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Improving the Thermosphere Ionosphere in a Whole Atmosphere Model by Assimilating GOLD Disk Temperatures
  • +2
  • Fazlul I Laskar,
  • Nicholas Michael Pedatella,
  • Mihail V. Codrescu,
  • Richard W Eastes,
  • William E. McClintock
Fazlul I Laskar
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Nicholas Michael Pedatella
National Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), National Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), National Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
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Mihail V. Codrescu
NOAA-Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA-Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA-Space Weather Prediction Center
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Richard W Eastes
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
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William E. McClintock
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
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Abstract

Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD) disk measurements of far ultraviolet molecular nitrogen band emissions are used to retrieve column integrated disk temperatures (Tdisk), which are representative of the lower-and-middle thermosphere. The present work develops a new approach to assimilate the Tdisk in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphereĆ¢\euro?ionosphere eXtension (WACCMX) using the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) ensemble adjustment Kalman filter. Nine days of data,1 to 9 November 2018, are assimilated. Analysis state variables such as thermospheric effective temperature (Teff, airglow layer integrated temperature), ratio of atomic oxygen to molecular nitrogen column densities (O/N2), and column electron content are compared with a control simulation that is only constrained up to ~50 km. It is observed that assimilation of the GOLD Tdisk improves the analysis states when compared with the control simulation. The analysis and model states, particularly, Teff, O/N2, and Electron Column Density (ECD) are also compared with their measurement counterparts for a validation of the assimilation. Teff and O/N2 are compared with GOLD Tdisk and O/N2. While, the ECD is compared with ground based Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements from Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) improvements in Teff and O/N2 are about 10.8% and 22.6%, respectively. The RMSE improvement in analyses ECD is about 10% compared to control simulation.
Mar 2022Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics volume 127 issue 3. 10.1029/2021JA030045