Auroral electrojet dynamics during magnetic storms, connection with plasma precipitation and large-scale structure of the magnetospheric magnetic field

Effect of the equatorward shift of the eastward and westward electrojets during magnetic storms main phase is analyzed based on the meridional chains of magnetic observatories EISCAT and IMAGE and several Russian observatories (geomagnetic longitude ≈110°, corrected geomagnetic latitudes 74°>φ>51°.) Magnetic storms of various Dst index intensity where the main phase falls on 1000 UT - 2400 UT interval were selected so that one of the observatory chains was located in the afternoon - near midnight sector of MLT. The eastward electrojet center shifts equatorward with Dst intensity increase: when Dst ≈ −50 nT the electrojet center is located at φ ≈ 62°, when Dst ≈ −300 nT it is placed at φ ≈ 54°. The westward electrojet center during magnetic storms main phase for intervals between substorms shifts equatorward with Dst increase: at φ ≈ 62° when Dst ≈ −100 nT and at φ ≈ 55° when Dst ≈ −300 nT. During substorms within the magnetic storms intervals the westward electrojet widens poleward covering latitudes φ ≈ 64°–65°. DMSP (F08, F10 and F11) satellite observations of auroral energy plasma precipitations at upper atmosphere altitudes were used to determine precipitation region structure and location of boundaries of various plasma domains during magnetic storms on May 10–11, 1992, February 5–7 and February 21–22, 1994. Interrelationships between center location, poleward and equatorward boundaries of electrojets and characteristic plasma regions are discussed. The electrojet center, poleward and equatorward boundaries along the magnetic observatories meridional chain were mapped to the magnetosphere using the geomagnetic field paraboloid model. The location of auroral energy oxygen ion regions in the night and evening magnetosphere is determined. Considerations are presented on the mechanism causing the appearance in the inner magnetosphere during active intervals of magnetic storms of ions with energy of tens KeV. In the framework of the magnetospheric magnetic field paraboloid model the influence of the ring current and magnetospheric tail plasma sheet currents on large-scale magnetosphere structure is considered.     

The response of ionospheric convection in the polar cap to substorm activity

We report multi-instrument observations during an isolated substorm on 17 October 1989. The EISCAT radar operated in the SP-UK-POLI mode measuring ionospheric convection at latitudes 71°-78°. SAMNET and the EISCAT Magnetometer Cross provide information on the timing of substorm expansion phase onset and subsequent intensifications, as well as the location of the field aligned and ionospheric currents associated with the substorm current wedge. IMP-8 magnetic field data are also included. Evidence of a substorm growth phase is provided by the equatorward motion of a flow reversal boundary across the EISCAT radar field of view at 2130 MLT, following a southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). We infer that the polar cap expanded as a result of the addition of open magnetic flux to the tail lobes during this interval. The flow reversal boundary, which is a lower limit to the polar cap boundary, reached an invariant latitude equatorward of 71° by the time of the expansion phase onset. A westward electrojet, centred at 65.4°, occurred at the onset of the expansion phase. This electrojet subsequently moved poleward to a maximum of 68.1° at 2000 UT and also widened. During the expansion phase, there is evidence of bursts of plasma flow which are spatially localised at longitudes within the substorm current wedge and which occurred well poleward of the westward electrojet. We conclude that the substorm onset region in the ionosphere, defined by the westward electrojet, mapped to a part of the tail radially earthward of the boundary between open and closed magnetic flux, the “distant” neutral line. Thus the substorm was not initiated at the distant neutral line, although there is evidence that it remained active during the expansion phase. It is not obvious whether the electrojet mapped to a near-Earth neutral line, but at its most poleward, the expanded electrojet does not reach the estimated latitude of the polar cap boundary.     

