Nicolls (2015), High-latitude ionospheric drivers and their effects on wind patterns in the thermosphere, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 120, 715-735, doi:10.1002 Abstract Winds in the thermosphere are highly important for transporting mass, momentum, and energy over the globe. In the high-latitude region, observations show that ion and neutral motions are strongly coupled when the aurora is present but the coupling is less evident when there is no aurora. In this study, we investigate the ability of the Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM) to simulate the mesoscale wind structure over Alaska during a substorm. Thirteen distinct numerical simulations of a substorm event that occurred between 02:00 and 17:00 Universal Time on 24 November 2012 have been performed. Distinct drivers considered include the Weimer and SuperDARN potential patterns and the OVATION Prime and OVATION-SME auroral models. The effects of the boundary between the neutral wind dynamo calculation and the high-latitude imposed electric potential were also considered. Neutral wind velocities and thermospheric temperatures measured by the Scanning Doppler Imager instruments located at three locations in Alaska were compared to GITM simulation results, and electron densities within GITM were compared to data from the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar. It was found that the different drivers used between multiple simulations lead to various amounts of momentum coupling within the simulation, affecting the accuracy of the modeled neutral and ion flow patterns and the strength of electron precipitation at high latitudes. This affirms that better observations of auroral precipitation and electric fields are required to accurately understand and consistently reproduce the mesoscale neutral wind flow patterns and temperature structure in the high-latitude thermosphere.

This simulation study investigated the electrodynamic impact of varying descriptions of the diffuse aurora on the magnetosphere‐ionosphere (M‐I) system. Pitch angle diffusion caused by waves in the inner magnetosphere is the primary source term for the diffuse aurora, especially during storm time. The magnetic local time (MLT) and storm‐dependent electrodynamic impacts of the diffuse aurora were analyzed using a comparison between a new self‐consistent version of the Hot Electron Ion Drift Integrator with varying electron scattering rates and real geomagnetic storm events. The results were compared with Dst and hemispheric power indices, as well as auroral electron flux and cross‐track plasma velocity observations. It was found that changing the maximum lifetime of electrons in the ring current by 2–6 h can alter electric fields in the nightside ionosphere by up to 26%. The lifetime also strongly influenced the location of the aurora, but the model generally produced aurora equatorward of observations.

The prevalence of GPS total electron content (TEC) observations has provided an opportunity for extensive global ionosphere‐thermosphere model validation efforts. This study presents a year‐long data‐model comparison using the Global Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Model (GITM) and the Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE‐GCM). For the entire year of 2010, each model was run and compared to GPS TEC observations. The results were binned according to season, latitude, local time, and magnetic local time. GITM was found to overestimate the TEC everywhere, except on the midlatitude nightside, due to high O/N2 ratios. TIE‐GCM produced much less TEC and had lower O/N2 ratios and neutral wind speeds. Seasonal and regional biases in the models are discussed along with ideas for model improvements and further validation efforts.

Understanding the dynamics of the thermospheric mass density is of paramount importance for predicting drag on low‐altitude satellites, particularly during geomagnetic storms. Transient enhancements in ion velocities, which frequently occur as a result of storm‐driven solar wind electric field fluctuations, cause increases in neutral density and temperature. Since the Earth's quasi‐dipolar magnetic field is tilted and offset from the center of the planet, it is hypothesized that hemispheric asymmetries arise, altering the thermospheric response to energy input based upon the time of day. This study used the Global Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Model (GITM) to investigate this phenomenon via a series of 22 idealized simulations, where the convective electric field was enhanced for 1 h of the day. Two configurations of the Earth's magnetic field were considered, the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) and a centered dipole. These runs were conducted at March equinox when the amount of sunlight falling on the two hemispheres was the same. Two additional sets of runs were conducted at the June and December solstices for comparison. It was found that the most geoeffective times were those times when the geomagnetic poles were pointed toward the Sun. This orientation maximizes the photoionization colocated with the high‐latitude potential pattern, leading to more in Joule heating.

The role of universal time (UT) dependence on storm time development has remained an unresolved question in geospace research. This study presents new insight into storm progression in terms of the UT of the storm peak. We present a superposed epoch analysis of solar wind drivers and geomagnetic index responses during magnetic storms, categorized as a function of UT of the storm peak, to investigate the dependency of storm intensity on UT. Storms with Dst minimum less than −100 nT were identified in the 1970–2012 era (305 events), covering four solar cycles. The storms were classified into six groups based on the UT of the minimum Dst (40 to 61 events per bin) then each grouping was superposed on a timeline that aligns the time of the minimum Dst. Fifteen different quantities were considered: seven solar wind parameters and eight activity indices derived from ground‐based magnetometer data. Statistical analyses of the superposed means against each other (between the different UT groupings) were conducted to determine the mathematical significance of similarities and differences in the time series plots. It was found that the solar wind parameters have no significant difference between the UT groupings, as expected. The geomagnetic activity indices, however, all show statistically significant differences with UT during the main phase and/or early recovery phase. Specifically, the 02:00 UT groupings are stronger storms than those in the other UT bins. That is, storms are stronger when the Asian sector is on the nightside (American sector on the dayside) during the main phase.