Estimate of Interhemispheric Conductivity Differences Using SME and IMF Bz

Abstract:

In this study, we compare the average electrojet strength (as measured by the SME index) during winter solstice and summer solstice as a function of IMF Bz. We estimate the summer/winter ratio of SME to be approximately 1.33, which we attribute to the difference in ionospheric conductance between summer and winter. To further examine the role of ionospheric conductance as the source of this asymmetry, we will examine the effect of variable F10.7 levels during weeks centered on the summer and winter solstices. Additionally, we will also examine this asymmetry using AMPERE data for the Birkeland currents and compare our results to results obtained from global MHD simulations.