scholarly journals Effects of Abrupt Variations of Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure on the High-Latitude Ionosphere

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igino Coco ◽  
Ermanno Amata ◽  
Maria Federica Marcucci ◽  
Danila Ambrosino ◽  
Simon G. Shepherd

We show the results of a statistical study on the effects in the high-latitude ionosphere of abrupt variations of solar wind dynamic pressure, using Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) data in both hemispheres. We find that, during periods of quiet ionospheric conditions, the amount of radar backscatter increases when a variation in the dynamic pressure occurs, both positive (increase of the pressure) and negative (decrease of the pressure). We also investigate the behaviour of the Cross-Polar Cap Potential (CPCP) during pressure variations and show preliminary results.

2011 ◽  
Vol 116 (A10) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Boudouridis ◽  
L. R. Lyons ◽  
E. Zesta ◽  
J. M. Weygand ◽  
A. J. Ribeiro ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1769-1781 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-P. Villain ◽  
R. André ◽  
M. Pinnock ◽  
R. A. Greenwald ◽  
C. Hanuise

Abstract. The HF radars of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) provide measurements of the E × B drift of ionospheric plasma over extended regions of the high-latitude ionosphere. We have conducted a statistical study of the associated Doppler spectral width of ionospheric F-region echoes. The study has been conducted with all available radars from the Northern Hemisphere for 2 specific periods of time. Period 1 corresponds to the winter months of 1994, while period 2 covers October 1996 to March 1997. The distributions of data points and average spectral width are presented as a function of Magnetic Latitude and Magnetic Local Time. The databases are very consistent and exhibit the same features. The most stringent features are: a region of very high spectral width, collocated with the ionospheric LLBL/cusp/mantle region; an oval shaped region of high spectral width, whose equator-ward boundary matches the poleward limit of the Holzworth and Meng auroral oval. A simulation has been conducted to evaluate the geometrical and instrumental effects on the spectral width. It shows that these effects cannot account for the observed spectral features. It is then concluded that these specific spectral width characteristics are the signature of ionospheric/magnetospheric coupling phenomena.Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ionosphere-magnetosphere interactions; ionospheric irregularities)


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 3011-3026 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Pitout ◽  
C. P. Escoubet ◽  
B. Klecker ◽  
H. Rème

Abstract. We present a statistical study of four years of Cluster crossings of the mid-altitude cusp. In this first part of the study, we start by introducing the method we have used a) to define the cusp properties, b) to sort the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions or behaviors into classes, c) to determine the proper time delay between the solar wind monitors and Cluster. Out of the 920 passes that we have analyzed, only 261 fulfill our criteria and are considered as cusp crossings. We look at the size, location and dynamics of the mid-altitude cusp under various IMF orientations and solar wind conditions. For southward IMF, Bz rules the latitudinal dynamics, whereas By governs the zonal dynamics, confirming previous works. We show that when |By| is larger than |Bz|, the cusp widens and its location decorrelates from By. We interpret this feature in terms of component reconnection occurring under By-dominated IMF. For northward IMF, we demonstrate that the location of the cusp depends primarily upon the solar wind dynamic pressure and upon the Y-component of the IMF. Also, the multipoint capability of Cluster allows us to conclude that the cusp needs typically more than ~20 min to fully adjust its location and size in response to changes in external conditions, and its speed is correlated to variations in the amplitude of IMF-Bz. Indeed, the velocity in °ILAT/min of the cusp appears to be proportional to the variation in Bz in nT: Vcusp=0.024 ΔBz. Finally, we observe differences in the behavior of the cusp in the two hemispheres. Those differences suggest that the cusp moves and widens more freely in the summer hemisphere.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 637-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Prikryl ◽  
R. Ghoddousi-Fard ◽  
E. G. Thomas ◽  
J. M. Ruohoniemi ◽  
S. G. Shepherd ◽  
...  

Abstract. The interval of geomagnetic storms of 7–17 March 2012 was selected at the Climate and Weather of the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES) II Workshop for group study of space weather effects during the ascending phase of solar cycle 24 (Tsurutani et al., 2014). The high-latitude ionospheric response to a series of storms is studied using arrays of GPS receivers, HF radars, ionosondes, riometers, magnetometers, and auroral imagers focusing on GPS phase scintillation. Four geomagnetic storms showed varied responses to solar wind conditions characterized by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind dynamic pressure. As a function of magnetic latitude and magnetic local time, regions of enhanced scintillation are identified in the context of coupling processes between the solar wind and the magnetosphere–ionosphere system. Large southward IMF and high solar wind dynamic pressure resulted in the strongest scintillation in the nightside auroral oval. Scintillation occurrence was correlated with ground magnetic field perturbations and riometer absorption enhancements, and collocated with mapped auroral emission. During periods of southward IMF, scintillation was also collocated with ionospheric convection in the expanded dawn and dusk cells, with the antisunward convection in the polar cap and with a tongue of ionization fractured into patches. In contrast, large northward IMF combined with a strong solar wind dynamic pressure pulse was followed by scintillation caused by transpolar arcs in the polar cap.


1996 ◽  
Vol 101 (A12) ◽  
pp. 27001-27013 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Sitar ◽  
C. R. Clauer ◽  
E. Friis-Christensen

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anmin Tian ◽  
Alexander Degeling ◽  
Quanqi Shi ◽  
Zanyang Xing

<p>Both simulations and observations had shown that step function-like increase/decrease of solar wind dynamic pressure pulse would excite flow vortex pairs in the dawn and dusk high latitude ionosphere simultaneously. However, some plasma structures, hot flow anomaly, sheath jets etc. existing in the solar wind or magnetosheath are often accompanied with spike-like changes of the dynamic pressure. Whether they can drive the ionospheric vortices or not is still unclear. In this work we report a traveling convection vortex like (TCV-like) event that was induced by a positive-negative pulse pair of dynamic pressure(△p/p~1) accompanying a large scale (~9min) magnetic hole in the solar wind. It is found that following the magnetic hole, two traveling convection vortices first in anticlockwise then in clockwise rotation were detected by geomagnetic stations located along the 10:30MLT meridian. Meanwhile, another pair of ionospheric vortices azimuthally seen up to 3 MLT first in clockwise then in anticlockwise rotation were appeared in the afternoon sector (~14MLT) centered at ~75MLAT with a trend of poleward moving. The duskside vortices were also confirmed by SuperDARN radar data. The processes following magnetosphere struck by a positive-negative pulse pair were simulated and it found that two pairs of flow vortices in the dawn and dusk magnetosphere may provide the field-aligned currents(FACs) required for the flow/current vortices observed in ionosphere. This work provides a way to understand how the momentum and energy injects to the ionosphere under spike-like dynamic pressures imposing on the magnetosphere.</p>


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