Speaker
Description
The Earth’s Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere (MIT) system is strongly controlled by the laws of electrodynamics, which include significant contributions from all three components. Today, we face a growing need for a better representation of this MIT system, at all latitudes due to the growing use of GNSS satellites for positioning, which face accuracy and forecasting challenges that are not accessible with current data coverage and processing tools.
The IRAP Plasmasphere-Ionosphere Model (IPIM) is one of the only physical models developed in Europe which solves plasma transport equation along magnetic field lines and provides a complete 3D coverage of Earth’s ionosphere and plasmasphere in latitudes, longitudes and altitudes.
The main inputs of the model come from the solar irradiance (FISM model) and the neutral atmosphere (MSIS for neutral densities and temperature and HWM14 for winds). The IPIM model has already been validated against observations such as geomagnetic storm events at high latitudes and we are now extending it with a module solving the electrodynamics of the low and mid-latitudes.
The final goal of this work is to have a good representation of low-mid latitudes ionosphere-upper atmosphere couplings, mostly in regions with sparse data coverage.
In this poster, we will present interesting results of the IPIM model during quiet periods and geomagnetic storms. And, we will discuss the results and the perspectives of applications and developments.
