Statistical relations between the probability of occurrence of Pc3-4 pulsations at high latitudes in the antarctic regions and the solar wind and IMF parameters

Geomagnetic pulsation in the Pc3-4 bands have been studied at high Antarctic latitudes during the local summer. The statistical relation between the occurrence probability of Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations and the solar wind (SW) and IMF parameters has been revealed by verifying the hypothesis that an indication is identical in two distributions. Different dependences of the occurrence probability of high-latitude Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations on the IMF value and orientation and SW density and velocity have been found out. It has been indicated that these dependences remain unchanged in the range of geomagnetic latitudes from 66° to 87°. It has been established that the Pc3 observation probability at small (20°–50°) IMF cone angles (θ = cos^?1(B _x/|B|)) is a factor of 1.5 higher than the average statistical probability and depends on the IMF value, which confirms the hypothesis that the Pc3 source is the turbulent region upstream of the magnetospheric quasiparallel low shock. On the contrary, the probability of occurrence of Pc4 weakly depends on the IMF cone angle and is maximal at θ ～ 0° and ～90°. With increasing negative B _z values, the generation probability increases in the Pc4 band and tends to decrease in the Pc3 band. It has been found out for the first time that the dependence of the Pc4 occurrence probability on the IMF clock angle (? = tan^?2 (B/B _z) is identical in the regions of projections of closed and open field lines, whereas this dependence is different for Pc3. In the region of projections of closed field lines, the Pc3 occurrence probability increases at B _z < 0 and B _y > 0 (the condition under which the cusp shifts on the dawn side) and at B _y < 0 and B _z > 0 (which is typical of the formation of the low-latitude boundary plasma sheet). In the region of projections of open field lines such a probability increases at B _y < 0 and B _z < 0 (which results in the formation of the high-latitude boundary plasma sheet). Based on the discovered regularities, the conclusion has been made that the sources of generation of high-latitude Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations are different.     

Pc3 geomagnetic pulsations at near-equatorial latitudes at the initial phase of the magnetic storm of April 5, 2010

An analysis of sampled 1-s observational data on geomagnetic pulsations within the Pc3 range on the INTERMAGNET network of near-equatorial and low-latitude observatories spaced over longitude during the initial phase of a moderate magnetic storm (April 5–7, 2010) was carried out for the first time. The obtained results were compared with magnetic observations at the low-latitude Chambon-la-Foret (CLF) and subauroral Kerguelen (PAF) observatories, as well as with observations at six Australian observatories located at low and middle latitudes. Two time intervals were studied in detail: the sudden commencement (SC) of the storm and the onset of the great global substorm. In the first interval, maximal amplitudes of near-equatorial pulsations were observed in the near-noon sector; in the second interval, in the near-midnight sector. The dynamics of the spectral structure of Pc3 pulsations in the considered events was shown to be different in spite of the fact that in both cases an amplification of waves was observed in two close spectral bands of the Pc3 spectrum: ～20–30 and ～30–40 mHz. The considered Pc3 pulsations were characterized by very small azimuthal wavenumbers (0.5 and less). Possible generation mechanisms for the observed Pc3 pulsations are discussed.     

Temporal characteristics and medical aspects of Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations

This paper is devoted to the morphology of Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations (frequency range 0.2–5.0 Hz). This study is based on the series of continuous observations of Pc1 pulsations during more than three solar cycles (July 1957–December 1995). The main attention is given to the temporal characteristics of Pc1 activity, i.e. daily, seasonal and cyclic variations, and also the relationship of Pc1 activity with magnetic storms, sector structure of the interplanetary magnetic field and parameters of the solar wind. The results may be used in the studies of medicobiologic aspects of the problem of solar–terrestrial relations.     

Precipitation of energetic electrons and Pi3 geomagnetic pulsations at polar latitudes

Precipitation of electrons with energies of 0.3–1.5 MeV has been analyzed based on the CORONAL-F satellite data at polar latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere on December 13, 2003. The instants of electron precipitation have been compared with the ground-based observations of geomagnetic disturbances and auroras near the satellite orbit projection. It has been indicated that precipitation of energetic electrons in the high-latitude nightside sector is accompanied by the simultaneous development of bay-like magnetic field disturbances on the Earth’s surface and the appearance of riometer absorption bursts and Pi3 geomagnetic pulsations, and auroras.     

