电离层对流和极光区电集流的地磁链观测

本文采用31个高纬地磁台站资料考察1997年5月15日一次中等磁暴期间极光区电集流和电离层对流的空间分布和时间变化;其中20站处于纬度60°N～80°N之间的西半球,而另11站是偶极磁经度约为120°E的欧洲IMAGE地磁站链.对此纬度链和经度链上各站1-min精度地磁资料的综合分析结果表明,极光区电集流中心的相对强度及其纬度位置是随世界时和地方时区不断变化的.电集流中心所处位置的变化可能是其中心的南北移动造成的,也可能是中心带与磁纬圈间的相互倾斜所致.另一方面,电离层对流形态和晨昏对流圈的经向跨度及其两端的位置是基本不变的.有关结论得到同期的非相干散射雷达EISCAT观测的证实和补充.     

极光电集流纬度变化特征初步分析

为研究极光电集流地磁纬度分布特征,利用北半球SME台站提供的极光电集流指数,通过时序叠加的方法,分析98-07年极光电集流中心地磁纬度随季节和世界时的分布特征.通过对磁扰程度的分级,分析极光电集流地磁纬度随地磁扰动程度的变化特征.结果表明:1)由于SME台站覆盖范围更广,更多地记录到最大的极光电集流强度,有利于研究极光电集流的变化特征;2)西向板光电集流纬度分布存在与强度相反的季节性变化特征,在春秋出现最低值,冬季、夏季出现最高值;3)在| SML|＜2000 nT时,西向极光电集流地磁纬度随着极光电集流强度的增强,近似以线性关系向低纬迁移.随后伴随SML的进一步增强,西向极光极光电集流中心地磁纬度仍有向低纬迁移的趋势,但主要是在磁纬62°N-63°N之间波动.     

极光电激流的地方时和季节变化特性研究: CHAMP卫星观测

极光电激流是极区电流系的重要组成部分.本文利用CHAMP卫星10年的高精度标量磁场数据研究了极光电激流的地方时和季节变化特征,并对卫星与地面台站观测到的极光电激流进行了对比分析.结果表明,日侧极光电激流主要受太阳辐射的影响,而夜侧极光电激流主要受亚暴的影响.极光电激流具有明显的年、半年变化特征.夏季东向电激流和日侧西向电激流强于冬季,而夜间西向电激流冬季强于夏季.东向电激流和日侧的西向电激流在两至点增强,夜侧的西向电激流则在两分点增强.西向电激流与AL、SML指数有较好的相关性,东向电激流与SMU指数有较好的相关性,而与AU指数有一定差异,这与地磁台站的有效探测范围有关.

     

大尺度场向电流及其与单色极光电子的联系——Swarm卫星观测

Swarm卫星A/C在480 km左右高度伴飞,通过二者磁场观测数据,可在不需假设无限大垂直电流片的情况下更加真实地计算出场向电流（FAC）.本文利用最新的Swarm观测数据,研究了大尺度场向电流的时空分布特征,及其对行星际条件的依赖;结合极光沉降粒子时空分布信息,探究了场向电流可能载流子及其源区.分析发现：（1）IMF B_z分量主要控制FAC的强度大小,B_y分量主要改变FAC的结构与分布,最为明显的是0区FAC;（2）昏侧1区上行FAC与单色极光电子的高发区域具有较高的重合度,且在不同行星际条件下均表现出相类似的纬度分布;（3）在上述区域内,FAC密度与单色极光电子能通量表现出较好的相关性.这表明单色极光电子对昏侧1区上行电流起着重要贡献.

     

Subsolar elevation of the equatorial electrojet

The subsolar elevation of the equatorial electrojet has been produced from satellite solstitial data available from 09 to 15 hr LT using a new approach with the general style of the overhead equivalent current system. It shows the bunching of the current around the dip equator; the return currents of the equatorial electrojet close to the flanks of the dip equator; the fast growth of the electrojet to its diurnal peak followed by a slow decay; and the contraction of its latitudinal extent around the meridian of its highest intensity. Comparison with the results of other workers using ground data suggests that the elevation from satellite data agrees better with that from ground data when the worldwideSq is removed from the ground data.     

