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Radar waves with very low frequency (VLF) are reflected in the D-region, the lower edge of the ionosphere. The D-region (60 - 90km) is influenced by the solar zenith angle and space weather from above and by the mesosphere's dynamic and chemical processes. During October there is a sharp decrease of the daytime VLF amplitude between transmitter and receiver combinations whose great circle paths lie in polar latitudes. Until now we do not know what causes the October effect. Space weather phenomena can be ruled out as a cause since their time scales are too short or too long. The solar zenith angle can also be ruled out as a similar behavior is not observed in spring. Thus, there is an assumption that dynamical processes in the mesosphere play a major role. Previous studies showed that a strong warming occurs in the lower mesosphere shortly before the October effect is observed. While the characteristics of this warming help us to explain why the October effect occurs during daytime only, the warming alone cannot explain the sharp decrease in the VLF daytime amplitude. We suspect and confirm that the water vapor in the lower mesosphere, having similar characteristics as the warming and the VLF amplitude decrease, plays a crucial role in the formation mechanism of the October effect.

Ground-based VLF transmitters located around the world generate signals that leak through the bottom side of the ionosphere in the form of whistler mode waves. Wave and particle measurements on satellites have observed that these man-made VLF waves can be strong enough to scatter trapped energetic electrons into low pitch angle orbits, causing loss by absorption in the lower atmosphere. This precipitation loss process is greatly enhanced by intentional amplification of the whistler waves using a newly discovered process called Rocket Exhaust Driven Amplification (REDA). Satellite measurements of REDA have shown between 30- and 50-dB intensification of VLF waves in space using a 60-second burn of the 150 g/s thruster on the Cygnus satellite that services the International Space Station (ISS). This controlled amplification process is adequate to deplete the energetic particle population on the affected field lines in a few minutes rather than the multi-day period it would take naturally. Numerical simulations of the pitch angle diffusion for radiation belt particles use the UCLA quasi-linear Fokker Planck model (QLFP) to assess the impact of REDA on radiation belt remediation (RBR) of newly injected energetic electrons. The simulated precipitation fluxes of energetic electrons are applied to models of D-region electron density and bremsstrahlung x-rays for predictions of the modified environment that can be observed with satellite and ground-based sensors.

Precipitating auroral and radiation belt electrons are considered an important part of the natural forcing of the climate system. Recent studies suggest that this forcing is underestimated in current chemistry-climate models. The HEPPA III intercomparison experiment is a collective effort to address this point. Here, eight different estimates of medium energy electron (MEE) (urn:x-wiley:21699380:media:jgra56926:jgra56926-math-0001) ionization rates are assessed during a geomagnetic active period in April 2010. The objective is to understand the potential uncertainty related to the MEE energy input. The ionization rates are all based on the Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detector (MEPED) on board the NOAA/POES and EUMETSAT/MetOp spacecraft series. However, different data handling, ionization rate calculations, and background atmospheres result in a wide range of mesospheric electron ionization rates. Although the eight data sets agree well in terms of the temporal variability, they differ by about an order of magnitude in ionization rate strength both during geomagnetic quiet and disturbed periods. The largest spread is found in the aftermath of enhanced geomagnetic activity. Furthermore, governed by different energy limits, the atmospheric penetration depth varies, and some differences related to latitudinal coverage are also evident. The mesospheric NO densities simulated with the Whole Atmospheric Community Climate Model driven by highest and lowest ionization rates differ by more than a factor of eight. In a follow-up study, the atmospheric responses are simulated in four chemistry-climate models (CCM) and compared to satellite observations, considering both the CCM structure and the ionization forcing.

Observational studies suggest that part of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) variability may be attributed to the spectral ultra-violet (UV) irradiance variations associated to the 11-year solar cycle. The observed maximum surface pressure response in the North Atlantic occurs 2–4 years after solar maximum, and some model studies have identified that atmosphere–ocean feedbacks explain the multi-year lag. Alternatively, medium-to-high energy electron (MEE) precipitation, which peaks in the declining phase of the solar cycle, has been suggested as a potential cause of this lag. We use a coupled (ocean–atmosphere) climate prediction model and a state-of-the-art MEE forcing to explore the respective roles of irradiance and MEE precipitation on the NAO variability. Three decadal ensemble experiments were conducted over solar cycle 23 in an idealized setting. We found a weak ensemble-mean positive NAO response to the irradiance. The simulated signal-to-noise ratio remained very small, indicating the predominance of internal NAO variability. The lack of multi-annual lag in the NAO response was likely due to lagged solar signals imprinted in temperatures below the oceanic mixed-layer re-emerging equatorward of the oceanic frontal zones, which anchor ocean–atmosphere feedbacks. While there is a clear, yet weak, signature from UV irradiance in the atmosphere and upper ocean over the North Atlantic, enhanced MEE precipitation on the other hand does not lead to any systematic changes in the stratospheric circulation, despite its marked chemical signatures.

The lower-thermosphere–ionosphere (LTI) system consists of the upper atmosphere and the lower part of the ionosphere and as such comprises a complex system coupled to both the atmosphere below and space above. The atmospheric part of the LTI is dominated by laws of continuum fluid dynamics and chemistry, while the ionosphere is a plasma system controlled by electromagnetic forces driven by the magnetosphere, the solar wind, as well as the wind dynamo. The LTI is hence a domain controlled by many different physical processes. However, systematic in situ measurements within this region are severely lacking, although the LTI is located only 80 to 200 km above the surface of our planet. This paper reviews the current state of the art in measuring the LTI, either in situ or by several different remote-sensing methods. We begin by outlining the open questions within the LTI requiring high-quality in situ measurements, before reviewing directly observable parameters and their most important derivatives. The motivation for this review has arisen from the recent retention of the Daedalus mission as one among three competing mission candidates within the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Explorer 10 Programme. However, this paper intends to cover the LTI parameters such that it can be used as a background scientific reference for any mission targeting in situ observations of the LTI.

The Ku-band microwave frequencies (10.70-14.25GHz) overlap emissions from ozone (O3) at 11.072GHz and hydroxyl radical (OH) at 13.441GHz. These important chemical species in the polar middle atmosphere respond strongly to high-latitude geomagnetic activity associated with space weather. Atmospheric model calculations predict that energetic electron precipitation (EEP) driven by magnetospheric substorms produces large changes in polar mesospheric O3 and OH. The EEP typically peaks at geomagnetic latitudes of ĝ°1/465ĝ° and evolves rapidly with time longitudinally and over the geomagnetic latitude range 60-80ĝ°. Previous atmospheric modelling studies have shown that during substorms OH abundance can increase by more than an order of magnitude at 64-84km and mesospheric O3 losses can exceed 50%. In this work, an atmospheric simulation and retrieval study has been performed to determine the requirements for passive microwave radiometers capable of measuring diurnal variations in O3 and OH profiles from high-latitude Northern Hemisphere and Antarctic locations to verify model predictions. We show that, for a 11.072GHz radiometer making 6h spectral measurements with 10kHz frequency resolution and root-mean-square baseline noise of 1mK, O3 could be profiled over 8×10-4-0.22hPa (ĝ°1/498-58km) with 10-17km height resolution and ĝ°1/41ppmv uncertainty. For the equivalent 13.441GHz measurements with vertical sensor polarisation, OH could be profiled over 3×10-3-0.29 hPa (ĝ°1/490-56km) with 10-17km height resolution and ĝ°1/43ppbv uncertainty. The proposed observations would be highly applicable to studies of EEP, atmospheric dynamics, planetary-scale circulation, chemical transport, and the representation of these processes in polar and global climate models. Such observations would provide a relatively low-cost alternative to increasingly sparse satellite measurements of the polar middle atmosphere, extending long-term data records and also providing "ground truth" calibration

Nitric oxide (NO) produced in the polar middle and upper atmosphere by energetic particle precipitation depletes ozone in the mesosphere and, following vertical transport in the winter polar vortex, in the stratosphere. Medium energy electron (MEE) ionization by 30–1000 keV electrons during geomagnetic storms may have a significant role in mesospheric NO production. However, questions remain about the relative importance of direct NO production by MEE at altitudes ~60–90 km versus indirect NO originating from auroral ionization above 90 km. We investigate potential drivers of NO variability in the southern‐hemisphere mesosphere and lower thermosphere during 2013–14. Contrasting geomagnetic activity occurred during the two austral winters, with more numerous moderate storms in the 2013 winter. Ground‐based millimeter‐wave observations of NO from Halley, Antarctica are compared with measurements by the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) space‐borne spectrometer. NO partial columns over the altitude range 65–140 km from the two observational datasets show large day to day variability and significant disagreement, with Halley values on average 49% higher than the corresponding SOFIE data. SOFIE NO number densities, zonally averaged over geomagnetic latitudes ‐59°to ‐65°, are up to 3×108 cm‐3 higher in the winter of 2013 compared to 2014. Comparisons with a new version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, which includes detailed D‐region ion chemistry (WACCM‐SIC) and MEE ionization rates, show that the model underestimates NO in the winter lower mesosphere whereas thermospheric abundances are too high. This indicates the need to further improve and verify WACCM‐SIC with respect to MEE ionization, thermospheric NO chemistry, and vertical transport.

