ROLE OF ATOMIC OXYGEN IN IONOSPHERIC E-REGION AND F-REGION BEHAVIOR

The continuity and heat conduction equations for the electron, ion and neutral gases are solved simultaneously to show the effect of using the heat loss arising from the excitation of the fine structure levels of atomic oxygen, and the heat input from a height dependent electron heating efficiency. The solutions are compared to Thomson backscatter data obtained under conditions similar to those used in the theoretical model. A family of solutions is presented for three different values of the atomic oxygen density at the turbopause level, and compares favorably to certain widely observed features of the main phase of a magnetic storm. From the comparison, it is shown that the results of decreasing the atomic oxygen density at the turbopause level are consistent with the observed changes in both the neutral and ionized constituents relative to quiet magnetic conditions. © 1969.