HF radar observations of the high-latitude ionospheric convection pattern in the morning sector for northward IMF and motion of the convection reversal boundary

Abstract. SuperDARN radar and high-latitude magnetometer observations are used to statistically investigate quality of the convection direction estimates from magnetometer data if assumption is made that the magnetic equivalent convection vector (MEC) corresponds to the convection direction. The statistics includes five full days, ~75 000 of joint individual measurements for different seasons. It is demonstrated that the best (worst) agreement between the MEC and ionospheric convection occurs for the sunlit, summer (dark, winter) ionosphere. Overall, the MEC direction is reasonable (deviates less than 45° from the SuperDARN direction) in at least ~55% of points and it is better for the latitudes of the auroral oval. In terms of the magnetic local time, the agreement is the best (worst) in the dusk (early morning) sector. Possible reasons for differences between the MEC and ionospheric convection directions are discussed.

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Joint STARE and SABRE radar auroral observations of the high-latitude ionospheric convection pattern

Nature ◽

10.1038/316133a0 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 316 (6024) ◽

pp. 133-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. D. Burrage ◽

J. A. Waldock ◽

T. B. Jones ◽

E. Nielsen

Keyword(s):

High Latitude ◽

Convection Pattern ◽

Ionospheric Convection

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High-latitude ionospheric convection pattern during steady northward interplanetary magnetic field

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres ◽

10.1029/94ja03318 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 100 (A8) ◽

pp. 14537 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

J. A. Cumnock ◽

R. A. Heelis ◽

M. R. Hairston ◽

P. T. Newell

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Interplanetary Magnetic Field ◽

High Latitude ◽

Convection Pattern ◽

Ionospheric Convection

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Statistical patterns of high-latitude convection obtained from Goose Bay HF radar observations

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres ◽

10.1029/96ja01584 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 101 (A10) ◽

pp. 21743-21763 ◽

Cited By ~ 231

Author(s):

J. M. Ruohoniemi ◽

R. A. Greenwald

Keyword(s):

High Latitude ◽

Hf Radar ◽

Radar Observations

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Magnetospheric convection from Cluster EDI measurements compared with the ground-based ionospheric convection model IZMEM

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-27-3077-2009 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 27 (8) ◽

pp. 3077-3087 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

M. Förster ◽

Y. I. Feldstein ◽

S. E. Haaland ◽

L. A. Dremukhina ◽

L. I. Gromova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Latitude ◽

Electric Potential ◽

Potential Distribution ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽

Convection Pattern ◽

Polar Cap ◽

Ionospheric Convection ◽

Electric Potential Distribution ◽

Convection Model ◽

The Imf

Abstract. Cluster/EDI electron drift observations above the Northern and Southern polar cap areas for more than seven and a half years (2001–2008) have been used to derive a statistical model of the high-latitude electric potential distribution for summer conditions. Based on potential pattern for different orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in the GSM y-z-plane, basic convection pattern (BCP) were derived, that represent the main characteristics of the electric potential distribution in dependence on the IMF. The BCPs comprise the IMF-independent potential distribution as well as patterns, which describe the dependence on positive and negative IMFBz and IMFBy variations. The full set of BCPs allows to describe the spatial and temporal variation of the high-latitude electric potential (ionospheric convection) for any solar wind IMF condition near the Earth's magnetopause within reasonable ranges. The comparison of the Cluster/EDI model with the IZMEM ionospheric convection model, which was derived from ground-based magnetometer observations, shows a good agreement of the basic patterns and its variation with the IMF. According to the statistical models, there is a two-cell antisunward convection within the polar cap for northward IMFBz+≤2 nT, while for increasing northward IMFBz+ there appears a region of sunward convection within the high-latitude daytime sector, which assumes the form of two additional cells with sunward convection between them for IMFBz+≈4–5 nT. This results in a four-cell convection pattern of the high-latitude convection. In dependence of the ±IMFBy contribution during sufficiently strong northward IMFBz conditions, a transformation to three-cell convection patterns takes place.

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