One of the key challenges in polar middle atmosphere research is to quantify the total forcing by energetic particle precipitation (EPP) and assess the related response over solar cycle time scales. This is especially true for electrons having energies between about 30 keV and 1 MeV, so-called medium-energy electrons (MEE), where there has been a persistent lack of adequate description of MEE ionization in chemistry-climate simulations. Here we use the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and include EPP forcing by solar proton events, auroral electron precipitation, and a recently developed model of MEE precipitation. We contrast our results from three ensemble simulations (147 years) in total with those from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) in order to investigate the importance of a more complete description of EPP to the middle atmospheric ozone, odd hydrogen, and odd nitrogen over decadal time scales. Our results indicate average EPP-induced polar ozone variability of 12–24% in the mesosphere, and 5–7% in the middle and upper stratosphere. This variability is in agreement with previously published observations. Analysis of the simulation results indicate the importance of inclusion of MEE in the total EPP forcing: In addition to the major impact on the mesosphere, MEE enhances the stratospheric ozone response by a factor of 2. In the Northern Hemisphere, where wintertime dynamical variability is larger than in the Southern Hemisphere, longer simulations are needed in order to reach more robust conclusions.

Relativistic electron microbursts are short-duration, high-energy precipitation events that are an important loss mechanism for radiation belt particles. Previous work to estimate their atmospheric impacts found no significant changes in atmospheric chemistry. Recent research on microbursts revealed that both the fluxes and frequency of microbursts are much higher than previously thought. We test the seasonal range of atmospheric impacts using this latest microburst information as input forcing to the Sodankylä Ion and Neutral Chemistry model. A modeled 6 h microburst storm increased mesospheric HOx by 15–25%/800–1,200% (summer/winter) and NOx by 1,500–2,250%/80–120%. Together, these drive 7–12%/12–20% upper mesospheric ozone losses, with a further 10–12% longer-term middle mesospheric loss during winter. Our results suggest that existing electron precipitation proxies, which do not yet take relativistic microburst energies into account, are likely missing a significant source of precipitation that contributes to atmospheric ozone balance.

It is well known that auroral patterns at the substorm recovery phase are characterized by diffuse or patch structures with intensity pulsation. According to satellite measurements and simulation studies, the precipitating electrons associated with these aurorae can reach or exceed energies of a few hundreds of keV through resonant wave-particle interactions in the magnetosphere. However, because of difficulty of simultaneous measurements, the dependency of energetic electron precipitation (EEP) on auroral morphological changes in the mesoscale has not been investigated to date. In order to study this dependency, we have analyzed data from the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) radar, the Kilpisjärvi Atmospheric Imaging Receiver Array (KAIRA) riometer, collocated cameras, ground-based magnetometers, the Van Allen Probe satellites, Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), and the Antarctic-Arctic Radiation-belt (Dynamic) Deposition-VLF Atmospheric Research Konsortium (AARDDVARK). Here we undertake a detailed examination of two case studies. The selected two events suggest that the highest energy of EEP on those days occurred with auroral patch formation from postmidnight to dawn, coinciding with the substorm onset at local midnight. Measurements of the EISCAT radar showed ionization as low as 65 km altitude, corresponding to EEP with energies of about 500 keV.

The influence of solar variability on the polar atmosphere and climate due to energetic electron precipitation (EEP) has remained an open question largely due to lack of a long-term EEP forcing data set that could be used in chemistry-climate models. Motivated by this, we have developed a model for 30–1000 keV radiation belt driven EEP. The model is based on precipitation data from low Earth orbiting POES satellites in the period 2002–2012 and empirically described plasmasphere structure, which are both scaled to a geomagnetic index. This geomagnetic index is the only input of the model and can be either Dst or Ap. Because of this, the model can be used to calculate the energy-flux spectrum of precipitating electrons from 1957 (Dst) or 1932 (Ap) onward, with a time resolution of 1 day. Results from the model compare well with EEP observations over the period of 2002–2012. Using the model avoids the challenges found in measured data sets concerning proton contamination. As demonstrated, the model results can be used to produce the first ever >80 year long atmospheric ionization rate data set for radiation belt EEP. The impact of precipitation in this energy range is mainly seen at altitudes 70–110 km. The ionization rate data set, which is available for the scientific community, will enable simulations of EEP impacts on the atmosphere and climate with realistic EEP variability. Due to limitations in this first version of the model, the results most likely represent an underestimation of the total EEP effect.

