Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm14a..06m&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM14A-06
Physics
Plasma Physics
[2776] Magnetospheric Physics / Polar Cap Phenomena, [2784] Magnetospheric Physics / Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions, [7835] Space Plasma Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [7944] Space Weather / Ionospheric Effects On Radio Waves
Scientific paper
During its orbit the Earth finds itself in sectors of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) that are oriented predominantly towards or away from the Sun. These solar sectors are determined by the structure of the heliospheric current sheet. The direction of the radial component of the IMF in these sectors determines which of the geomagnetic polar caps will be connected to the upstream solar wind. For example, in a "toward" sector, magnetic reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause takes place preferentially in the southern hemisphere. This results in the northern polar cap magnetic field lines being connected directly upstream, while the southern polar cap field lines drape along the magnetotail downstream. A very clear correlation between the number of SuperDARN echoes the solar sector structure has been observed in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Both ionospheric and ground echoes systematically increase and decrease according to the polarity of the IMF sector. The extended dataset from the EISCAT Svalbard radar recorded during the International Polar Year has been examined, and periodicities related to solar rotation also exist. The transition between these solar sectors has been shown in previous studies to be correlated with atmospheric weather phenomena. It is hoped that by understanding the response in the ionosphere, one can better understand the coupling mechanism between the space environment and the atmosphere.
Huyghebaert D. R.
McWilliams Kathryn A.
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