AAS 97-633
TOOLS FOR MODELING THE THERMOSPHERE AND IONOSPHERE
A.G. Burns, T.L. Killeen, and W. Wang - The University of Michigan
Abstract
During the past 15 years, various codes have been developed at the University of Michigan to aid in the specification of the thermosphere and ionosphere. A Diagnostic Processor for the NCAR Thermospheric General Circulation Model was developed to assess quantitatively the magnitudes of the various forcing processes acting within the model. The Vector Spherical Harmonic model was developed to provide a hybrid approach to thermosphere/ionosphere specification using a combination of the output fields of the TIGCM and ingested data. Most recently we have developed a new nested grid model that operates within the NCAR-TIGCM and provides higher temporal and spatial resolution for detailed regional and local studies. These models are described here.