Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsa21a1858c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SA21A-1858
Physics
Plasma Physics
[2431] Ionosphere / Ionosphere/Magnetosphere Interactions, [2463] Ionosphere / Plasma Convection, [7863] Space Plasma Physics / Turbulence
Scientific paper
Small-scale electric field variability in the ionosphere is one component of the coupled ionosphere-thermosphere system which is often not accounted for in statistical or empirical models of this region. This study seeks to characterize such small-scale fluctuations in the high-latitude plasma drifts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Velocity fluctuations on spatial scales from 45 - 450 km and temporal scales from 2 - 20 minutes are analyzed using line-of-sight velocity data from the SuperDARN HF backscatter radars in both hemispheres from the years 2000 - 2004. The statistical properties of spatial and temporal fluctuations are analyzed to provide insight on the generation mechanism of the variability. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the observed velocity fluctuations are consistent with the PDFs expected for turbulent flow. The PDF shapes are found to depend on location, IMF clock angle and season but they are approximately the same in the two hemispheres. Furthermore, the properties of velocity fluctuations are different in the zonal and meridional directions, with flatter PDFs (more large fluctuations) observed in the zonal direction. Spatial maps of the magnitude of variability are derived for several categories of dipole tilt angle and IMF clock angle. By using these maps and approximating the observed probability density functions with a standard functional form, a statistical model of high-latitude velocity variability can be achieved.
Cousins E. D.
Shepherd Simon G.
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