亚暴期间极光电集流带的变化

极光活动加剧和极光电集流增强是磁层-电离层能量耦合的两种重要表现形式,它们同为磁层带电粒子向电离层沉降的结果,但是变化规律却非常不同.本文用地基磁场资料,反演极区等效电流体系,研究地磁平静期和扰动期极光电集流带的运动特点.研究表明,Harang间断把极光电集流带分为两段：下午—黄昏段的东向电集流带较弱,而晨侧和子夜—凌晨段的西向电集流带较强.在亚暴膨胀相,随着AE指数增大,整个极光卵向赤道扩展,而极光电集流带却表现出分段差异的特点：下午—黄昏东向电集流带向低纬移动,晨侧西向电集流带也向赤道移动,而子夜—凌晨西向电集流带则向极移动.电动力学分析表明,在不同地方时段,控制电流的主要因素不同,因而,电流及其磁扰有不同的特点：下午—黄昏东向电集流和晨侧西向电集流组成了DP2电流体系,主要受控于磁层对流电场,反映了“驱动过程”的行为;而子夜—凌晨西向电集流是DP1电流体系的基本部分,主要受控于电导率,反映了“卸载过程”的特点.     

Combined ESR and EISCAT observations of the dayside polar cap and auroral oval during the May 15, 1997 storm

The high-latitude ionospheric response to a major magnetic storm on May 15, 1997 is studied and different responses in the polar cap and the auroral oval are highlighted. Depletion of the F₂ region electron density occurred in both the polar cap and the auroral zone, but due to different physical processes. The increased recombination rate of O⁺ ions caused by a strong electric field played a crucial role in the auroral zone. The transport effect, however, especially the strong upward ion flow was also of great importance in the dayside polar cap. During the main phase and the beginning of the recovery phase soft particle precipitation in the polar cap showed a clear relation to the dynamic pressure of the solar wind, with a maximum cross-correlation coefficient of 0.63 at a time lag of 5 min.     

Seasonal and solar cycle variations of the auroral electrojet indices

Using hourly mean auroral electrojet indices for the past 20 years, we examine the seasonal and solar cycle variations of the AU and AL indices as well as the smaller time-scale fluctuations in these indices. The AU and AL indices maximize during summer and equinoctial months, respectively. By removing the effects of the solar conductance from the AU index, it is found that the electric field contribution to the AU index exhibits the same semiannual variation pattern as the AL index, indicating that the semiannual magnetic variations are controlled by the electric field. Since the auroral electrojets are mostly Hall currents flowing in the east–west direction, the fluctuations of the auroral electrojet indices can be interpreted in terms of fluctuations in the north–south component of the electric field and the Hall conductance. The AU fluctuation is largely due to that of the electric field, while the AL fluctuation is attributed to both the electric field and Hall conductance with their contributions being comparable. The high fluctuation of AL compared to that of AU is attributed to particle precipitation associated with substorm activity. However, the fluctuations of the electric field and conductance do not show any noticeable seasonal dependence. The variation pattern of the yearly mean AL index follows the mirror image of the AU index during the past 20 years, indicating that the absolute values of the two indices are proportional to each other. This suggests again that the electric field is the main modulator of magnetic disturbance. On the other hand, they show a tendency to become higher during the declining phase of the solar cycle. This is the same variation pattern confirmed from the aa index. However, the fluctuations of the electric field and the Hall conductance do not show any apparent dependence on the solar cycle.     

中国低纬地区地磁变化与赤道电射流

根据资料分析了中国低纬地区地磁场Ｈ分量的静日变化规律。结果表明，Ｈ分量日变幅在中午１２点左右达到最大值，在夜间达到最小值，而且，这种受赤道电射流影响的现象还随着季节和太阳活动变化而变化。     

About the relationship between auroral electrojets and ring currents

The relationship between the storm-time ring current and the auroral electrojets is investigated using IMAGE magnetometer data, D_St and H-SYM, and solar wind data. Statistical results as well as the investigation of single events show that the auroral electrojets occur also during nonstorm conditions without storm-time ring current development and even during the storm recovery phase of increasing D_St. A close correlation between electrojet intensity and ring current intensity was not found. Though the eastward electrojet moves equatorward during the storm main phase there is no unequivocal relationship between the movement of the westward electrojet and the ring current development. All these results suggest that the auroral electrojets and the ring current develop more or less independently of each other.     

Velocity of auroral arcs drifting equatorward from the polar cap

The drift velocity of an auroral arc is compared with the component of F-region plasma velocity in the same direction for ten cases where the arc is seen to move steadily equatorward for several minutes without any major change in appearance or orientation. In most cases the two velocities are close, but on two occasions the drift velocity of the arc is much higher than the plasma velocity. From the cases studied it appears that during the growth and recovery phase of the substorm cycle the arc moves with a velocity close to the convection velocity, but during the expansion phase this is not the case.     

