Abstract
AbstractThe role of electron precipitation in the auroral zone in driving thermal O+ upwelling is explored by comparison of observations and model results. Previous reports have shown how the ambiguities of such an assessment can be reduced when the problem is addressed in dynamic boundary‐related coordinates. Upwelling ion data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites are compared using a modeling framework based on the Field Line Interhemispheric Plasma (FLIP) ionospheric model. We focus on geomagnetically quiet intervals, that is, nonstorm times with Dst > −50 nT. We find that low‐energy (<100 eV) electrons are a significant driver of O+ upwelling on the nightside, particularly in the 2100 magnetic local time sector. Our analysis suggests that DMSP electron observations and electron precipitation models derived from them significantly underestimate the actual flux of soft (i.e., <100 eV) electrons.
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