CDAW-9 analysis of magnetospheric events on 3 May 1986: Event C. Technical report

Technical Report · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:7296330

Baker, D N; Pulkkinen, T I; McPherron, R L; Craven, J D; Frank, L A

The ninth Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop (CDAW-9) focussed upon several intervals within the PROMIS period (March-June 1986). Event interval C comprised the period 0000-1200 UT on 3 May 1986 which was a highly disturbed time near the end of a geomagnetic storm interval. A very large substorm early in the period commenced at 0111 UT and had a peak AE index value of approx. 1500 nT. Subsequent activity was lower, but at least three other substorms occurred at 2-3 hour intervals. The substorms on 3 May were well observed by a variety of satellites, including ISEE-1, -2, and IMP-8 in the magnetotail plus SCATHA, GOES, GMS, and LANL spacecraft at or near geostationary orbit. A particularly important feature of the 0111 UT substorm was the simultaneous imaging of the southern auroral oval by DE-1 and of the northern oval by Viking. The excellent constellation of spacecraft near local midnight in the radial range 5-9 RE made it possible to study the strong cross-tail current development during the substorm growth phase and the current disruption and current wedge development during the expansion phase. The authors use a time-evolving magnetic field model to map observed auroral features out into the magnetospheric equatorial plane. There was both a dominant eastward and a weaker westward progression of activity following the expansion phase. A clear latitudinal separation of the initial region of auroral brightening and the region of intense westward electrojet current was identified.

• Research Organization: Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA (United States). Engineering and Technology Group
• OSTI ID: 7296330
• Report Number(s): AD-A-277610/2/XAB; TR-93(3940)-9; CNN: F04701-88-C-0089
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGNETIC STORMS
COORDINATED RESEARCH PROGRAMS
AURORAE
AURORAL OVAL
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTROJETS
MAGNETOTAIL
MAPPING
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
661320* - Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena- (1992-)