O. de la Beaujardiere

Interhemispheric asymmetry of the high-latitude ionospheric convection pattern

The assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics technique has been used to derive the large-scale high-latitude ionospheric convection patterns simultaneously in both northern and southern hemispheres during the period of January 27-29, 1992. When the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component is negative, the convection patterns in the southern hemisphere are basically the mirror images of those in the northern hemisphere. The total cross-polar-cap potential drops in the two hemispheres are similar. When Bz is positive and |By| > Bz, the convection configurations are mainly determined by By and they may appear as normal “two-cell” patterns in both hemispheres much as one would expect under southward IMF conditions. However, there is a significant difference in the cross-polar-cap potential drop between the two hemispheres, with the potential drop in the southern (summer) hemisphere over 50% larger than that in the northern (winter) hemisphere. As the ratio of |By|/Bz decreases (less than one), the convection configuration in the two hemispheres may be significantly different, with reverse convection in the southern hemisphere and weak but disturbed convection in the northern hemisphere. By comparing the convection patterns with the corresponding spectrograms of precipitating particles, we interpret the convection patterns in terms of the concept of merging cells, lobe cells, and viscous cells. Estimates of the “merging cell” potential drops, that is, the potential ascribed to the opening of the dayside field lines, are usually comparable between the two hemispheres, as they should be. The “lobe cell” provides a potential between 8.5 and 26 k V and can differ greatly between hemispheres, as predicted. Lobe cells can be significant even for southward IMF, if |By| > |Bz|. To estimate the potential drop of the “viscous cells,” we assume that the low-latitude boundary layer is on closed field lines. We find that this potential drop varies from case to case, with a typical value of 10 kV. If the source of these cells is truly a viscous interaction at the flank of the magnetopause, the process is likely spatially and temporally varying rather than steady state.

Ionospheric convection response to slow, strong variations in a northward interplanetary magnetic field: A case study for January 14, 1988

We analyze ionospheric convection patterns over the polar regions during the passage of an interplanetary magnetic cloud on January 14, 1988, when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) rotated slowly in direction and had a large amplitude. Using the assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure, we combine simultaneous observations of ionospheric drifts and magnetic perturbations from many different instruments into consistent patterns of high-latitude electrodynamics, focusing on the period of northward IMF. By combining satellite data with ground-based observations, we have generated one of the most comprehensive data sets yet assembled and used it to produce convection maps for both hemispheres. We present evidence that a lobe convection cell was embedded within normal merging convection during a period when the IMF By and Bz components were large and positive. As the IMF became predominantly northward, a strong reversed convection pattern (afternoon-to-morning potential drop of around 100 kV) appeared in the southern (summer) polar cap, while convection in the northern (winter) hemisphere became weak and disordered with a dawn-to-dusk potential drop of the order of 30 kV. These patterns persisted for about 3 hours, until the IMF rotated significantly toward the west. We interpret this behavior in terms of a recently proposed merging model for northward IMF under solstice conditions, for which lobe field lines from the hemisphere tilted toward the Sun (summer hemisphere) drape over the dayside magnetosphere, producing reverse convection in the summer hemisphere and impeding direct contact between the solar wind and field lines connected to the winter polar cap. The positive IMF Bx component present at this time could have contributed to the observed hemispheric asymmetry. Reverse convection in the summer hemisphere broke down rapidly after the ratio |By/Bz| exceeded unity, while convection in the winter hemisphere strengthened. A dominant dawn-to-dusk potential drop was established in both hemispheres when the magnitude of By exceeded that of Bz, with potential drops of the order of 100 kV, even while Bz remained northward. The later transition to southward Bz produced a gradual intensification of the convection, but a greater qualitative change occurred at the transition through |By/Bz| = 1 than at the transition through Bz = 0. The various convection patterns we derive under northward IMF conditions illustrate all possibilities previously discussed in the literature: nearly single-cell and multicell, distorted and symmetric, ordered and unordered, and sunward and antisunward.

