Separating and quantifying ionospheric responses to proton and electron precipitation over Svalbard

On 16 December 2001, a variable and structured aurora associated with a period of high solar wind velocity and low solar wind density was recorded through optical, radar, and particle measurements from the ground and space. A comprehensive analysis of this data set is carried out using a coupled auroral electron deposition and ion chemistry model. The observations include H β , N 2 + 1N (0, 2), and O + 4 P‐ 4 D optical and electron density radar measurements from the ground, particle data from NOAA 16 and DMSP F14 satellites, and Doppler‐shifted H Lyman α images from the IMAGE satellite. Modulations in the energy flux of both protons and electrons are seen in the NOAA 16 data as well as in the optical signatures measured on ground and from above. At the time of closest approach of NOAA 16, the observed emissions and electron density at the peak of an enhancement are well reproduced when precipitating protons and electrons with total fluxes of 0.23 and 3.0 mW m −2 , respectively, and mean energies of 2.50 and 0.25 keV, respectively, are used as input for the model. These values are consistent with those measured by the NOAA satellite. The resulting modeled emissions agree well with the ground measurements of enhanced emissions. The correlation between the emissions from N 2 + and O + suggests that they are primarily due to electron precipitation. This result is confirmed by the agreement between the measured and modeled emissions and by the values of extinction obtained for all three emissions. The modulations to the E region ionization can be explained by proton precipitation alone, while soft electrons are responsible for the changes to the ionization at higher altitudes.