Solar wind drivers for low-latitude ionosphere models during geomagnetic storms

Abstract

A prescription for modeling the low-latitude ionosphere under active geomagnetic storm conditions is given, using a set of simple empirical drivers based on parameters of the solar wind. These drivers describe the effects of energy input from the solar wind into the ionosphere, including prompt penetration electric fields and thermospheric heating, thus permitting the ionosphere to be more accurately modeled under these extreme conditions. These drivers are relevant to modeling both the global-scale ambient ionosphere and the plasma instability of the ionosphere. An application of the drivers to modeling the low-latitude ionosphere during the November 2004 storm is presented in a companion paper [Retterer, J.M., Kelley, M.C., Valladares, C., Chau, J., Ilma, R., Gentile, L., Groves, K., 2009. Modeling the low-latitude ionospheric electron density and plasma turbulence in the November 2004 storm period. J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., this issue].