Contribution to geomagneticSq-field and equatorial electrojet from the day/night asymmetry of ionospheric current under dawn-to-dusk electric field of magnetospheric origin

If the earth and its ionosphere are immersed in a large-scale dawn-to-dusk electric field (of the order of 0.5 mV/m), the resultant dawn-to-dusk ionospheric currents are much stronger on the dayside than on the nightside. These asymmetric currents over the earth produce a magnetic field detectable on the ground, which will contribute to a considerable extent to theSq-field and equatorial electrojet.This paper was presented at the IAGA General Assembly meeting (Session 9.1) held in Vancouver, Canada, during August 1987.     

赤道逆向电射流对琼中台地磁日变化的影响

１９８７年１月２８日和２９日连续出现赤道逆向电射流。本文对比了这两天９个地磁台的Ｘ分量日变化曲线,结果显示琼中台的Ｘ日变曲线不受赤道逆向电射流的影响。     

The response of the azimuthal component of the ionospheric electric field to auroral arc brightening

We have analyzed the response of azimuthal component of the ionospheric electric field to auroral arc activity. We have chosen for analysis three intervals of coordinated EISCAT and TV observations on 18 February, 1993. These intervals include three kinds of arc activity: the appearance of a new auroral arc, the gradual brightening of the existing arc and variations of the arc luminosity. The arcs were mostly east-west aligned. In all cases, the enhancement of arc luminosity is accompanied by a decrease in the westward component of the ionospheric electric field. In contrast, an increase of that component seems to be connected with arc fading. The observed response is assumed to have the same nature as the short circuit of an external electric field by the conductor. The possible consequence of this phenomenon is discussed.     

The planetary scale distribution of telluric currents and the effect of the equatorial electrojet: An investigation by canonical GDS

The planetary scale distribution of electrical currents in the Earth is still largely unknown. The role of the oceans for long period (hours to days) inducing electromagnetic fieldsB _e of external origin has been investigated by several authors, while the role of telluric current channelling, from the planetary viewpoint, is still far from a satisfactory understanding. Canonical geomagnetic depth sounding (GDS) analysis can yield locally a direction parallel to the strike of a telluric current density flowing in a region around the recording site and which also has the property of being the most relevant source for the internal origin fieldB _i observed at the given site at the given frequency. The use of such local information from 64 geomagnetic observatories is discussed here in a study to infer evidences of (a) the role of the polarization properties ofB _e and (b) the role of the telluric current channelling within conductivity anomalies relevant to the planetary scale circuitry. The results show clear evidence of the influence of the equatorial electrojet on the polarization ofB _e in a latitudinal band between ±(15°–20°) latitude. There is also evidence that theB _e associated with the equatorial electrojet produces telluric currents which flow at a much shallower depth than the skin depth to be expected in the case of a plane Earth. This implies that the Parkinson planes in these regions reflect the conductivity structure underground more than the polarization ofB _e due to the equatorial electrojet. Further, it clearly appears that some regular planetary scale pattern of telluric currents plays a more significant role than current channelling within some conductivity anomalies of fixed strike close to some geomagnetic observatories. Finally, the number of observatories used in this study appears to be insufficient to deduce any information concerning a seasonal evolution of the telluric current pattern on a planetary scale.     

Extended period of polar cap auroral display: auroral dynamics and relation to the IMF and the ionospheric convection

An unusually extended period (5 h) of polar cap auroral display on 3 August 1986 is examined. Auroras have been investigated using ground-based data as well as measurements from the IMP-8 spacecraft in interplanetary space and simultaneous observations from the polar-orbiting satellites Viking and DE-1 in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. It is found that visible Sun-aligned arcs are located inside the transpolar band of the -aurora observed from the satellite in ultraviolet wavelengths. The transpolar band can contain several Sun-aligned arcs that move inside the band toward the morning or evening side of the auroral oval independent of the direction of the band movement. Intensifications of polar cap auroras with durations of up to about 30 min are observed. No change has been found in either IMF parameters or substorm activity that can be related to these intensifications. The -aurora occurred during a 2-h period when the B _z-component of the IMF was negative. A tendency is noted for dawnward (duskward) displacement of the transpolar band when B_y>0 (B_y<0) in the southern hemisphere. Simultaneous observations of auroral ovals during interplanetary B_z<0, B_y<0 and B_x>0 in both hemispheres and convection patterns for B_z<0 and B_y<0 have been displayed using satellite and ground-based measurements. It was found that the transpolar band of the -aurora in the sunlit hemisphere was situated in the region of large-scale downward Birkeland currents.     