Combined CUTLASS, EISCAT and ESR observations of ionospheric plasma flows at the onset of an isolated substorm

On August 21st 1998, a sharp southward turning of the IMF, following on from a 20 h period of northward directed magnetic field, resulted in an isolated substorm over northern Scandinavia and Svalbard. A combination of high time resolution and large spatial scale measurements from an array of coherent scatter and incoherent scatter ionospheric radars, ground magnetometers and the Polar UVI imager has allowed the electrodynamics of the impulsive substorm electrojet region during its first few minutes of evolution at the expansion phase onset to be studied in great detail. At the expansion phase onset the substorm onset region is characterised by a strong enhancement of the electron temperature and UV aurora. This poleward expanding auroral structure moves initially at 0.9 km s^-1 poleward, finally reaching a latitude of 72.5°. The optical signature expands rapidly westwards at ~6 km s^-1, whilst the eastward edge also expands eastward at ~0.6 km s^-1. Typical flows of 600 m s^-1 and conductances of 2 S were measured before the auroral activation, which rapidly changed to ~100 m s^-1 and 10–20 S respectively at activation. The initial flow response to the substorm expansion phase onset is a flow suppression, observed up to some 300 km poleward of the initial region of auroral luminosity, imposed over a time scale of less than 10 s. The high conductivity region of the electrojet acts as an obstacle to the flow, resulting in a region of low-electric field, but also low conductivity poleward of the high-conductivity region. Rapid flows are observed at the edge of the high-conductivity region, and subsequently the high flow region develops, flowing around the expanding auroral feature in a direction determined by the flow pattern prevailing before the substorm intensification. The enhanced electron temperatures associated with the substorm-disturbed region extended some 2° further poleward than the UV auroral signature associated with it.     

CUTLASS/IMAGE observations of high-latitude convection features during substorms

The CUTLASS Finland HF radar has been operational since February 1995. The radar frequently observes backscatter during the midnight sector from a latitude range 70–75° geographic, latitudes often associated with the polar cap. These intervals of backscatter occur during intervals of substorm activity, predominantly in periods of relatively quiet magnetospheric activity, with Kp during the interval under study being 2-and K_P for the day being only 8-. During August 1995 the radar ran in a high time resolution mode, allowing measurements of line-of-sight convection velocities along a single beam with a temporal resolution of 14s, and measurement of a full spatial scan of line-of-sight convection velocities every four minutes. Data from such scans reveal the radar to be measuring return flow convection during the interval of substorm activity. For three intervals during the period under study, a reduction in the spatial extent of radar backscatter occurred. This is a consequence of D region HF absorption and its limited extent in the present study is probably a consequence of the high latitude of the substorm activity, with the electrojet centre lying between 67° and 71° geomagnetic latitude. The high time resolution beam of the radar additionally demonstrates that the convection is highly time dependent. Pulses of equatorward flow exceeding 600 m s^–1 are observed with a duration of 5 min and a repetition period of 8 min. Their spatial extent in the CUTLASS field of view was 400–500 km in longitude, and 300–400 km in latitude. Each pulse of enhanced equatorward flow was preceded by an interval of suppressed flow and enhanced ionospheric Hall conductance. The transient features are interpreted as being due to ionospheric current vortices associated with field aligned current pairs. The relationship between these observations and substorm phenomena in the magnetotail is discussed.     

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.     

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.     

Simultaneous ionospheric and magnetospheric observations of azimuthally propagating transient features during substorms

During the 6^th August 1995, the CUTLASS Finland HF radar ran in a high time resolution mode, allowing measurements of line-of-sight convection velocities along a single beam with a temporal resolution of 14 s. Data from such scans, during the substorm expansion phase, revealed pulses of equatorward flow exceeding 600 m s^–1 with a duration of 5 min and a repetition period of 8 min. Each pulse of enhanced equatorward flow was preceded by an interval of suppressed flow and enhanced ionospheric Hall conductance. These transient features, which propagate eastwards away from local midnight, have been interpreted as ionospheric current vortices associated with fieldaligned current pairs. The present study reveals that these ionospheric convection features appear to have an accompanying signature in the magnetosphere, comprising a dawnward perturbation and dipolarisation of the magnetic field and dawnward plasma flow, measured in the geomagnetic tail by the Geotail spacecraft, located at L = 10 and some four hours to the east, in the postmidnight sector. These signatures are suggested to be the consequence of the observation of the same field aligned currents in the magnetosphere. Their possible relationship with bursty Earthward plasma flow and magnetotail reconnection is discussed.     