Pc3–4 ULF waves at polar latitudes

A search for Pc3–4 wave activity was performed using data from a trans-Antarctic profile of search-coil magnetometers extending from the auroral zone through cusp latitudes and deep into the polar cap. Pc3–4 pulsations were found to be a ubiquitous element of ULF wave activity in all these regions. The diurnal variations of Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations at different latitudes have been statistically examined using discrimination between wave packets (pulsations) and noise. Daily variations of the Pc3–4 wave power differ for the stations at the polar cap, cusp, and auroral latitudes, which suggests the occurrence of several channels of propagation of upstream wave energy to the ground: via the equatorial magnetosphere, cusp, and lobe/mantle. An additional maximum of Pc3 pulsations during early-morning hours in the polar cap has been detected. This maximum, possibly, is due to the proximity of the geomagnetic field lines at these hours to the exterior cusp. The statistical relation between the occurrence of Pc3–4 pulsations and interplanetary parameters has been examined by analyzing normalized distributions of wave occurrence probability. The dependences of the occurrence probability of Pc3–4 pulsations on the IMF and solar wind parameters are nearly the same at all latitudes, but remarkably different for the Pc3 and Pc4 bands. We conclude that the mechanisms of high-latitude Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations are different: Pc3 waves are generated in the foreshock upstream of the quasi-parallel bow shock, whereas the source of the Pc4 activity is related to magnetospheric activity. Hourly Pc3 power has been found to be strongly dependent on the season: the power ratio between the polar summer and winter seasons is 8. The effect of substantial suppression of the Pc3 amplitudes during the polar night is reasonably well explained by the features of Alfven wave transmission through the ionosphere. Spectral analysis of the daily energy of Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations in the polar cap revealed the occurrence of several periodicities. Periodic modulations with periods 26, 13 and 8–9 days are caused by similar periodicities in the solar wind and IMF parameters, whereas the 18-day periodicity, observed during the polar winter only, is caused, probably, by modulation of the ionospheric conductance by atmospheric planetary waves. The occurrence of the narrow-band Pc3 waves in the polar cap is a challenge to modelers, because so far no band-pass filtering mechanism on open field lines has been identified.     

Period characteristics of Pc1 pulsations observed at Ottawa

IMS data from Ottawa, Canada are analyzed to study the propagation characteristics of Pc1 pulsations. The majority of pulsations observed possessed periods of 1 second and lasted less than an hour. Shorter-period Pc1s are observed during the summer than during the winter. Periods of pulsations are also shorter during the noon hours than in the morning, and shorter during intervals of high magnetic activity. The diurnal variation of period at Ottawa is different from that at high-latitude stations. For Pc1s the calculated ratio of the spacing period to the pulse period at Ottawa is 86, in good agreement with values found for both higher- and lower-latitude stations. An IPDP (intervals of pulsations of diminishing periods) event occurred on April 19, 1977. The analysis supports the view that the energy dispersion of storm time protons, as well as the earthward movement of the instability region due to increasing magnetic activity, are involved in the production of such events. Earth Physics Branch Contribution No. 1087.     

An analysis of Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica)

We conducted a statistical analysis of the physical characteristics of the micropulsation activity (Pc3 and Pc4 range) detected, during the austral summer 1994/95, at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica, corrected latitude 80.0°S), a station which is few degrees poleward of those where most of the Antarctic measurements in these frequency ranges have been performed. The emerging overview suggests that the correspondence between the pulsation power and the external parameters (solar wind speed, interplanetary magnetic field magnitude and orientation) is significantly stronger than at somewhat lower latitudes. The day-to-day power variability was found to be strictly related to the general level of the geomagnetic activity, and the power level sharply maximizes at local magnetic noon. In the Pc4 range peaks of correlation with the SW speed are found in the dawn and dusk sides of the Earths magnetosphere and the daily variation of the polarization pattern is closely consistent with that found at auroral latitudes and at lower frequencies. In the Pc3 range the correlation coefficient between the pulsation power and the SW speed has maximum values in the local morning, and the frequency of selected events reveals a strong IMF control during closed magnetospheric conditions. The local time dependence of the correlation coefficient between the pulsation power and the cone angle reveals an additional control by the IMF orientation, which becomes more explicit around local noon.     

