Thunderstorm coupling to the magnetosphere and associated ionospheric effects. Semiannual Report, 1 November 1991-30 April 1992

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7060655

Inan, U S

This project deals with the coupling of electromagnetic energy released during a thunderstorm to the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. Both the effects of an individual lightning event as well the aggregate of all the lightning events during a thunderstorm are considered. Energy in the very low frequency (VLF) band can play a variety of roles in the magnetospheric and ionospheric physics: generation of plasmaspheric hiss believed to be responsible for the slot region in the radiation belts, generation of lower hybrid waves that can heat ions in the auroral and subauroral regions, precipitation of energetic electrons, ionospheric heating etc. While these phenomena have been identified, and characterized to some extent, the influence and role of thunderstorm energy on the magnetosphere and ionosphere at a global scale is not known. Only recently, simultaneous high resolution (temporal and spatial) data sets from ground based lightning detectors and space and ground based VLF detectors have become available, and thus it has become possible to raise a question of the kind mentioned above and try to answer it quantitatively. Work on the correlation between individual lightning discharges in a thunderstorm as detected by the lightning network and the whistlers observed on the DE-1 satellite continued during this period. Results are summarized.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7060655
• Report Number(s): N-93-14910; NASA-CR--191383; NAS--1.26:191383; CNN: NAG5-1549
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAL HISS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
COUPLING
DISASTERS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
IONOSPHERIC EFFECTS
IONS
LIGHTNING
LONG WAVE RADIATION
LOWER HYBRID HEATING
NOISE
PLASMA HEATING
RADIATION BELTS
RADIATIONS
RADIO NOISE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RESOLUTION
SPACE
STORMS
WHISTLERS