How changes in the tilt angle of the geomagnetic dipole affect the coupled magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐thermosphere system

The orientation of the Earth's magnetic field has changed dramatically during the geological past. We have investigated the effects of changes in dipole tilt angle on the magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere, using the Coupled Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere‐Thermosphere (CMIT) model. The dipole tilt angle modulates the efficiency of solar wind‐magnetosphere coupling, by influencing the diurnal variation in the angle μ between the dipole axis and the GSM z axis. This influences how much Joule heating occurs at high magnetic latitudes. The dipole tilt angle also controls the geographic distribution of the Joule heating, as it determines the geographic latitude of the magnetic poles. Changes in the amount and distribution of Joule heating with tilt an`gle produce further changes in temperature and neutral winds. The latter affect the O/N 2 ratio, which in turn modifies the peak electron density of the F 2 layer, N m F 2 . All these effects are most important when the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) is southward, while being almost negligible under northward IMF. However, a change in dipole tilt also changes the inclination of the magnetic field, which affects the vertical component of ionospheric plasma diffusion along the magnetic field, regardless of the IMF direction. Changes in vertical plasma diffusion are responsible for ∼2/3 of the changes in N m F 2 and most of the low to midlatitude changes in h m F 2 under southward IMF and for most of the changes in both variables under northward IMF. Thermal contraction may be responsible for high‐latitude decreases in h m F 2 with increasing tilt angle under southward IMF.