Multi-scale Temporal and Spatial Plasma Perturbations during the March 26th, 2014 substorm: GITM Simulations Driven by SuperDARN High-Resolution Convection Pattern

Multi-scale plasma density perturbations play a crucial role in ionosphere-thermosphere (I-T) system dynamics, especially during geomagnetic storms. However, their spatial and temporal characteristics remain underexplored due to the limitations in both high-resolution observations and corresponding accurate forcing specification in simulations. Recent advancements enable the derivation of regional high-resolution ion convection patterns from Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN). Building on Cheng et al. (2022), the Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM) driven by these high-resolution patterns will be utilized to simulate the multi-scale I-T responses during the March 26th, 2014 substorm event. For comparisons, GITM simulations will also be conducted using large-scale statistical ion convection patterns from a statistical model and smoothed high-resolution SuperDARN ion convection patterns. To highlight the significance of multi-satellite configurations in I-T system observations, we will fly various virtual satellite constellations, including single-satellite, two-satellite, box-type configuration and a string-of-pearl configuration—within GITM simulation domain. These simulations will evaluate the temporal and spatial characteristics captured by different satellite constellations across various ion convection drivers, evaluating their effectiveness in resolving multi-scale plasma structures under varying geomagnetic conditions. Additionally, the optimal separation distance for accurately sampling both ionospheric and thermospheric species will be examined. Our findings offer valuable insights into multi-scale plasma density perturbations and contribute to the refinement of the NASA’s Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) and DYNAMIC satellite constellation configurations.