Thermospheric and mesospheric temperatures during geomagnetic storms at 23°S

Abstract

Night-time thermospheric temperatures, T63o, and mesospheric rotational temperatures, T(OH) and T(O₂), have been measured at Cachoeira Paulista (23°S, 45°W, 16°S dip latitude), located in both the equatorial ionospheric anomaly and the South Atlantic Geomagnetic Anomaly, with a Fabry-Perot interferometer and a multi-channel tilting filter-type photometer, respectively. The thermospheric temperatures are obtained from the Doppler line broadening of the OI 630.0 nm emission and the mesospheric rotational temperatures from the OH(9,4) and O₂A(0,1) band emissions. Measurements made during three geomagnetic storms showed that the nocturnal mean values of T₆₃₀ during the recovery phase of the storms were lower than those observed during quiet time and from model predictions. Also, the nocturnal mean value of the T₆₃₀ soon after the SSC event on 27 June 1992 was higher than the quiet time and model predictions. The observed mesospheric nocturnal mean rotational temperatures, T(O₂) and T(O₂), were unaffected by the storms. A comparison of the night-time observed temperatures T₆₃₀, T(OH) and T(O₂) with those calculated using the MSIS-86 model is also presented.