Ionospheric disturbances observed by DMSP at middle to low latitudes during the magnetic storm of June 4–6, 1991

This paper extends a recent study of electric field penetration into the inner magnetosphere observed by the Combined Release and Radiation Effects (CRRES) satellite and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite F8 during the magnetic storm of June 4–6, 1991, to consider its ionospheric consequences. Effects include the development of > 1 km/s subauroral ion drift (SAID) structures, the formation of midlatitude density troughs, and the vertical transport of equatorial plasma, bubbles. Nearly simultaneous auroral electron and plasma drift measurements were acquired by three DMSP satellites with F8 and F9 in one hemisphere and FlO in the other. Moderate to strong SAID structures were consistently detected for ∼10 hours during the early main phase of the storm. Weak SAIDs were encountered during ∼8 hours of the early recovery phase. DMSP data show that SAIDs with similar characteristics developed at magnetically conjugate locations and extended for at least 3 hours in local time. Simultaneous measurements show that the SAIDs spanned temporally grooving but latitudinally narrow plasma density troughs. These observations suggest that the magnetospheric sources of SAIDs act more like voltage than current generators. Energetic electron fluxes, electric fields, and plasma waves measured by CRRES indicate that during this storm the ring current shielding charges and SAID sources were located in regions of high plasma density characteristic of the plasmasphere. The sequence in which DMSP detected equatorial plasma density irregularities is consistent with model predictions that stormtime electrodynamics at low latitudes operate on distinctive fast and slow timescales [Fejer and Schcrliess, 1997].

Sondrestrom radar measurements of the reconnection electric field

Solar wind energy is transferred to and from the closed field line region of the magnetosphere by transport across the boundary between open and closed field lines (the separatrix). The rate of this transfer is measured by the reconnection electric field, which is tangential to the separatrix. Although it is not possible to measure directly the reconnection electric field in the magnetosphere, the electric field in the ionosphere can readily be used to calculate the magnetic reconnection rate. This paper describes a technique for using the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar in Greenland to estimate this rate from measurements of the plasma velocity in the separatrix reference frame. The ionospheric plasma drift and the separatrix location and velocity are determined from the radar observations, and the separatrix orientation is inferred from all-sky images. This technique has been applied to obtain measurements of the reconnection electric field in the midnight sector, with 3- to 5-min time resolution during the night of January 14–15, 1989. The reconnection electric field was found to be less than 15 mV/m during periods of local polar cap expansion, which corresponded to substorm recovery phases, and to be 30 to 40 mV/m during times of polar cap contraction, which corresponded to substorm expansive phases. During a short interval, the measurements showed the separatrix moving equatorward faster than the plasma, which implies that there was plasma transfer from closed to open field lines, rather than the usual nightside transfer from open to closed field lines.

An ionospheric conductance model based on ground magnetic disturbance data

An attempt is made to construct an improved ionospheric conductance model employing ground magnetic disturbance data as input. For each of the different regions in the auroral electrojets specified by different combinations of horizontal (ΔH) and vertical (ΔZ) magnetic perturbations, as well as by magnetic local time (MLT), an empirical relationship is obtained between the ionospheric conductance deduced from Chatanika radar data and magnetic disturbances from the nearby College magnetic station. The error involved in the empirical formula is generally of the order of 20–50%. However, some sectors are so poorly covered that uncertainty estimates cannot be made. The new formulas are applied to an average magnetic disturbance distribution to deduce the average conductance distribution. This is compared with a conductance model based on electron precipitation data [Hardy et al., 1987], finding good agreement in terms of the magnitude and distribution pattern. Combining our empirical relationships with the empirical formulas proposed by Robinson et al. [1987], the average energy and energy flux of precipitating electrons are also estimated. Notable similarities exist between the global distribution patterns of these and those obtained by Hardy et al. [1985]. It is proposed that the present conductance model can be used to complement more direct measurements in order to obtain the global distribution needed to study the large-scale electrodynamics of the polar ionosphere. Several interesting characteristics about the auroral electrojet system are apparent from the empirical relationship: (1) For a given magnitude of ΔH, the electric field is relatively stronger in the eastward electrojet region than in the westward electrojet region. (2) The electric field plays a greater role in the intensification of electrojet current than the ionospheric conductance does in the poleward half of the westward electrojet, whereas the opposite trend is apparent in the equatorward half. However, no such different roles of the electric field and conductance is noticeable in the eastward electrojet region. (3) The auroral conductance enhancements tend to be largest around midnight, due to more intense particle fluxes there. (4) The mean particle energy depends on MLT but is relatively insensitive to magnetic activity.

