Development of a geomagnetic storm correction to the international reference ionosphere model E-region electron densities using TIMED/SABER observations

Abstract

Auroral infrared emission observed from the TIMED/SABER broadband 4.3 um channel is used to develop an empirical geomagnetic storm correction to the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) E-region electron densities. The observation-based proxy used to develop the storm model is SABER-derived NO⁺(v) 4.3 um volume emission rates (VER). A correction factor is defined as the ratio of storm-time NO+(v) 4.3 um VER to a quiet-time climatological averaged NO⁺(v) 4.3 um VER, which is linearly fit to available geomagnetic activity indices. The initial version of the E-region storm model, called STORM-E, is most applicable within the auroral oval region. The STORM-E predictions of E-region electron densities are compared to incoherent scatter radar electron density measurements during the Halloween 2003 storm events. Future STORM-E updates will extend the model outside the auroral oval.