1998年8月6日亚暴期间极光电集流指数AE的特征分析

极光电集流指数(AE)被广泛用来定量描述由电离层电流引起的极光带地磁活动.AE指数也是宏观描述亚暴事件强度和发展过程的一个主要指标,它的优点在于简单直观和快速.本文对1998年8月6日系列亚暴事件的极光活动、电流体系和AE指数的形态特征进行了分析.结果表明,伪亚暴期间虽然AE指数大于500 nT 且有快速增长和缓慢恢复的形态,但是极光没有明显的极向或者赤道向的扩展,极区电流体系主要呈现对流特征;伪亚暴和亚暴期间AE指数的形态变化没有本质区别,但电集流中心的位置有很大差异.我们进一步分析了台站分布对AE指数计算的影响,探讨了伪亚暴和亚暴期间磁场扰动最大值所处的磁地方时的差异.     

Substorm fields in and near the auroral zone

During the last few years, the study of both temporal and spatial variations of substorm fields has rapidly expanded, mainly because of the relationships which exist between polar magnetic substorms and magnetospheric phenomena. Also during these years, proposed current systems believed to be responsible for substorm variations have evolved into complex three-dimensional systems with field-aligned and magnetospheric currents coupled to the eastward and westward electrojets. Recent model studies show that substorm variations in and near the auroral zone can easily be modelled using both two and three-dimensional current systems. In these studies, induction effects were simulated by assuming the Earth to be infinitely conducting at some depth below the surface.The use of magnetometers distributed along magnetic meridians has resulted in a better understanding of the complex current patterns making up the electrojets. For example, during the expansive phase of substorms, the westward and poleward progression of the overall westward electrojet was discovered to take place through the sequential development of a series of westward electrojets.     

The ionospheric response to flux transfer events: the first few minutes

We utilise high-time resolution measurements from the PACE HF radar at Halley, Antarctica to explore the evolution of the ionospheric response during the first few minutes after enhanced reconnection occurs at the magnetopause. We show that the plasma velocity increases associated with flux transfer events (FTEs) occur first 100–200 km equatorward of the region to which magnetosheath (cusp) precipitation maps to the ionosphere. We suggest that these velocity variations start near the ionospheric footprint of the boundary between open and closed magnetic field lines. We show that these velocity variations have rise times 100 s and fall times of 10 s. When these velocity transients reach the latitude of the cusp precipitation, sometimes the equatorward boundary of the precipitation begins to move equatorward, the expected and previously reported ionospheric signature of enhanced reconnection. A hypothesis is proposed to explain the velocity variations. It involves the rapid outflow of magnetospheric electrons into the magnetosheath along the most recently reconnected field lines. Several predictions are made arising from the proposed explanation which could be tested with ground-based and space-based observations.     

The relationship between VHF radar auroral backscatter amplitude and Doppler velocity: a statistical study

A statistical investigation of the relationship between VHF radar auroral backscatter intensity and Doppler velocity has been undertaken with data collected from 8 years operation of the Wick site of the Sweden And Britain Radar-auroral Experiment (SABRE). The results indicate three different regimes within the statistical data set; firstly, for Doppler velocities <200 m s⁻¹, the backscatter intensity (measured in decibels) remains relatively constant. Secondly, a linear relationship is observed between the backscatter intensity (in decibels) and Doppler velocity for velocities between 200 m s⁻¹ and 700 m s⁻¹. At velocities greater than 700 m s⁻¹ the backscatter intensity saturates at a maximum value as the Doppler velocity increases. There are three possible geophysical mechanisms for the saturation in the backscatter intensity at high phase speeds: a saturation in the irregularity turbulence level, a maximisation of the scattering volume, and a modification of the local ambient electron density. There is also a difference in the dependence of the backscatter intensity on Doppler velocity for the flow towards and away from the radar. The results for flow towards the radar exhibit a consistent relationship between backscatter intensity and measured velocities throughout the solar cycle. For flow away from the radar, however, the relationship between backscatter intensity and Doppler velocity varies during the solar cycle. The geometry of the SABRE system ensures that flow towards the radar is predominantly associated with the eastward electrojet, and flow away is associated with the westward electrojet. The difference in the backscatter intensity variation as a function of Doppler velocity is attributed to asymmetries between the eastward and westward electrojets and the geophysical parameters controlling the backscatter amplitude.     

