skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Electric currents above Saint-Santin 3. A preliminary study of disturbances: June 6, 1978; March 22, 1979; March 23, 1979

Journal Article · · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

This paper presents three case studies of ionospheric disturbances in electric fields, currents, and winds during periods of geomagnetic storms. These disturbances are detected by the Saint-Santin incoherent scatter radar. The disturbances are shown to originate from two distinct physical mechanism: (1) penetration of electric fields to lower latitudes during times of rapid change in magnetospheric convection; and (2) the action of the disturbed ionospheric dynamo driven by storm-induced wind disturbances. The storm of June 6, 1978, shows a simple illustration of penetrative convection electric fields. The storm of March 22, 1979, gives additional examples of this effect both when the B/sub Z/ component of the interplanetary fields turns southward and northward. The observed events on March 23 are clearly identifiable as the delayed response of the disturbance ionospheric dynamo.

Research Organization:
Centre de Recherches en Physique de l'Environnement, St. Maur, France
OSTI ID:
5819207
Journal Information:
J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 90:A2
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English