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Topside Equatorial Ionospheric Density and Composition During and After Extreme Solar MinimumDuring the recent solar minimum, solar activity reached the lowest levels observed during the space age. This extremely low solar activity has accompanied a number of unexpected observations in the Earth s ionosphere-thermosphere system when compared to previous solar minima. Among these are the fact that the ionosphere is significantly contracted beyond expectations based on empirical models. Altitude profiles of ion density and composition measurements near the magnetic dip equator are constructed from the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) satellite to characterize the shape of the topside ionosphere during the recent solar minimum and into the new solar cycle. The variation of the profiles with respect to local time, season, and solar activity are compared to the IRI-2007 model. Building on initial results reported by Heelis et al. (2009), here we describe the extent of the contracted ionosphere, which is found to persist throughout 2009. The shape of the ionosphere during 2010 is found to be consistent with observations from previous solar minima.
Document ID
20120012016
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Klenzing, J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Simoes, F.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Ivanov, S.
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA, United States)
Heelis, R. A.
(Texas Univ. at Dallas Richardson, TX, United States)
Bilitza, D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Pfaff, R.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Rowland, D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 26, 2013
Publication Date
December 31, 2011
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 116
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.01258.2012
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-01068
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX10AM94G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX09AJ74G S04
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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