PARAMETERIZED IONOSPHERIC MODEL - A GLOBAL IONOSPHERIC PARAMETERIZATION BASED ON FIRST PRINCIPLES MODELS

We describe a parameterized ionospheric model (PIM), a global model of theoretical ionospheric climatology based on diurnally reproducible r uns of four physics based numerical models of the ionosphere. The four numerical models, taken together, cover the E and F layers for all la titudes, longitudes, and local times. PIM consists of a semianalytic r epresentation of diurnally reproducible runs of these models for low, moderate, and high levels of both solar and geomagnetic activity and f or June and December solstice and March equinox conditions. PIM produc es output in several user selectable formats including global or regio nal latitude/longitude grids (in either geographic or geomagnetic coor dinates), a set of user-specified points (which could lie along a sate llite orbital path), or an altitude/azimuth/elevation grid for a user- specified location. The user selectable output variables include profi le parameters (f(0)F(2), h(m)F(2), total electron content, etc.), elec tron density profiles, and ion composition (O+, NO+, and O-2(+)).