global empirical models of the electron temperature and density have not been able to resolve these features thus far because of their large movements with geomagnetic activity and because of the large bin sizes used in the models. It is not yet clear how this major feature of the F-region temperature structure could be included easily in the IRI model.