Ionospheric convection response to changing IMF direction

By combining ground-based and satellite-based measurements of ionospheric electric fields, conductivities and magnetic perturbations, we are able to examine the characteristics of instantaneous, ionospheric convection patterns associated with changing directions of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). In response to a rapid southward-to-northward turning of the IMF on 23 July 1983, the ionospheric convection reconfigured over a period of 40 minutes. The configuration changed from a conventional two-cell pattern to a contracted four-cell pattern, with reversed convection cells in the high-latitude dayside, associated with a strong potential drop of about 75 kV. Later, in response to a gradual rotation of the IMF from the +Z through the −Y. toward the −Z direction, the nightside cells disappeared and the dawn cell in the reversed pair wrapped around and displaced the dusk cell until a conventional two-cell pattern was reestablished, largely in accord with the qualitative model of Crooker [1988]. Our results suggest that multiple cells can arise as a result of strong southward to northward transitions in the IMF. They appear to persist for sometime thereafter.

Relationship between Birkeland current regions, particle precipitation, and electric fields

Data from eight DMSP F7 satellite passes coincident with Sondrestrom radar observations have been examined to determine how the large-scale dayside Birkeland currents are related to the particle precipitation regions and to the convection pattern. The classification schemes recently developed from DMSP particle data were adopted. The observations were limited to the prenoon local time hours and led to the following conclusions: (1) The local time of the mantle currents (which were traditionally called cusp currents) is not limited to the longitude of the cusp proper, but covers a larger local time extent. (2) The mantle currents flow entirely on open field lines (where “open field lines” is defined as a region where the ion precipitation and electron precipitation have the characteristics of plasma mantle, cusp, or polar rain.) This confirms and extends to all local times similar results obtained from other observations. (3) About half of region 1 currents flow on open field lines. This is consistent with the assumption that the region 1 currents are generated by the solar wind dynamo and flow within the surface that separates open and closed field lines. (4) More than 80% of the Birkeland current boundaries do not correspond to particle precipitation boundaries. Region 2 currents extend beyond the plasma sheet poleward boundary; region 1 currents flow in part on open field lines; mantle currents and mantle particles are not coincident. (5) On most passes when a triple current sheet is observed (region 2, region 1, and mantle currents), the convection reversal is located on closed field lines. When only two current sheets are observed (either region 2/region 1, or region 1/mantle currents), the convection reversal is on open field lines. (6) The data appear to be more consistent with a topology such that mantle currents are an extension of region 1 currents, rather than a separate system located poleward of the region 1 current system.

High‐latitude ionospheric electrodynamics as determined by the assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics procedure for the conjunctive SUNDIAL/ATLAS 1/GEM period of March 28–29, 1992

