The solar flare of 18 August 1979: Incoherent scatter radar data and photochemical model comparisons

Measurements of electron density at seven D-region altidues were made with the Arecibo radar during a Class-X solar flare on 18 August 1979. Measurements of solar x-ray fluxes during the same period were available from the GOES-2 satellite (0.5 to 4 /angstrom/ and 1 to 8 /angstrom/) and from ISEE-3 (in four bands between 26 and 400 keV). From the x-ray flux data we computed ionization rates in the D-region and the associated chemical changes, using a coupled atmospheric chemistry and diffusion model (with 836 chemical reactions and 19 vertical levels). The computed electron densities matched the data fairly well after we had adjusted the rate coefficients of two reactions. We discuss the hierarchies among the many flare-induced chemical reactions in two altitude ranges within the D-region and the effects of adjusting several other rate coefficients. 51 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs