H.Liu et al. have improved a comprehensive numerical model, the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension (WACCM-X).

This figure shows (a-b) Monthly averaged values of maximum prereveral enhancement (PRE) between 14S--14N from WACCM-X simulations under solar maximum and solar minimum conditions, respectively. (c-d) are similar to (a-b) but are daily values of PRE.

The goal is to simulate the entire atmosphere and ionosphere, from the Earth’s surface to ~700 km altitude. This new version (v. 2.0) adds the capability to calculate the motions and temperatures of ions and electrons in the ionosphere. The model results compare well with available ground-based and satellite observations, under both quiet and disturbed space weather conditions. Even with constant solar forcing, the model displays large day-to-day weather changes in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, with basic patterns that agree with observations. This demonstrates the model ability to describe the connections between weather near the surface and weather in space.

Publication Name: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES)