Comparison between the polar cap index, PC and the auroral electrojet indices AE, AL, and AU

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90JA01975· OSTI ID:5258751

Vennerstrom, S; Friis-Christensen, E ^[1]; Troshichev, O A; Andresen, V G ^[2]

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1. Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhagen (Denmark)
2. Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Leningrad (USSR)

The newly introduced index PC for magnetic activity in the polar cap has been examined to establish to which extent it can serve as an indicator of auroral electrojet activity. PC is derived from a single nearpole station, as a 15-min average index. The authors have derived it for two stations, one in the northern hemisphere (Thule) and one in the southern hemisphere (Vostok). The simplicity of the PC index enables us to make a large data base for statistical investigations. They have thus used 7 years of PC values for the two stations to analyze the relationship between PC and the auroral zone indices AE, AU, and AL statistically. They find a very high correlation between PC and AE during winter and equinox, the linear correlation coefficient being {approximately} 0.8-0.9 for Thule and {approximately} 0.7-0.8 for Vostok. During summer the correlation is less because the PC index is then disturbed by polar cap currents controlled by the northward and east-west components of the interplanetary magnetic field. They therefore stress the importance of having PC available from both the northern and southern hemisphere. From event studies they find that PC is sensitive both to DP 2 type electrojet activity and to substorm intensifications of the westward electrojet in the midnight or postmidnight sector but less sensitive to substorm intensifications of the westward electrojet in the midnight or post midnight sector. They conclude that PC can serve as a fast available indicator of DP 2 and DP 1 activity in the polar regions, excluding intrusions of the westward electrojet in the premidnight sector.

• OSTI ID: 5258751
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 96:A1; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAL ZONES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPILED DATA
CORRELATIONS
CURRENTS
DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
DOCUMENT TYPES
EARTH PLANET
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTROJETS
EVALUATION
INDEXES
INFORMATION
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC BAYS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MATHEMATICS
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANETS
POLAR REGIONS
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
STATISTICS