We use the 3-D FinROSE chemistry transport model (CTM) and Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) observations to study connections between atmospheric dynamics and middle atmospheric NOx (NOx = NO+NO2) distribution. Two cases are considered in the northern polar regions: (1) descent of mesospheric NOx in February-March 2009 after a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) and, for comparison, (2) early 2007 when no NOx descent occurred. The model uses the European Centre for Medium-Range-Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational data for winds and temperature, and we force NOx at the model upper altitude boundary (80 km) with ACE-FTS observations. We then compare the model results with ACE-FTS observations at lower altitudes. For the periods studied, geomagnetic indices are low, which indicates absence of local NOx production by particle precipitation. This gives us a good opportunity to study effects of atmospheric transport on polar NOx. The model results show no NOx descent in 2007, in agreement with ACE-FTS. In contrast, a large amount of NOx descends in February-March 2009 from the upper to lower mesosphere at latitudes larger than 60 degrees N, i.e. inside the polar vortex. Both observations and model results suggest NOx increases of 150-200 ppb (i.e. by factor of 50) at 65 km due to the descent. However, the model underestimates the amount of NOx around 55 km by 40-60 ppb. According to the model results, chemical loss of NOx is insignificant during the descent period, i.e. polar NOx is mainly controlled by dynamics. The descent is terminated and the polar NOx amounts return to pre-descent levels in mid-March, when the polar vortex breaks. The break-up prevents the descending NOx from reaching the upper stratosphere, where it could participate in catalytic ozone destruction. Both ACE-FTS observations and FinROSE show a decrease of ozone of 20-30% at 30-50 km from mid-February to mid-March. In the model, these ozone changes are n

We investigate enhancements of mesospheric nitric acid (HNO(3)) in the Northern Hemisphere polar night regions during the January 2005 and December 2006 solar proton events (SPEs). The enhancements are caused by ionization due to proton precipitation, followed by ionic reactions that convert NO and NO(2) to HNO(3). We utilize mesospheric observations of HNO(3) from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS/Aura). Although in general MLS HNO(3) data above 50 km (1.5 hPa) are outside the standard recommended altitude range, we show that in these special conditions, when SPEs produce order-of-magnitude enhancements in HNO(3), it is possible to monitor altitudes up to 70 km (0.0464 hPa) reliably. MLS observations show HNO(3) enhancements of about 4 ppbv and 2 ppbv around 60 km in January 2005 and December 2006, respectively. The highest mixing ratios are observed inside the polar vortex north of 75 degrees N latitude, right after the main peak of SPE forcing. These measurements are compared with results from the one-dimensional Sodankyla Ion and Neutral Chemistry (SIC) model. The model has been recently revised in terms of rate coefficients of ionic reactions, so that at 50-80 km it produces about 40% less HNO(3) during SPEs compared to the earlier version. This is a significant improvement that results in better agreement with the MLS observations. By a few days after the SPEs, HNO(3) is heavily influenced by horizontal transport and mixing, leading to its redistribution and decrease of the SPE-enhanced mixing ratios in the polar regions.

The stratospheric and mesospheric impacts of the solar proton events of January 2005 are studied here using ion and neutral chemistry modeling and subionospheric radio wave propagation observations and modeling. This period includes three SPEs, among them an extraordinary solar proton storm on 20 January, during which the >100 MeV proton fluxes were unusually high, making this event the hardest in solar cycle 23. The radio wave results show a significant impact to the lower ionosphere/middle atmosphere from the hard spectrum event of 20 January with a sudden radio wave amplitude decrease of about 10 dB. Results from the Sodankyla Ion and Neutral Chemistry model predict large impacts on the mesospheric NOx (400-500%) and ozone (-30 to -40% NH, -15% SH) in both the northern (winter) and the southern (summer) polar regions. The direct stratospheric effects, however, are only about 10- 20% enhancement in NOx, which result in -1% change in O-3. Imposing a much larger extreme SPE lasting 24 hours rather than just 1 hour produced only about 5% ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Only a massive hard-spectra SPE with high-energy fluxes over ten times larger than observed here (>30 MeV fluence of 1.0 x 10(9) protons/cm(2)), as, e. g., the Carrington event of 1859 (>30 MeV fluence of 1.9 x 10(10) protons/cm(2)), could presumably produce significant in situ impacts on stratospheric ozone.

