Comparison of dayside and nightside ionospheric convection changes following sudden enhancements in solar wind dynamic pressure

Physics

Scientific paper

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[2712] Magnetospheric Physics / Electric Fields, [2760] Magnetospheric Physics / Plasma Convection, [2776] Magnetospheric Physics / Polar Cap Phenomena, [2784] Magnetospheric Physics / Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

Over the past few years the prominent role of solar wind dynamic pressure in enhancing dayside and nightside reconnection, and driving enhanced ionospheric convection, has been documented by both ground and spaceborn instruments. Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) observations show that solar wind pressure fronts induce significantly enhanced ionospheric convection in the dayside ionosphere. In parallel, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) precipitating particle measurements and POLAR Ultra-Violet Imager (UVI) images have demonstrated that sudden solar wind pressure increases also significantly reduce the size of the polar cap, especially on the nightside, suggesting an enhancement of magnetotail reconnection. DMSP flow observations also show an increase in the transpolar potential and/or the solar wind/magnetosphere coupling efficiency after sudden enhancements in dynamic pressure. SuperDARN measurements of plasma convection within the dayside polar ionosphere reveal an enhancement of plasma convection after an abrupt increase in solar wind dynamic pressure on 6 November 2000. The convection enhancement variation closely follows the variation in solar wind pressure. The dayside enhancement is followed by a nightside convection increase that occurs about 40 min later, and has similar variation characteristics compared to the increase on the dayside. We use SuperDARN flow measurements to establish any connection between day and night convection enhancements that occur in relation to sharp enhancements in solar wind dynamic pressure. We discuss the results in terms of dayside and nightside reconnection enhancements, their role in the determination of the size of the polar cap, and their effect on the transpolar potential.

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