Thermosphere and ionosphere response to subauroral polarization streams (SAPS): Model simulations

Zonal neutral winds had either an extra, separate channel of westward flow in the subauroral region in the afternoon-midnight sector or a broad westward wind jet that merged with the regular duskside auroral westward zonal neutral wind driven by the high latitude convection pattern. The exact latitudinal profile of the zonal winds depended on local time. (3) The response of neutral temperature and wind to SAPS was more significant at higher altitudes and exhibited seasonal/hemispheric asymmetry.

(4) The heating to the thermosphere by SAPS also resulted in changes in thermospheric composition with upwelling of molecular rich air in subauroral and auroral regions and downwelling of atomic oxygen rich air at other latitudes. These changes in thermospheric composition contributed to the deeper and more extended ionospheric electron density depletions in subauroral middle latitude regions, as well as electron density increases along the equatorward edge of the SAPS channel in the afternoon sector.