The dynamic cusp aurora on 30 November 1997: response to southward turning of the IMF

We document the detailed dynamics of the dayside aurora in the ≈1200–1600 MLT sector in response to a sharp southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) under negative IMF B_y conditions. Features not documented in previous work are elucidated by using two meridan scanning photometers (separated by 2 h) and an all-sky auroral imager in Ny Ålesund, Svalbard (75.5^MLAT) in combination with magnetograms from stations on Svalbard, covering the latitude range 71^–75^MLAT. The initial auroral response may be divided into three phases consisting of: (1) intensification of both the red (630.0 nm) and green (557.7 nm) line emissions in the cusp aurora near 1200 MLT and ≈100 km equatorward shift of its equatorward boundary, at ≈75^MLAT, (2) eastward and poleward expansions of the cusp aurora, reaching the 1430 MLT meridian after 5–6 min, and (3) east-west expansion of the higher-latitude aurora (at ≈77^–78^MLAT) in the postnoon sector. The associated magnetic disturbance is characterized by an initial positive deflection of the X-component at stations located 100–400 km south of the aurora, corresponding to enhanced Sunward return flow associated with the merging convection cell in the post-noon sector. The sequence of partly overlapping poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) during the first 15 min, accompanied by corresponding pulsations in the convection current, was followed by a strong westward contraction of the cusp aurora when the ground magnetograms indicated a temporary return to the pre-onset level. These observations are discussed in relation to the Cowley-Lockwood model of ionospheric response to pulsed magnetopause reconnection.     

EISCAT observations of unusual flows in the morning sector associated with weak substorm activity

A discussion is given of plasma flows in the dawn and nightside high-latitude ionospheric regions during substorms occurring on a contracted auroral oval, as observed using the EISCAT CP-4-A experiment. Supporting data from the PACE radar, Greenland magnetometer chain, SAMNET magnetometers and geostationary satellites are compared to the EISCAT observations. On 4 October 1989 a weak substorm with initial expansion phase onset signatures at 0030 UT, resulted in the convection reversal boundary observed by EISCAT (at \sim0415 MLT) contracting rapidly poleward, causing a band of elevated ionospheric ion temperatures and a localised plasma density depletion. This polar cap contraction event is shown to be associated with various substorm signatures; Pi2 pulsations at mid-latitudes, magnetic bays in the midnight sector and particle injections at geosynchronous orbit. A similar event was observed on the following day around 0230 UT (\sim0515 MLT) with the unusual and significant difference that two convection reversals were observed, both contracting poleward. We show that this feature is not an ionospheric signature of two active reconnection neutral lines as predicted by the near-Earth neutral model before the plasmoid is “pinched off”, and present two alternative explanations in terms of (1) viscous and lobe circulation cells and (2) polar cap contraction during northward IMF. The voltage associated with the anti-sunward flow between the reversals reaches a maximum of 13 kV during the substorm expansion phase. This suggests it to be associated with the polar cap contraction and caused by the reconnection of open flux in the geomagnetic tail which has mimicked “viscous-like” momentum transfer across the magnetopause.     

