1) The science justification is to study the height-resolved behavior
in the Joule
heating rate through the complex electrodynamic processes at play in
the high-latitude E region between the neutral wind, electric field,
current, and conductivity.
2) The required measurements are
Rocket:
ion and neutral composition
neutral winds
electric fields ac&dc
currents
Poynting vector ac&dc
Ground-based:
Sondrestrom IS radar
mesoscale electric fields
(2-3 minute resolution)
height-resolved measurements
of: (at 3 kilometer resolution
within 2-3 minutes)
currents
conductivities
ion and electron temperatures
neutral winds
Joule heating rate estimates
electromagnetic energy flux measurements
momentum transfer rates
All-sky Images
5577
4238
6300
Magnetometer
height-integrated
currents
height-integrated
Joule heating rates
Satellite:
TIMED
large-scale neutral winds
(tidal and planetary wave behavior)
largescale compositional
changes
large-scale thermal structure
large-scale conductance
DMSP
electric field measurements
perturbation magnetic fields
- field aligned currents
height-integrated Joule
heating rates
This suite of measurements will certainly provide adequate coverage
to
address the question of how electromagnetic energy is dissipated with
altitude through the E region.
3) Time period: no seasonal dependence, some local time dependence
due to
ground-based instrument support
4) Conditions required are: moderate to strong geomagnetic activity