SPACE  WEATHER   NOWCAST

Quasi - real time specification of the electrostatic potential pattern in the middle and low -latitude ionosphere

We are presenting here  some results obtained using our global model for the ionospheric electric field and currents. One can find details of the algorithm and the numerical scheme in the paper of V.Keremidarska (Nikolova) and         M.Kartalev (only in dipole coordinates there).  The "Model 1"  from this paper   with supposition for equal field aligned currents in the magnetically conjugate points of the ionosphere  is utilized here.   Some model elaboration and  adapting to Internet were helped by D.Romanov and K.Grigorov.

The distribution of the field-aligned currents in the polar regions, specified by IZMEM/DMPS (Nagoya mirror) model and available in real time in Internet, is used as a boundary conditions in our model. For this purpose the supplied by the web-site of the Michigan University post-script file is automatically processed. The solar activity data, needed for specification of the ionospheric conductivities, are also taken periodically from Internet (here from the site of DXLC). 

The procedure is repeated periodically .

  Here is our latest available result: electric potential distribution in the middle and low latitudes. The potential is set to zero in a certain equatorial point.

  Here is the used  (in our last result) space weather information from the LiMIE web-site,   including actual ACE solar wind data.

We present here together the patterns, obtained every 120 minutes during the last 24 hours. The red isolines correspond to the potential interval   [-0.1kV,  +0.1kV ].  The potential is set to zero in a certain equatorial point.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. Please, contact M.Kartalev.

This project is partially supported by the Bulgarian Science Foundation (Grants NZ 522 and MU I 0598).