2025 Workshop: CEDAR/RB-SoS
Adam Michael
Man Hua
Luisa Capannolo
Hanli Liu
Josh Pettit
Energetic electron precipitation (EEP) is one of the key loss processes responsible for depletion of the radiation belts and is an important source of energy and ionization for Earth's atmosphere. Precipitation from the radiation belts into the atmosphere changes the chemical composition from the stratosphere to the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. By dissociation, dissociative ionization, and ionization of major atmospheric species, EEP changes atmospheric nitric oxides (NOx) and hydrogen oxides (HOx), which serve as a reaction catalyst for large ozone (O3) loss in the stratosphere and mesosphere. By changing the composition of the atmosphere, EEP can also indirectly affect the heating and cooling rates in the atmosphere and thus its dynamics. A comprehensive understanding of EEP characteristics and its influence on the atmosphere remains elusive because it requires a synergistic characterization of both radiation belt dynamics and atmospheric responses
In this session we will cover how EEP of radiation belt particles affects the atmospheric system, in terms of energy input, transport processes in the atmosphere, as well as the direct and indirect effects on the atmospheric chemistry and dynamics. We will encourage talks that address the inputs to the system and make progress in atmospheric modeling including the EEP effects.
Understanding the radiation belt sources and the resulting atmospheric effects (regional vs global, short- vs. long-lived, dependence on altitude, etc.) is essential to understand how the RB system couples with the atmosphere as a whole. This session will also be fundamental to start a conversation between the CEDAR and GEM communities. We will encourage attendees to share resources (data, models, etc.) and foster collaborations.