The 3D model of the plasmasphere coupled to the ionosphere

The 3D dynamic model of the plasmasphere developed by Pierrard and Stegen (2008) has been coupled with the ionospheric IRI model. In addition to the electron number density, the plasmaspheric model is also developed to include the temperature profiles of the different particles and ion composition at altitudes from 60 to 2000 km. Results of the model for the F region trough are compared with coincident observations of middle and top ionosphere by means of satellite tomography and radar measurements. A good match between the model and observations supports the idea that the present model is useful for investigating physical mechanism involved in the plasmasphere-ionosphere coupling and for acquiring information about the plasmaspheric behaviour based on ionospheric observations. Citation: Pierrard, V., and M. Voiculescu (2011), The 3D model of the plasmasphere coupled to the ionosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L12104, doi:10.1029/2011GL047767.