Simultaneous conjugate observations of dynamic variations in high-latitude dayside convection due to changes in IMF B sub y

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA095iA06p08057· OSTI ID:5377594

Greenwald, R A; Baker, K B; Ruohoniemi, J M ^[1]; Dudeney, J R; Pinnock, M; Mattin, N; Leonard, J M ^[2]; Lepping, R P ^[3]

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1. Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (USA)
2. Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge (England)
3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (USA)

Two conjugate HF radars are currently operating at Goose Bay, Labrador, and Halley Station, Antarctica, and are providing continuous, high temporal resolution measurements of plasma convection over large areas of the high-latitude ionosphere. In this paper, data from these radars for a single 45-min period about local noon on 22 April 1988 are examined to study near-instantaneous, conjugate, two-dimensional patterns of plasma convection in the vicinity of the cusp and their response to changes in the B{sub y} component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The observations indicate that under quasi-stationary IMF conditions, the conjugate convection patterns are quite similar to the synthesized patterns of Heppner and Maynard (1987). The patterns respond rapidly to changes in the IMF B{sub y} component. The average response time was 8 min between an IMF transition at the IMP-8 satellite and the beginning of a convection reconfiguration in the ionosphere. Typically, the newly reconfigured convection pattern filled the radar field of view (10{degree} to 15{degree} of invariant latitude and 2.5 h of local time) within 6 min of reconfiguration onset. For the examples studied the reconfiguration onsets began over an extended local time sector in the invariant latitude range from 73{degree} to 75{degree} and proceeded by means of a poleward expansion of the reconfigured pattern into a region containing fossil convection associated with the prior IMF state. The authors interpret the onset region in the ionosphere as being associated with cusp field lines and the poleward region as being associated with open field lines in the plasma mantle and tail lobe.

• OSTI ID: 5377594
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 95:A6; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
IONOSPHERE
CONVECTION
DATA ANALYSIS
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOTAIL
PLASMA DRIFT
POLAR CUSP
RADAR
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MASS TRANSFER
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
RANGE FINDERS
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena