Solar Flux Dependence of Upper Thermosphere Diurnal Variations: Observed and Modeled

Abstract

AbstractUpper thermosphere mass density over the declining phase of solar cycle 23 is investigated using a day‐to‐night ratio (DNR) of thermosphere properties to evaluate how much relative change occurs climatologically between day and night. Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) observations from 2002 to 2009, MSIS 2.0 output, and TIEGCM V2.0 simulations are analyzed to assess their relative response in DNR. The CHAMP observations demonstrate nightside densities decrease more significantly than dayside densities as solar flux decreases. This causes a steadily increasing CHAMP mass density DNR from around two to greater than four with decreasing solar flux. The MSIS 2.0 nightside densities decrease, with decreasing solar flux, more significantly than the dayside, resulting in the same trend as CHAMP. TIEGCM V2.0 displays an opposite trend in density DNR with decreasing solar flux due to dayside densities decreasing more significantly than nightside densities. A sensitivity analysis of the two models reveals the TIEGCM V2.0 to have greater sensitivity in temperature to levels of solar flux, while MSIS 2.0 displayed a greater sensitivity in mean molecular weight. The pressure DNR from both models contributed the most to the density DNR value at 400 km. As solar flux decreases, the two models' estimate of pressure DNR deviate appreciably and trend in opposite directions. The TIEGCM V2.0 dayside temperatures during middle‐to‐low solar flux are too cold relative to MSIS 2.0. Increasing the dayside temperature values by about 50–100 K and decreasing the nightside temperature slightly would bring the TIEGCM V2.0 into better agreement with MSIS 2.0 and CHAMP observations.