Ionospheric <i>F</i>₂ layer seasonal and semiannual variations

Abstract

An extensive series of computations, using the Coupled Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Plasmasphere model (CTIP), has been undertaken to investigate the semiannual variation in peak noontime electron density, a common feature of the F 2 ‐layer, particularly at low latitudes and in the southern hemisphere at mid‐latitudes. Results from the model reveal such a variation, most prominently, at mid‐latitudes, in the South American sector. An analysis of this phenomenon shows that it is intimately related to the large offset of the geomagnetic axis from Earths spin axis in the southern hemisphere. Because of this offset, a given geographic latitude in the South American sector corresponds to a lower magnetic latitude than in other sectors and is thus farther from the energy inputs associated with the auroral regions. As a result, the composition changes are much smaller during the winter months than at other longitudes, the mean molecular mass being essentially constant for a 4‐month period centered on the winter solstice. This result is understood in terms of the global thermospheric circulation. In the absence of any composition changes, noon ionospheric density is influenced primarily by the solar zenith angle. This angle reaches a maximum at the winter solstice, leading to diminished ion production, a minimum in N m F 2 , and therefore a semiannual variation overall. On the basis of the model results, the semiannual variation is seen as a feature of the midlatitude ionosphere at geographic longitudes opposite to the location of the geomagnetic pole. This phenomenon is seen in both northern and southern hemispheres, though the effect is much larger in the southern hemisphere as a result of the greater magnetic offset.