The Carrington event of August/September 1859 was the most significant solar proton event (SPE) of the last 450 years, about four times larger than the solar proton fluence of the largest event from the "spacecraft era'' (August 1972). Recently, much attention has focused upon increasing our understanding of the Carrington event, in order to better quantify the impact of extreme space weather events. In this study the Sodankyla Ion and Neutral Chemistry (SIC) model is used to estimate the impact of the Carrington event to the neutral atmosphere and the ionosphere, and the disruption to HF communication. We adopt a reported intensity-time profile for the solar proton flux and examine the relative atmospheric response to different SPE-energy spectra, and in particular, the comparatively soft energy spectrum of the August 1972 or March 1991 SPE which is believed to provide the best representation of the Carrington event. Our calculations indicate that large changes in electron density and atmospheric constituents occur during the period of SPE forcing, depending upon the nature of the spectrum and also on the hemisphere considered. However, the most important SPE-driven atmospheric response is an unusually strong and long-lived O-x decrease in the upper stratosphere (O-x levels drop by similar to 40%) primarily caused by the very large fluxes of >30 MeV protons. This depletion is an indication of the extreme changes possible for the largest SPE. We find that there are comparatively small long-term differences in the atmospheric and ionospheric response between the 3 suggested SPE spectra.

Transient luminous events, such as red sprites, occur in the middle atmosphere in the electric field above thunderstorms. We here address the question whether these processes may be a significant source of odd nitrogen and affect ozone or other important trace species. A well-established coupled ion-neutral chemical model has been extended for this purpose and applied together with estimated rates of ionisation, excitation and dissociation based on spectroscopic ratios from ISUAL on FORMOSAT-2. This approach is used to estimate the NOx and ozone changes for two type cases. The NOx enhancements are at most one order of magnitude in the streamers, which means a production of at most 10 mol per event, or ( given a global rate of occurrence of three events per minute) some 150-1500 kg per day. The present study therefore indicates that sprites are insignificant as a global source of NOx. Local effects on ozone are also negligible, but the local enhancement of NOx may be significant, up to 5 times the minimum background at 70 km in extraordinary cases.

We utilise hydroxyl observations from the MLS/Aura satellite instrument to study the latitudinal extent of particle forcing in the northern polar region during the January 2005 solar proton event. MLS is the first satellite instrument to observe HOx changes during such an event. We also predict the hydroxyl changes with respect to the magnetic latitude by the Sodankyla Ion and Neutral Chemistry model, estimating the variable magnetic cutoff energies for protons using a parameterisation based on magnetosphere modelling and the planetary magnetic index K-p. In the middle and lower mesosphere, HOx species are good indicators of the changes in the atmosphere during solar proton events, because they respond rapidly to both increases and decreases in proton forcing. Also, atmospheric transport has a negligible effect on HOx because of its short chemical lifetime. The observations indicate the boundary of the proton forcing and a transition region, from none to the 'full' effect, which ranges from about 57 to 64 degrees of magnetic latitude. When saturating the rigidity cutoff K-p at 6 in the model, as suggested by earlier studies using observations of cosmic radio noise absorption, the equatorward boundary of the transition region is offset by approximate to 2 degrees polewards compared with the data, thus the latitudinal extent of the proton forcing in the atmosphere is underestimated. However, the model predictions are in reasonable agreement with the MLS measurements when the K-p index is allowed to vary within its nominal range, i.e., from 1 to 9 in the cutoff calculation.

