Your query was: withers

HR: 16:40h
AN: SA24A-05
TI: Testing Simple Parameterizations for the Basic Characteristics of the Martian Ionosphere
AU: * Withers, P
EM: withers@bu.edu
AF: Boston University, Center for Space Physics 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AU: Mendillo, M
AF: Boston University, Center for Space Physics 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AB: Approximately 2000 profiles of ionospheric electron density between 100 and 200 km altitude have been generated by the Radio Science Experiment on Mars Global Surveyor and publicly released on the PDS. Basic parameters that can be extracted from each electron density profile include the altitude, peak density, and thickness of two distinct ionospheric layers, the topside scale height, and the overall total electron content and equivalent slab thickness. With the 2000 profiles spanning the years 1998-2001, the analysis will include effects of variability in the longitudes, latitudes, local times, and seasons sampled. Simple scaling laws for the behaviour of these ionospheric parameters will be tested. We will investigate the hypothesis that layer width, slab thickness, and topside scale height can be related to neutral atmospheric temperatures and that, when combined with peak altitudes, these results can be related to neutral atmospheric pressures. We will discuss the implications of our results for interactions between the neutral and ionized portions of the martian upper atmosphere.
DE: 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions (0335)
DE: 2459 Planetary ionospheres (5435, 5729, 6026, 6027, 6028)
DE: 5435 Ionospheres (2459)
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: SPA: Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2004 Joint Assembly