On the periodic variations of secondary cosmic rays and the geomagnetic Pc4 pulsations in BMAr

In a set of balloon flights in the Brazilian magnetic anomaly region (BMAr) short time periodic variations were observed, i.e. pulsation, of secondary charged and neutral particle fluxes, X- and -ray fluxes with amplitudes of about 2–4%. The pulsations are accompanied by the geomagnetic Pc4 pulsations and have similar periodicity. The phenomenon was observed over various local times and in quiet and disturbed magnetospheric conditions. One of the explanations of this effect, i.e. periodic variation of local cut-off rigidity, and following pulsations of primary and secondary cosmic ray intensity is suggested.     

Planetary distribution of geomagnetic pulsations during a geomagnetic storm at solar minimum

We investigate the features of the planetary distribution of wave phenomena (geomagnetic pulsations) in the Earth’s magnetic shell (the magnetosphere) during a strong geomagnetic storm on December 14–15, 2006, which is untypical of the minimum phase of solar activity. The storm was caused by the approach of the interplanetary magnetic cloud towards the Earth’s magnetosphere. The study is based on the analysis of 1-min data of global digital geomagnetic observations at a few latitudinal profiles of the global network of ground-based magnetic stations. The analysis is focused on the Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations, whose frequencies fall in the band of 1.5–7 mHz (T ～ 2–10 min), on the fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and in the solar wind density in this frequency band. It is shown that during the initial phase of the storm with positive IMF Bz, most intense geomagnetic pulsations were recorded in the dayside polar regions. It was supposed that these pulsations could probably be caused by the injection of the fluctuating streams of solar wind into the Earth’s ionosphere in the dayside polar cusp region. The fluctuations arising in the ionospheric electric currents due to this process are recorded as the geomagnetic pulsations by the ground-based magnetometers. Under negative IMF Bz, substorms develop in the nightside magnetosphere, and the enhancement of geomagnetic pulsations was observed in this latitudinal region on the Earth’s surface. The generation of these pulsations is probably caused by the fluctuations in the field-aligned magnetospheric electric currents flowing along the geomagnetic field lines from the substorm source region. These geomagnetic pulsations are not related to the fluctuations in the interplanetary medium. During the main phase of the magnetic storm, when fluctuations in the interplanetary medium are almost absent, the most intense geomagnetic pulsations were observed in the dawn sector in the region corresponding to the closed magnetosphere. The generation of these pulsations is likely to be associated with the resonance of the geomagnetic field lines. Thus, it is shown that the Pc5 pulsations observed on the ground during the magnetic storm have a different origin and a different planetary distribution.     

Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations as a potential hazard of the myocardial infarction

The analysis of 85,800 events (1979–1981) of Moscow ambulance calls, related to the myocardial infarction (MI), demonstrates a seasonal variation with the profound summer minima and winter maxima. Similar results were obtained by analyzing the 25-year (1970–1995) statistical monthly data on the death from infarction in Bulgaria. The estimated high correlation coefficient (0.84) between Moscow and Bulgarian data suggests a common reason. There is a great number of clinical and statistical studies confirming that the MI number rises during geomagnetic disturbances, which have a maximum of occurrence near equinox, not in winter. In order to explain this contradiction we suggest that one of the critical additional factors, which affect a human cardiovascular system, could be geomagnetic Pc1 pulsations at frequencies comparable with the human heart beat rate. The MI variations as well as the Pc1 pulsations exhibit a summer minimum. The comparative analysis of the Moscow ambulance MI data and Pc1 pulsations recorded at the geophysical observatory in Borok is presented. It is shown that in about 70% of the days when an anomalously great number of ambulance calls (AMI) has been registered Pc1 pulsations have been recorded. In the winter season the probability of the simultaneous AMI and Pc1 occurrence was 1.5 times larger than their accidental coincidence. Moreover, it was found that the effects of magnetic storms and Pc1 in AMI were much higher in winter than in summer. We suggest that the seasonal variation of the production of the pineal hormone melatonin leads to a winter instability in the human organisms and increases the sensitivity of the patient to the “negative” influence of Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations in winter.     

