Vertical Variations in Thermospheric O/N2 and the Relationship Between O and N2 Perturbations During a Geomagnetic Storm.

The ratio of O to N2 number densities (O/N2) at different altitudes is an important parameter in describing thermospheric neutral composition changes and their effects on the ionosphere during geomagnetic storms. However, storm‐induced vertical variations in O/N2 and its dependence on the O and N2 perturbations are still not fully understood. Here, the Thermosphere/Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model simulations were used to investigate the responses of thermospheric composition at different pressure levels to the super geomagnetic storm occurred on November 20 and 21 in 2003. Our analysis shows that the behaviors of O/N2 perturbations on different pressure levels are similar above ∼180 km altitude. In the middle and low thermosphere of below ∼300 km, the storm‐time O/N2 decrease is mainly caused by a large reduction of O number density. However, N2 enhancement plays a vital role in O/N2 decreases in the upper thermosphere. The O/N2 enhancement is mainly attributed to the N2 decreases at all pressure levels. The changes of O and N2 number densities at a constant pressure level can be explained by the perturbations of their mass mixing ratio (mmr) and total mass density (ρ). The regions of the O/N2 decrease are characterized by the O mmr decrease and N2 mmr enhancement, whereas the regions of the O/N2 increase are characterized by the O mmr increase and N2 mmr decrease. The ρ value that shows the decrease globally at most pressure levels during the storm either enhance or reduce the O and N2 perturbations. Plain Language Summary: The column O/column N2 density ratio (∑O/N2) was usually used to describe thermospheric neutral composition responses to geomagnetic storms and the storm effects on ionospheric plasma density. However, thermospheric circulation changed considerably during the storm, resulting in discrepancies in composition at different altitudes. Additionally, the daytime electron density changes during geomagnetic storms are more related to those of local O/N2 at a given altitude, not the ∑O/N2. Therefore, it is important to fully understand the storm‐induced vertical variations in O, N2 and O/N2 perturbations. In this paper, the vertical variations in O/N2 and its dependence on the O and N2 perturbations during the 20–21 November 2003 storm are investigated by the numerical simulations. Our results shows that the behaviors of O and N2 perturbations depend much on the altitude, but those of O/N2 on different pressure levels are similar, especially above ∼180 km. This study helps us better understand the physical process of storm‐time ∑O/N2 variations based on the observations. Key Points: In middle and low thermosphere of below ∼300 km, storm‐time decreases of the ratio of O/N2 volume density are mainly caused by O reductionIn the upper thermosphere, N2 enhancement plays a vital role in the decreases of the ratio of O/N2 volume density during the stormAt all pressure levels, storm‐time increases of the ratio of O/N2 volume density depend more on the N2 decreases [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]