SABRE observations of Pi2 pulsations: case studies

The characteristics of substorm-associated Pi2 pulsations observed by the SABRE coherent radar system during three separate case studies are presented. The SABRE field of view is well positioned to observe the differences between the auroral zone pulsation signature and that observed at mid-latitudes. During the first case study the SABRE field of view is initially in the eastward electrojet, equatorward and to the west of the substorm-enhanced electrojet current. As the interval progresses, the western, upward field-aligned current of the substorm current wedge moves westward across the longitudes of the radar field of view. The westward motion of the wedge is apparent in the spatial and temporal signatures of the associated Pi2 pulsation spectra and polarisation sense. During the second case study, the complex field-aligned and ionospheric currents associated with the pulsation generation region move equatorward into the SABRE field of view and then poleward out of it again after the third pulsation in the series. The spectral content of the four pulsations during the interval indicate different auroral zone and mid-latitude signatures. The final case study is from a period of low magnetic activity when SABRE observes a Pi2 pulsation signature from regions equatorward of the enhanced substorm currents. There is an apparent mode change between the signature observed by SABRE in the ionosphere and that on the ground by magnetometers at latitudes slightly equatorward of the radar field of view. The observations are discussed in terms of published theories of the generation mechanisms for this type of pulsation. Different signatures are observed by SABRE depending on the level of magnetic activity and the position of the SABRE field of view relative to the pulsation generation region. A twin source model for Pi2 pulsation generation provides the clearest explanation of the signatures observed.     

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.     

Altitude integration effects in the skewness of type-2 coherent echoes

Possible effects of signal reception from different electrojet heights in a skewness of auroral coherent spectra are studied assuming that the “inherent” spectral line due to plasma turbulence is of type-2 and symmetrical. For reasonable ionospheric parameters, the altitude integrated spectra are expected to be skewed negatively for positive mean Doppler shift, in agreement with radar observations at small aspect angles. However, the spectra could be skewed positively if the turbulent layer or the electron density profile is shifted to high altitudes of \sim120 km. This change of spectral shape will not be observed experimentally if, at the same time, either the electron collision frequency is enhanced or the “inherent” spectral width is increased. Observational results are discussed in view of the predictions given.     

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.     

The ionospheric signature of transient dayside reconnection and the associated pulsed convection return flow

Three SuperDARN coherent HF radars are employed to investigate the excitation of convection in the dayside high-latitude ionosphere in response to transient reconnection occurring in the cusp region. This study demonstrates the existence of transient antisunward-propagating backscatter features at the expected location of the ionospheric footprint of the cusp region, which have a repetition rate near 10 min. These are interpreted as the ionospheric signature of flux transfer events. Moreover, transient sunward-propagating regions of backscatter are observed in the convection return flow regions of both the pre- and post-noon sectors. These patches are observed to propagate towards the noon sector from at least as far around the auroral zone as 07 MLT in the pre-noon sector and 17 MLT in the post-noon sector, travelling with a veloCity of approximately 1.5 to 2 km s⁻¹. These return flow patches have a repetition rate similar to that of the transient features observed at local noon. While providing supporting evidence for the impulsive nature of convection flow, the observation of sunward-propagating features in the return flow region is not consistent with current conceptual models of the excitation of convection.     

SABRE observations of structured ionospheric flows during substorm expansion phase onset

The irregularity velocity patterns observed by the SABRE coherent radar at substorm expansion phase onset, which is identified by magnetometer observations of Pi2 pulsations, are occasionally highly structured. In all the examples of structured velocity patterns examined, the SABRE viewing area is located at longitudes within the inferred substorm current wedge. Three types of structured velocity regime are apparent depending on the level of magnetic activity and the position of the radar viewing area relative to the substorm enhanced currents and the Pi2 pulsation generation region. Firstly, vortex-like velocity patterns are observed and these may be caused by the field-aligned currents associated with the substorm current wedge. Secondly, regions of equatorward velocity are also observed at times of substorm expansion phase onset moving longitudinally across the SABRE viewing area. The longitudinal movement is usually westward although an example of eastward motion has been observed. The phase velocity of these regions of equatorward flow is typically 1–3 km s^?1. The observed equatorward velocities occur at the poleward edge or poleward of the background convection velocities observed by SABRE. These equatorward velocities may be related to the westward travelling surge and to the expansion (eastwards as well as westwards) of the brightening arc region at substorm onset. Thirdly, the flow rotates equatorward within the field of view but does not then appear to move longitudinally. These equatorward velocities may relate to the earthward surge of plasma from the magnetotail at substorm onset.