Abstract
The reaction of the F-layer to geomagnetic storms is studied between 35° and 55° (dipole latitude) with as indicator the relative deviation of foF2 to its monthly median. A longitude/UT Fourier development yields the longitudinally averaged offset, the diurnal and the semidiurnal wave. These are evaluated in terms of the total energy input into the auroral thermosphere (“Power Index” P) as solutions of a continuity equation written for this ionospheric characteristic. Production, loss and drift terms are introduced in the equation, representing the main physical processes controlling the ionospheric disturbances during storms. The ionospheric characteristic is presented as the sum of the average offset and the slowly rotating standing wave. The expression matches the data satisfactorily for storms in the summer hemisphere, while in winter there is significant discrepancy, possibly as a consequence of interhemispheric influences.
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