During the conjunctive SUNDIAL/ATLAS 1/GEM campaign period of March 28–29, 1992, a set of comprehensive data has been collected both from space and from ground. The assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure is used to derive the large-scale high-latitude ionospheric conductivity, convection, and other related quantities, by combining the various data sets. The period was characterized by several moderate substorm activities. Variations of different ionospheric electrodynamic fields are examined for one substorm interval. The cross-polar-cap potential drop, Joule heating, and field-aligned current are all enhanced during the expansion phase of substorms. The most dramatic changes of these fields are found to be associated with the development of the substorm electrojet in the post midnight region. Variations of global electrodynamic quantities for this 2-day period have revealed a good correlation with the auroral electrojet (AE) index. In this study we have calculated the AE index from ground magnetic perturbations observed by 63 stations located between 55° and 76° magnetic latitudes north and south, which is larger than the standard AE index by about 28% on the average over these 2 days. Different energy dissipation channels have also been estimated. On the average over the 2 days, the total globally integrated Joule heating rate is about 102 GW and the total globally integrated auroral energy precipitation rate is about 52 GW. Using an empirical formula, the ring current energy injection rate is estimated to be 125 GW for a decay time of 3.5 hours, and 85 GW for a decay time of 20 hours. We also find an energy-coupling efficiency of 3% between the solar wind and the magnetosphere for a southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) condition.

Characteristics of ionospheric convection and field-aligned current in the dayside cusp region

The assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) technique has been used to estimate global distributions of high-latitude ionospheric convection and field-aligned current by combining data obtained nearly simultaneously both from ground and from space. Therefore, unlike the statistical patterns, the “snapshot” distributions derived by AMIE allow us to examine in more detail the distinctions between field-aligned current systems associated with separate magnetospheric processes, especially in the dayside cusp region. By comparing the field-aligned current and ionospheric convection patterns with the corresponding spectrograms of precipitating particles, the following signatures have been identified: (1) For the three cases studied, which all had an IMF with negative y and z components, the cusp precipitation was encountered by the DMSP satellites in the postnoon sector in the northern hemisphere and in the prenoon sector in the southern hemisphere. The equatorward part of the cusp in both hemispheres is in the sunward flow region and marks the beginning of the flow rotation from sunward to antisunward. (2) The pair of field-aligned currents near local noon, i.e., the cusp/mantle currents, are coincident with the cusp or mantle particle precipitation. In distinction, the field-aligned currents on the dawnside and duskside, i.e., the normal region 1 currents, are usually associated with the plasma sheet particle precipitation. Thus the cusp/mantle currents are generated on open field lines and the region 1 currents mainly on closed field lines. (3) Topologically, the cusp/mantle currents appear as an expansion of the region 1 currents from the dawnside and duskside and they overlap near local noon. When By is negative, in the northern hemisphere the downward field-aligned current is located poleward of the upward current; whereas in the southern hemisphere the upward current is located poleward of the downward current. (4) Under the assumption of quasi-steady state reconnection, the location of the separatrix in the ionosphere is estimated and the reconnection velocity is calculated to be between 400 and 550 m/s. The dayside separatrix lies equatorward of the dayside convection throat in the two cases examined.

Measurement of the magnetotail reconnection rate

A technique to measure the magnetotail reconnection rate from the ground is described and applied to 71 hours of measurements from 20 nights. The reconnection rate is obtained from the ionospheric flow across the polar cap boundary in the frame of reference of the boundary, measured by the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar. For our measurements, the polar cap boundary is located using 6300 A auroral emissions and E region electron density. The average experimental uncertainty of the reconnection rate measurement is 11.6 mV m−1 in the ionospheric electric field. By using a large data set, we obtain the dependence of the reconnection rate on magnetic local time, the interplanetary magnetic field, and substorm activity, with much higher accuracy. We find that two thirds of the average polar cap potential drop occurs over the 4-hour segment of the separatrix centered on 2330 MLT, that the linear correlation between the reconnection electric field and the half-wave rectified dawn-dusk solar wind electric field VBs peaks between 1.0 and 1.5 hours, with a maximum linear correlation coefficient of 0.46 at 70 min; and that following substorm expansion phase onset, the reconnection electric field becomes larger than the experimental uncertainty, with an average delay of 23 min. The 70-min delay of the reconnection rate with respect to VBs is a typical convection time for a flux tube across the polar cap. This result indicates that reconnection in the magnetotail is influenced by the solar wind electric field VBs on the field line being reconnected.