Algorithm for recognizing Pc3 geomagnetic pulsations in 1-s data from INTERMAGNET equatorial observatories

The methods are suggested for analyzing the data of three-component geomagnetic observations in order to automatically recognize time anomalies-pulsations in the geomagnetic field. These methods include preliminary bandpass filtering of the data, calculating the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix of magnetic components in a moving time window, computing the generalized variance of the eigenvalues (generalization is understood as raising to a power that is distinct from the traditional power of 2), averaging the variance, and identifying the time intervals marked by the presence of pulsations by the criterion of the averaged variance of eigenvalues to exceed a certain threshold specified by the fuzzy-logic methods.     

低纬地区地磁场谐波特征

利用我国低纬地区琼中、广州和泉州３个地磁台１９８２－１９８９年的地磁静日实测值，分析了Ｈ、Ｚ和Ｙ三个地磁分量的谐波特征。结果表明，①Ｈ、Ｚ两分量的谐波振幅一般在春秋季最大，冬季最小，Ｙ分量的谐波振幅在夏季最大，冬季最小，它们的变化形态基本上与太阳黑子数的变化形态同步；②三分量的相位都受到太阳活动和季节的影响。     

Relation between auroral and geomagnetic pulsations at polar latitudes according to the observations on spitsbergen

Geomagnetic pulsations of the Pc4–5 type at the Barentsburg Observatory for December 2007 to January 2008 are compared with the auroral intensity variations based on the photometric records at the same observatory. In all cases, auroral pulsations similar in shape are also observed simultaneously with geomagnetic pulsations. In the morning and daytime hours, the pulsation radiance maxima fall on the positive half-periods in the H component at the observation point; in the evening and nighttime hours, they fall on the negative half-periods.     

Statistical observations of spatial characteristics of Pi1B pulsations

We have examined the spatial and temporal correlation of high-latitude Pi1B and Pi2 pulsations, mid-latitude Pi2 pulsations, and auroral substorm onsets identified in the IMAGE far ultraviolet imager (FUV) data. Numerous search coil and fluxgate magnetometers at high latitudes (65–80° in Antarctica and Greenland) and mid-latitude fluxgate magnetometers are used. We find that Pi1B onset times agree well with onset times of intense isolated auroral substorms identified by the IMAGE FUV instrument: Pi1B onsets occurred within the 2 min cadence of the imager. For any given event, we find that Pi1B are localized to approximately 4 h of local time and 7° of magnetic latitude relative to the initial auroral brightening location as observed by IMAGE FUV. Not surprisingly, we also find that Pi1B pulsations occur typically between 2100 and 0200 MLT. Comparison to Pi2 records from these and other lower-latitude stations shows that in almost all cases Pi1B activity coincides within ±2 min with Pi2 activity. Power law fits showed that Pi1B amplitude fell off with distance^−2.9 for two strong events (i.e., similar to the r⁻³ falloff of the signal from a dipolar source), and only slightly more rapidly than the falloff of Pi2 activity (d^−2.8). Given the global nature of Pi2 pulsations versus the localized nature of Pi1B events in this study, we conclude that the mechanism that drives Pi1B pulsations is likely different from that responsible for Pi2 pulsations.     

Periodic modulation of Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations in the polar cap by interplanetary and atmospheric processes

The variations in the daily average energy of geomagnetic pulsations and noise in the Pc3 (20–60 mHz) and Pc4 (10–19 mHz) frequency bands in the polar cap have been studied based on the data from P5 Antarctic station (corrected geomagnetic latitude ?87°) from November 1998 to November 1999. The daily average pulsation energy has been calculated using the method for detecting the wave packets, the spectral amplitude of which is higher than the threshold level, from the dynamic spectrum. A spectral analysis of the energy of pulsations and noise in the Pc3 and Pc4 bands, performed using the maximal entropy method, has revealed periodicities of 18 days in the local winter and 26, 13, and 7–9 days during the local summer. The simultaneous and coherent variations with periods of 26, 13, and 7–9 days in the solar wind velocity and IMF orientation indicate that the variations in the Pc3–4 wave energy in the polar cap at a sunlit ionosphere are mainly controlled by the parameters of the interplanetary medium. The variations in the Pc3–4 wave energy with a period of 18 days are observed only during the local winter and are supposedly related to the variations in the ionospheric conductivity modulated by planetary waves.     

