The auroral ionosphere - Comparison of a time-dependent model with composition measurements

A time-dependent model of the auroral ionosphere including the odd nitrogen species, NO, N(D-2), and N(S-4), is used for comparison with data from a coordinated rocket-satellite measurement of an auroral event. The chemical scheme and the adopted rate coefficients have been shown to be compatible with daytime mid-latitude ionospheric chemistry. The electron flux and neutral atmospheric parameters measured on the satellite are used to compute the appropriate ionization and dissociation rates. The calculated NO(plus), O2(plus), O(plus), Ne, and NO densities agree well with the rocket measurements. The calculated N2(plus) densities are larger than the measured densities by a factor of 3 at most altitudes. The calculations show that the nitric oxide content of the aurora (about 1.2 times 10 to the 9th NO molecules/cu cm at 105 km) is below the saturation value.