Dynamics of the ionospheric electric currents and auroral luminosity boundaries during strong magnetic storms

The regularities in the southward drift of the ionospheric current centers and luminosity boundaries during strong magnetic storms of November 2003 and 2004 (with Dst ≈ ?400 and ?470 nT, respectively) are studied based on the global geomagnetic observations and TV measurements of auroras. It has been indicated that the eastward and westward electrojets in the dayside and nightside sectors simultaneously shift equatorward to minimal latitudes of Φ _min ^° ～53°–55°. It has been obtained that the Φ _min ^° latitude decreases with increasing negative values of Dst, IMF B _z component, and westward electric field strength in the solar wind. The dependence of the electrojet equatorward shift velocity (V _av) on the rate of IMF B _z variations (ΔB _z /Δt) has been determined. It is assumed that the electrojet dynamics along the meridian is caused by a change in the structure of the magnetosphere and electric fields in the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere.     

极光沉降粒子能量与AE、Dst指数的相关分析

对NOAA的POES系列极轨卫星观测得到的1978年以来近30年的极光沉降粒子半球能量的估算值EPI(Estimated Power Input)数据进行了分析,结果表明,极光沉降粒子有显著的春秋分峰值的年变化特征,并且有冬季半球沉降能量较大的南北半球不对称性.对EPI的时均值Pa与地磁指数AE、Dst的相关分析得到,Pa与AE的相关系数为0.76,Pa与Dst的相关系数为-0.55.把南北半球的时均值SPa,NPa数据分别与AE,Dst指数做相关,发现SPa与AE的相关性稍高于NPa的,SPa和NPa与Dst的相关性近似.当时延τ=0时,AE与Pa的相关最好,表明全球极光沉降粒子和极光电集流的变化同步;当Dst滞后于Pa,时延τ=1~2 h,Pa与Dst的相关最好,并且时延τ为6～8 h,Pa与Dst的相关都好于无时延的水平.     

The relationship between electric fields, conductances and currents in the high-latitude ionosphere: a statistical study using EISCAT data

The relationship between electric fields, height-integrated conductivities and electric currents in the high-latitude nightside electrojet region is known to be complex. The tristatic nature of the EISCAT UHF radar facility provides an excellent means of exploring this interrelationship as it enables simultaneous estimates to be made of the full electric field vector and the ionospheric Hall and Pedersen conductances, further allowing the determination of both field-perpendicular electric current components. Over 1300 h of common programme observations by the UHF radar system provide the basis of a statistical study of electric fields, conductances and currents in the high-latitude ionosphere, from which preliminary results are presented. Times at which there is significant solar contribution to the ionospheric conductances have been excluded by limiting the observations according to solar zenith angle. Initial results indicate that, in general, the times of peak conductance, identified from the entire set of EISCAT observations, do not correspond to the times of the largest electric field values; the relative contribution of ionospheric conductance and electric field to the electrojet currents therefore depends critically on local time, a conclusion which corroborates work by previous authors. Simultaneous measurements confirm a tendency for a decrease in both Hall and Pedersen conductances to be accompanied by an increase in the electric field, at least for moderate and large electric field value, a tendency which is also identified to some extent in the ratio of the conductances, which acts as an indicator of the energy of precipitating particles.     

A study on three-dimensional structures of the ionospheric dynamo currents induced by the neutral winds simulated by the Kyushu-GCM

Three-dimensional structures of the ionospheric dynamo currents are examined using the neutral winds in a general circulation model of the middle atmosphere at Kyushu University. A quasi-three-dimensional ionospheric dynamo model is constructed assuming an infinite parallel conductivity in the ionosphere. This model is able to simulate both the equatorial electrojet and the global Sq current system successfully. The simulated results reveal that the equatorial electrojet is confined in quite narrow latitudes around the equator accompanied with meridional current circulations and satisfies a non-divergent structure mainly within the E region. A vertically stratified double layered structure is seen in the east–west current density near the focus latitude of the global Sq current system. It is shown that the stratified structure mainly consists of the east–west Hall current associated with the eastward wind of zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2 in the lower altitudes and the westward wind of zonal wavenumber 2 in the upper altitudes. The day-to-day variation of the neutral winds can significantly vary the induced ionospheric dynamo current system, which is recognized as changes of the focus latitude and/or the maximum value of the equatorial electrojet.