Speaker
Dr
Thayyil Jayachandran
(University of New Brunswick)
Description
The polar cap ionosphere, an important part of the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere system, is formed by ionization of the neutral atmosphere by solar radiation and particle precipitation under internal transportation and chemical processes. The polar ionosphere is primarily driven by magnetospheric convection and neutral circulation, and undergoes structuring over a wide range of temporal and spatial scale sizes. This structuring is due to the interplay of mechanical forces, electrodynamics, and ionization chemistry. The most prominent and frequent structure of the polar cap ionosphere is the polar patch, which is defined as a region of enhanced F layer ionization distinguishable from the background electron density. Several theories, observations, and hypotheses on the generation and dynamics of these patches are available in the literature. However, a coherent understanding of patch formation is still lacking, mainly due to the lack of high spatial and temporal resolution observations. This is also compounded by our attention to more dramatic patch events. This presentation will focus on a less-dramatic patch event using observations from the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN), in order to provide a coherent view of formation, dynamics, and decay of polar patches.
Author
Dr
Thayyil Jayachandran
(University of New Brunswick)
Co-authors
Mr
C Watson
(University of New Brunswick)
Mr
D Themens
(University of New Brunswick)
Dr
J.W. MacDougall
(Western University)
Dr
K Hosokawa
(University of Electro-communication)
Dr
K Shiokawa
(Nagoya University)
Dr
P Prikryl
(University of New Brunswick)
