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    The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics
    The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics
    The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics
    Ebook88 pages1 hour

    The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics

    By Michael C. Kelley

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    About this ebook

    Although interesting in its own right, due to the ever-increasing use of satellites for communication and navigation, weather in the ionosphere is of great concern. Every such system uses trans-ionospheric propagation of radio waves, waves which must traverse the commonly turbulent ionosphere. Understanding this turbulence and predicting it are one of the major goals of the National Space Weather program. Acquiring such a prediction capability will rest on understanding the very topics of this book, the plasma physics and electrodynamics of the system.
    • Fully updated to reflect advances in the field in the 20 years since the first edition published
    • Explores the buffeting of the ionosphere from above by the sun and from below by the lower atmosphere
    • Unique text appropriate both as a reference and for coursework
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAcademic Press
    Release dateJun 12, 2009
    ISBN9780080916576
    The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics

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      Book preview

      The Earth's Ionosphere - Michael C. Kelley

      Table of Contents

      Cover Image

      Preface

      1 Introductory and Background Material

      2 Fundamentals of Atmospheric, Ionospheric, and Magnetospheric Plasma Dynamics

      3 Dynamics and Electrodynamics of the Equatorial Zone

      4 Equatorial Plasma Instabilities and Mesospheric Turbulence

      5 Hydro- and Electrodynamics of the Midlatitude Ionosphere

      6 Waves and Instabilities at Midlatitudes

      7 Dynamics and Electrodynamics of the Mesosphere

      8 High-Latitude Electrodynamics

      9 Ionospheric Response to Electric Fields

      10 Instabilities and Structure in the High-Latitude Ionosphere

      Preface

      Michael C. Kelley

      1 Introductory and Background Material

      In this introductory chapter we present a qualitative treatment of several topics that we hope is sufficient to proceed with our study of ionospheric physics. The chapter begins with historical comments and a description of the limitations we have set for the text. In particular, we do not repeat or significantly update the material published by Rishbeth and Garriott (1969) earlier in this same International Geophysics Series. Rather, our emphasis is on electrodynamics and plasma physics, so we refer the interested reader to Rishbeth and Garriott and to Banks and Kockarts (1973) for more information about formation of the ionosphere, its ion chemistry, heat balance, and other aeronomic properties. Another and more recent resource for classical ionospheric science is the text by Schunk and Nagy (2000). Lyons and Williams (1984) have published a text on magnetospheric science.

      References

      W.I. Axford, C.O. Hines, A unifying theory of high-latitude geophysical phenomena and geomagnetic storms, Can. J. Phys. 39 (1961) 1433.

      P.M. Banks, G. Kockarts, Aeronomy. (1973) Academic Press, New York ; Parts A and B.

      M.J. Baron, Electron densities within auroras and other auroral E-region characteristics, Radio Sci. 9 (1974) 341.

      F.F. Chen, In: 2nd ed. Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, (Plasma Physics). vol. 1 (1984) Plenum Press, New York.

      J.W. Dungey, Interplanetary magnetic field and the aurorae zones, Phys. Rev. Lett. 6 (1961) 47.

      G. Iioannidis, D.T. Farley, High resolution D-region measurements at Arecibo, Radio Sci. 9 (2) (1974) 151–157.

      V.G. Istomin, Observational results on atmospheric ions in the region of the outer ionosphere, Ann. Geophys. 22 (1966) 255.

      C.Y. Johnson, Ion and neutral composition of the ionosphere, Ann. IQSY 5 (1969).

      M.C. Kelley, P.M. Kintner, Evidence for two-dimensional inertial turbulence in a cosmic-scale low β -plasma, Astrophys. J. 220 (1978) 339.

      M.G. Kivelson, C.T. Russell, Introduction to Space Physics. (1995) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK .

      L.R. Lyons, D.J. Williams, Quantitative Aspects of Magnetospheric Physics. (1984) Reidel, Boston .

      E.A. Mechtly, S.A. Bowhill, L.G. Smith, Changes of lower ionosphere electron concentrations with solar activity, J. Atmos. Terr. Phys. 34 (1972) 1899–1907.

      R.S. Narcisi, A.D. Bailey, L.E. Wlodyka, C.R. Philbrick, Ion composition measurements in the lower thermosphere during the November 1966 and March 1970 solar eclipses, J. Atmos. Terr. Phys. 34 (1972) 647.

      C.A. Reber, M. Nicolet, Investigation of the major constituents of the April–May 1963 heterosphere by the Explorer XVII satellite, Planet. Space Sci. 13 (1965) 617.

      G.C. Reid, Production and loss of electrons in the quiet daytime D region of the ionosphere, J. Geophys. Res. 75 (1970) 2551–2562.

      H. Rishbeth, O.K. Garriott, In: Introduction to Ionospheric Physics. Int. Geophys. Set., vol. 14 (1969) Academic Press, New York.

      R.M. Robinson, R. Vondrak, J. Craven, L. Frank, K. Miller, A comparison of ionospheric conductances and auroral luminosities observed simultaneously with the Chatanika radar and the de-1 auroral imagers, J. Geophys. Res. 94 (A5) (1989) 5382–5396.

      R.W. Schunk, A. Nagy, Ionospheres, Physics, Plasma Physics and Chemistry. (2000) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK .

      L. Thomas, Recent developments and outstanding problems in the theory of the D region, Radio Sci. 9 (1974) 121–136.

      2 Fundamentals of Atmospheric, Ionospheric, and Magnetospheric Plasma Dynamics

      In this chapter we model the ionospheric plasma as three interpenetrating fluids, with the electron and ion fluids immersed in the neutral gas. At all heights of interest in the study of ionospheric phenomena, the neutral gas density exceeds that of the plasma. In fact, the plasma density does not become comparable to that of the neutrals until several thousand kilometers in altitude. The primary difference between ionospheric plasma dynamics and thermospheric neutral gas dynamics is the effect of electromagnetic forces. The various forces acting on charged particles drive electric currents that in turn create electric fields that modify the plasma dynamics. The electrical conductivity of the medium is thus extremely important and is derived in this chapter. We discuss briefly the generation of electric fields in the ionosphere and the transmission of electric fields along magnetic field lines between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. At middle and low latitudes, the electric field is generated primarily by the neutral wind field. In later chapters electric fields impressed on the ionosphere by solar wind and magnetospheric processes will be taken into account, as will their occasional penetration into the middleand low-latitude sectors. In the analysis that follows, we first obtain the equations for a neutral fluid and then extend them to ionized gases. Finally, we develop the equations needed to describe collisionless plasmas in the absence of a neutral fluid, which is the appropriate approximation for the magnetosphere. Although not the primary topic of this text, such a development is necessary, since we must be able to describe certain key magnetospheric phenomena in some detail.

      References

      P.M. Banks, G. Kockarts, Aeronomy. (1973) Academic Press, New York ; Parts A

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