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

Technical Report · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 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

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