SA004-0018
Using Ionospheric Models for Extreme Phenomena

Tuesday, 8 December 2020
Poster
Sophia Gloria Gloria Schwalbe, Air Force Institute of Technology, Bellbrook, OH, United States, Robert Dean Loper Jr, Air Force Institute of Technology, Dept of Engineering Physics, Wpafb, OH, United States, Omar Nava, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, United States, Charlton David Lewis, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, United States and Daniel J Emmons II, Air Force Research Laboratory Kirtland AFB, Kirtland AFB, NM, United States
Abstract:
A study was conducted to assess whether existing ionospheric models can be used to simulate the total electron content (TEC) change in response to a high-altitude nuclear detonation (HAND). Current ionospheric models have limited capabilities to model small-scale effects like HANDs. The Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) was selected for this study based on availability and modified to incorporate an array of F10.7 indices to serve as a proxy for the localized heightened extreme ultraviolet activity and, using the temperature of the fireball attenuated over distance, drive the chemistry. It was found that the modified model had an increase in TEC over the standard model. However, TIE-GCM and other models are not sufficient to simulate the effects of a HAND due to the limitations in the models' calculations regarding chemistry and resolution. These results are not surprising, but should serve as justification for the creation of a new, more robust ionosphere model.
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