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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • solar flares
  • atmosphere

Index Terms

  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry
  • Biogeosciences: Astrobiology and extraterrestrial materials
  • Global Change: Atmosphere

Abstract

Modeling atmospheric effects of the September 1859 solar flare

B. C. Thomas

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, USA

C. H. Jackman

Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

A. L. Melott

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

We have modeled atmospheric effects, especially ozone depletion, due to a solar proton event which probably accompanied the extreme magnetic storm of 1–2 September 1859. We use an inferred proton fluence for this event as estimated from nitrate levels in Greenland ice cores. We present results showing production of odd nitrogen compounds and their impact on ozone. We also compute rainout of nitrate in our model and compare to values from ice core data.

Received 21 December 2006; accepted 2 March 2007; published 31 March 2007.

Citation: Thomas, B. C., C. H. Jackman, and A. L. Melott (2007), Modeling atmospheric effects of the September 1859 solar flare, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L06810, doi:10.1029/2006GL029174.

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