In this study we report on ground-based observations of short bursts of relativistic electron precipitation (REP), detected by a subionospheric propagation sensor in Sodankyla, Finland during 2005. In two similar to 4 hour case study periods from L = 5.2, around local midnight, several hundred short-lived radio wave perturbations were observed, covering a wide range of arrival azimuths. The vast majority (similar to 99%) of these perturbations were not simultaneous with perturbations on other paths, consistent with a precipitation "rainstorm'' producing ionospheric changes of small spatial sizes around the Sodankyla receiver. The recovery time of these radio wave perturbations are similar to 1.2 s, which is consistent with the modeled effects of a burst of >2 MeV precipitating electrons. This agrees with satellite observations of the microburst energy spectrum. The energetic nature of the precipitation which produces the FAST perturbations suggests that they should be observable in both day and night conditions. While it is widely assumed that satellite-detected REP microbursts are due to wave-particle interactions with very low-frequency chorus waves, the energy spectra predicted by our current models of chorus propagation and wave-particle interaction are not consistent with the experimentally observed radio wave perturbations presented here or previously reported satellite observations of REP microbursts. The results inferred from both the satellite and subionospheric observations, namely the absence of a large, dominant component of <100 keV precipitating electrons, fundamentally disagrees with a mechanism of chorus-driven precipitation. Nonetheless, further work on the modeling of chorus-driven precipitation is required.

Lightning-generated whistlers lead to coupling between the troposphere, the Van Allen radiation belts and the lower-ionosphere through Whistler-induced electron precipitation (WEP). Lightning produced whistlers interact with cyclotron resonant radiation belt electrons, leading to pitch-angle scattering into the bounce loss cone and precipitation into the atmosphere. Here we consider the relative significance of WEP to the lower ionosphere and atmosphere by contrasting WEP produced ionisation rate changes with those from Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) and solar photoionisation. During the day, WEP is never a significant source of ionisation in the lower ionosphere for any location or altitude. At nighttime, GCR is more significant than WEP at altitudes <68 km for all locations, above which WEP starts to dominate in North America and Central Europe. Between 75 and 80 km altitude WEP becomes more significant than GCR for the majority of spatial locations at which WEP deposits energy. The size of the regions in which WEP is the most important nighttime ionisation source peaks at similar to 80 km, depending on the relative contributions of WEP and nighttime solar Lyman-alpha. We also used the Sodankyla Ion Chemistry (SIC) model to consider the atmospheric consequences of WEP, focusing on a case-study period. Previous studies have also shown that energetic particle precipitation can lead to large-scale changes in the chemical makeup of the neutral atmosphere by enhancing minor chemical species that play a key role in the ozone balance of the middle atmosphere. However, SIC modelling indicates that the neutral atmospheric changes driven by WEP are insignificant due to the short timescale of the WEP bursts. Overall we find that WEP is a significant energy input into some parts of the lower ionosphere, depending on the latitude/longitude and attitude, but does not play a significant role in the neutral chemistry of the mesosphere.

Ozone observations from the GOMOS instrument together with a coupled ion and neutral chemistry model are used to study the effects of the January 2005 solar storms on the polar winter middle atmosphere. The model results indicate strong HO x and NO x enhancements in the mesosphere, and simultaneous ozone depletion maximizing between 70–80 km. During strong proton forcing GOMOS measurements show the destruction of the tertiary ozone maximum, observed at polar latitudes near 72 km before the events. This altitude is concurrent with the largest HO x enhancements in the model results. We observe for the first time the disappearance of the tertiary ozone maximum, and determine the underlying cause. With subsiding proton forcing GOMOS measurements show the reappearance of the tertiary ozone maximum, returning to normal values by January 24. Our results indicate that even moderate solar events (>10 MeV proton flux of >5000 pfu) can cause significant ozone depletion (>70%) in the middle atmosphere.

High altitude nuclear explosions (HANEs) and geomagnetic storms can produce large scale injections of relativistic particles into the inner radiation belts. It is recognised that these large increases in >1 MeV trapped electron fluxes can shorten the operational lifetime of low Earth orbiting satellites, threatening a large, valuable population. Therefore, studies are being undertaken to bring about practical human control of the radiation belts, termed "Radiation Belt Remediation" (RBR). Here we consider the upper atmospheric consequences of an RBR system operating over either 1 or 10 days. The RBR-forced neutral chemistry changes, leading to NOx enhancements and Ox depletions, are significant during the timescale of the precipitation but are generally not long-lasting. The magnitudes, time-scales, and altitudes of these changes are no more significant than those observed during large solar proton events. In contrast, RBR-operation will lead to unusually intense HF blackouts for about the first half of the operation time, producing large scale disruptions to radio communication and navigation systems. While the neutral atmosphere changes are not particularly important, HF disruptions could be an important area for policy makers to consider, particularly for the remediation of natural injections.