Penetration of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations to unusually low latitudes during the recovery phase of a superstrong magnetic storm of October 31, 2003

Based on the data of the ground observations, the global distributions of the Pc5 geomagnetic pulsation amplitudes during the recovery phase of the superstorm of October 31, 2003, have been mapped, and an unusually deep penetration of these pulsations into the inner magnetosphere has been found out. Thus, two more zones with identical dynamic spectra and oscillation amplitudes from the polar to equatorial latitudes have been detected in the postnoon sector simultaneously with morning classical Pc5 pulsations in the narrow (～63°–68° CGM) latitudinal band extended along longitude. The higher-latitude zone as if continues the morning band, and the lower-latitude zone is characterized by the maximal intensity at latitudes of ～50°–57° CGM. The oscillation amplitudes are of the same order of magnitude in both zones. The zones are spatially separated by a very narrow latitudinal amplitude minimum and by a change in the phase and sense of rotation of the wave polarization vector. The pulsation spectra in the morning and daytime sectors are different, which indicates that the nature of the morning and postnoon oscillations is different.     

Long-period geomagnetic pulsations in the quasi-conjugate arctic and antarctic regions during the magnetic storm of April 16–17, 1999

Based on the observations in six pairs of almost conjugate high-latitude stations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the spectral and spatial-temporal structures of long-period geomagnetic pulsations (f = 2–5 mHz) during the magnetic storm of April 16–17, 1999, which is characterized by a high (up to 20 nPa) solar wind dynamic pressure, have been studied. It has been indicated that the magnetic storm sudden commencement is accompanied by a symmetrical excitation of np pulsations near the dayside polar cusps with close amplitudes. Under the conditions when IMF B _z > 0 and B _y < 0, strong magnetic field variations with the periods longer than 15–20 min were observed only in the northern polar cap. When IMF B _z and B _y became close to zero, geomagnetic pulsation bursts in both hemispheres were registered simultaneously but differed in the spectral composition and spatial distribution. In the Northern Hemisphere, pulsations were as a rule observed in a more extensive latitude region than in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the oscillation amplitude maximum was observed at higher latitudes than in the Southern Hemisphere. The pulsation amplitude at geomagnetic latitude lower than 74° was larger in the Arctic Regions than in the Antarctic Regions. This can be explained by sharply different geographic longitudes in the polar cap and latitudes in the auroral zone, which results in a different ionospheric conductivity affecting the amplitude of geomagnetic pulsations.     

Ozone distribution in winter at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere

The ozone winter maximum at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere is not evenly distributed along the longitudes. This is mainly due to the upper air circulation, both horizontally and vertically. In addition it is also strongly influenced by the largest mountain ranges. During the last two decades the air circulation in the North Atlantic has intensified. This has led to ascending motion in the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere, which in turn has resulted in a reduced total ozone column in Northwest Europe.The large mounter ranges in Asia are initiating standing waves, with descending motions in the atmosphere behind the mountains. The descending motion leads to adiabatic warming of the lower stratosphere and the upper troposphere. Ozone-rich air is transported downwards to lower levels and stored there, where the ozone is less affected by heterogeneous chemical destruction.     

Quasi-periodic very low frequency emissions, very low frequency chorus, and geomagnetic Pc4 pulsations (Event on April 3, 2011)

The results of an analysis of ground-based observations of very low frequency (VLF) emissions in Scandinavia (L ∼ 5) in April 2011 are discussed. A detailed study is conducted of an non-typical event (April 3, 2011) of simultaneous generation of VLF chorus at frequencies below 3 kHz and quasi-periodic VLF emissions (QP) in the band of 4–6 kHz, which were not discrete emissions but consisted of separate short (about 20 s) bursts of hiss. It is shown that these emissions were mainly characterized by right-hand polarization, which indicates the location of the exit point of waves from the ionosphere near the point of ground observations. Based on an analysis of the spectral characteristics of emissions, it is concluded that the generation regions of chorus and QP emissions were located at different L shells. The appearance of QP emissions coincided with the excitation of resonance geomagnetic pulsations of the Pc4 range in the magnetosphere with a period that was close to the quasi-period of repetition of spectral forms in QP emissions. However, based on the available data, it is not possible to conclude that these geomagnetic pulsations caused the quasi-periodic generation of bursts of VLF hiss. The time shift between the peaks of QP and geomagnetic pulsations was inconsistent and varied from one burst of hiss to another. It is suggested that the discussed QP emissions were a result of the development of self-oscillations in the Earth’s radiation belts.