Storm-time energy budget in the high latitude lower thermosphere–ionosphere: quantification of energy exchange and comparison of different drivers in TIE-GCM

Tourgaidis, Stelios; Sarris, Theodoros; Baloukidis, Dimitrios; Buchert, Stephan; Pirnaris, Panagiotis; Papadakis, Konstantinos; Balafoutis, Athanasios

doi:10.5194/angeo-44-773-2026

Articles | Volume 44, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-44-773-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-44-773-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 44, issue 2

Regular paper

|

19 Aug 2026

Regular paper |

| 19 Aug 2026

Storm-time energy budget in the high latitude lower thermosphere–ionosphere: quantification of energy exchange and comparison of different drivers in TIE-GCM

Stelios Tourgaidis, Theodoros Sarris, Dimitrios Baloukidis, Stephan Buchert, Panagiotis Pirnaris, Konstantinos Papadakis, and Athanasios Balafoutis

Data sets

Storm-time Energy Transfer Between Species in the High Latitude Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere S. Tourgaidis et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16993754

Video supplement

Storm-time Energy Transfer Between Species in the High Latitude Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere S. Tourgaidis et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16993754

Short summary

The Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere energy balance is driven by complex interactions between ions, neutrals and electrons. These processes are understood theoretically, but their estimates show large discrepancies between models. We calculate the storm-time energy budget according to the neutrals, ions and electrons using TIE-GCM (Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model) using two different external drivers. Discrepancies between the model runs are discussed and the way forward to close the gaps in present knowledge is highlighted.