A source or a sink? How the altitude of particle precipitation influence high-latitude electrodynamics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: . Fast, charged particles intermittently rain down into Earth's dense atmosphere. The kinetic energy of these particles are converted into heat and light, and it ionizes the atmospheric gas, providing a source of both free and bound energy for the ionosphere; this is the aurora borealis and australis. The specific kinetic energy of the constituent particles in the aurora dictates the atmospheric response to the ongoing particle precipitation, with hard (high-energy) particles penetrating deeper than those that are considered soft (possessing a low kinetic energy). In this paper, we analyze a large database of precipitating particle observations from the United States' Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, and aggregate the altitude-dependent response of the ionosphere at high-latitudes, using fast ionization rate parameterizations due to two important papers by Fang et al. (10.1029/2010GL045406 and 10.1002/jgra.50484). We explore a characteristic altitude-dependent pattern in space (magnetic latitude and longitude), and time (geomagnetic activity), pertaining to the shape of the northern hemisphere, high-latitude ionosphere during local winter. We briefly discuss the implied ratio of E- to F-region Pedersen conductance, and this ratio's ramifications for the growth & decay (and thus proliferation) of plasma turbulence in the high-latitude ionosphere.
Source: Annales Geophysicae
Author: Magnus F. Ivarsen
Institutions: University of Saskatchewan, European Space Research Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,186
Funder: European Space Agency
Award: G6314698454
OpenAlex ID: W7131658232