The neutral wind dynamo contributes significantly to the ionospheric electrodynamics, and the variation of the neutral winds thus affects the ionosphere. Here we study the effects of the seasonal variation of the wind...The neutral wind dynamo contributes significantly to the ionospheric electrodynamics, and the variation of the neutral winds thus affects the ionosphere. Here we study the effects of the seasonal variation of the winds in a realistic Earth main field. The two-dimensional ionospheric dynamo equation is expressed in the framework of a revision of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) under the assumptions of equipotential field lines and conservation of current. A revision of IGRF and typical uniform conductance are used to isolate the effects of the seasonal variation of the winds. Our results show that the potential and the currents in solstice seasons are much different from those in equinox seasons. The gradients of the potential are steeper in solstice seasons than in equinox sea- sons, and similarly the shell currents are stronger in solstice seasons, due to the stronger neutral winds, than in equinox seasons. Correspondingly, the Birkeland currents in solstice seasons are 2-3 times larger than those in equinox seasons, and that the Birkeland currents are much stronger in winter than in summer. Consequently, this suggests that the couplings between North and South Hemi-spheres are much stronger in solstice seasons than in equinox seasons, and likewise they are stronger in winter than in summer.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40674092, 40890163)the Foundation of Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KJCX2-YW-T13-3)
文摘The neutral wind dynamo contributes significantly to the ionospheric electrodynamics, and the variation of the neutral winds thus affects the ionosphere. Here we study the effects of the seasonal variation of the winds in a realistic Earth main field. The two-dimensional ionospheric dynamo equation is expressed in the framework of a revision of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) under the assumptions of equipotential field lines and conservation of current. A revision of IGRF and typical uniform conductance are used to isolate the effects of the seasonal variation of the winds. Our results show that the potential and the currents in solstice seasons are much different from those in equinox seasons. The gradients of the potential are steeper in solstice seasons than in equinox sea- sons, and similarly the shell currents are stronger in solstice seasons, due to the stronger neutral winds, than in equinox seasons. Correspondingly, the Birkeland currents in solstice seasons are 2-3 times larger than those in equinox seasons, and that the Birkeland currents are much stronger in winter than in summer. Consequently, this suggests that the couplings between North and South Hemi-spheres are much stronger in solstice seasons than in equinox seasons, and likewise they are stronger in winter than in summer.
