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Simulation of the 21 August 2017 Solar Eclipse Using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model‐eXtended
Author(s) -
McInerney Joseph M.,
Marsh Daniel R.,
Liu HanLi,
Solomon Stanley C.,
Conley Andrew J.,
Drob Douglas P.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl077723
Subject(s) - stratopause , thermosphere , atmosphere (unit) , mesosphere , eclipse , ionosphere , atmospheric sciences , solar eclipse , stratosphere , environmental science , physics , meteorology , geophysics , astronomy
We performed simulations of the atmosphere‐ionosphere response to the solar eclipse of 21 August 2017 using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model‐eXtended (WACCM‐X v. 2.0) with a fully interactive ionosphere and thermosphere. Eclipse simulations show temperature changes in the path of totality up to −3 K near the surface, −1 K at the stratopause, ±4 K in the mesosphere, and −40 K in the thermosphere. In the F region ionosphere, electron density is depleted by about 55%. Both the temperature and electron density exhibit global effects in the hours following the eclipse. There are also significant effects on stratosphere‐mesosphere chemistry, including an increase in ozone by nearly a factor of 2 at 65 km. Dynamical impacts of the eclipse in the lower atmosphere appear to propagate to the upper atmosphere. This study provides insight into coupled eclipse effects through the entire atmosphere from the surface through the ionosphere.