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International audience; Simultaneous observations from HF radars and the DMSP satellite have been used to relate the ionospheric convection pattern and the nighBide precipitation at the polar cap-auroral zone boundary. The convection is eastward in the poleward part of the radars field of view and predominantly westward at lower latitudes. The DMSP-F9 particle spectrograms exhibit energetic precipitating protons at the poleward edge of an "inverted V". The downward H + flow displays spatial filtering effects with a clear energy-latitude dispersion. Single-particle trajectory simulations in appropriate field models demonstrate that these ions were ejected from the neutral sheet near 120 R E geocentric distance. Most notably, the simulations reveal significant azimuthal dispersion during transport, and the source region in the magnetotail is found to extend over several Earth radii in the dawn-dusk direction, less energetic particles originating duskward of the high-energy ones. The longitudinal spread of the tail source suggests particle precipitation in the ionosphere over at least one hour magnetic local time. Also, as the downflowing protons travel near the lobeward edge of the plasma sheet, the observations suggest that the convection reversal lies inside the boundary layer plasma sheet (PSBL).

The MICADO instrument has been built to measure temperature and wind in the E - and F -regions. It employs a thermally stable field-compensated Michelson interferometer to allow wind measurements. During the winter of 1988–1989, the MICADO instrument was operated at Sodankyla (67°22′N, Finland). Measurements were made by observing the O 1 S (low thermosphere) and the O 1 D lines (high thermosphere) emission. Two co-ordinated campaigns were organized with the EISCAT radar, which operated in special modes. Neutral wind and temperature are derived from EISCAT data. Results of the two instruments are shown. The differences between the two sets of results are discussed and show that most of the discrepancy is due to the presence of vertical winds during the observations where the magnetic activity was high.

International audience; The combination of radial velocities measured by a pair of Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) HF coherent radars gives, in their common field of view, the velocity vectors in a plane perpendicular to the magnetic field. The standard merging is based on a natural grid defined by the beam intersections, which provides a resolution varying between 90 and 180 km (depending upon the distance to the radars). This allows the description of structures with a typical scale size (L) of the order of 500 km. The present study is devoted to a merging method which takes advantage of individual radar grids to enhance the resolution (L • 200 km). After a brief description of the standard merging method, we define the high-resolution grid and discuss the potential problems which have to be overcome. The first problem concerns the localization of the scattering volume, whereas the second one deals with the independence of the velocity vectors. These two limitations have been addressed in previous studies [Andrd et al., 1997; Barthes et al., 1998]. In the method proposed here, several velocity vectors are determined at each grid point, from which the selection is made by using the hypothesis of minimization of the divergence magnitude. The selected map is the one which minimizes the divergence. The performances are tested and compared to the standard merging algorithm through simulated double vortices. Finally, we apply this method to real data, and show, through two examples, its ability to describe small-scale structures (L m 200 kin).

An analysis of several global measures of high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamic activity is undertaken on the basis of results obtained from the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure applied to incoherent scatter radar and ground magnetometer observations for January 18–19, 1984. Different global measures of electric potentials, currents, resistances, and energy transfer from the magnetosphere show temporal variations that are generally well correlated. We present parameterizations of these quantities in terms of the AE index and the hemispheric power index of precipitating auroral particles. It is shown how error estimates of the mapped electric fields can be used to correct the estimation of Joule heating. Global measures of potential drop, field-aligned current, and Joule heating as obtained by the AMIE procedure are compared with similar measures presented in previous studies. Agreement is found to within the uncertainties inherent in each study. The mean potential drop through which field-aligned currents flow in closing through the ionosphere is approximately 28% of the total polar cap potential drop under all conditions during these 2 days. We note that order-of-magnitude differences can appear when comparing different global measures of total electric current flow and of effective resistances of the global circuit, so that care must be exercised in choosing characteristic values of these parameters for circuit-analogy studies of ionosphere-magnetosphere electrodynamic coupling.

The electrical coupling between the high-, middle-, and low-latitude ionospheres during January 17-19, 1984 is examined, using interplanetary and high-latitude magnetic field data together with F region plasma drift measurements from the EISCAT, Sondre Stromfjord, Millstone Hill, Saint-Santin, Arecibo, and Jicamarca incoherent scatter radars. The penetration both the zonal and meridional electric field components of high-latitude origin into the low-latitude and the equatorial ionospheres are studied. The observations in the postmidnight sector are used to compare the longitudinal variations of the zonal perturbation electric field with predictions made from global convection models. The results show that the meridional electric field perturbations are considerably more attenuated with decreasing latitude than the zonal fluctuations. It is concluded that variations in the meridional electric field at low latitudes are largely due to dynamo effects.

Recent analyses of auroral-zone spaced-receiver measurements have shown that the regions where sheetlike irregularities occur are confined to the equatorward portion of the nighttime scintillation zone where the westward and eastward electrojets flow. Poleward of this region, the irregularities are rodlike. For satellites in highly eccentric orbits, the spaced-receiver technique can be used to measure ionospheric drifts. Simultaneous incoherent-scatter radar measurements have revealed two types of F region ionization enhancements that are believed to be the source regions of persistent scintillation features on polar satellite transmissions. One type is found at the equatorward edge of the diffuse aurora and can persist for more than 10 hours. More dynamic structures often occur in pairs, which suggests an association with ‘inverted-V’ precipitation events. Radar data have also revealed large-scale east-west structure in the poleward enhancements.

Preliminary results are presented on the nature of a distinct class of sub-km high latitude irregularities which can create localized regions of near saturated VHF and fairly intense UHF scintillations in the nighttime auroral F-region. The unique feature of this class of irregularities is that it is associated not with large scale (several tens of km) organized density gradients in the F-region but with velocity shears with shear gradient scale lengths ∼10km. The presence of velocity shears was established by EISCAT ion drift measurements, continuous STARE measurements of electron drift and the in-situ ion drift measurements from the HILAT satellite. Analytical and numerical simulation studies of velocity shear driven Kelvin-Helmholtz type plasma instabilities are necessary to elucidate the generation mechanism of this class of irregularities.

Between May 1981 and June 1982 an intensive campaign of 33 coordinated observations was carried out using the three incoherent-scatter radars capable of probing the auroral zone. During this period the groups operating the Dynamic Explorer satellites and the STARE radar made special efforts to acquire data coincident with the radar observations. The objective of these MITHRAS experiments and subsequent analysis is to further our understanding of the interactions of the magnetosphere, the ionosphere, and the thermosphere, with special emphasis on local time/universal time variations. Three experimental modes with different time resolution and spatial coverage were used to examine different aspects of these interactions. The analysis of the extensive data set involves collaboration among groups of experimenters as well as between experimenters and theoreticians.

International audience; Ionospheric electric field and ground magnetic field measurements at high, middle and low latitudes are used to study the global pattern of the convection electric field on March 26, 1979. The IMF B: component was southward and relatively steady over a prolonged period of time. The data set is thus representative of a steady magnetospheric convection. A semi-analytical time-dependent convection model is used to interpret the observations. During the daytime the model steady state results roughly reproduces the mean observed convection pattern. Fluctuations of the observed electric field from the model predictionsa re interpreteda s resultingf rom (1) the transientr esponseso f the ionospheret o small time variations of the IMF, (2) substorm effects, (3) neutral wind disturbances. Only the first type of fluctuations can be reproduced by the initial state prediction of the convection model.

The large-scale electric potential patterns, describing ionospheric convection, are estimated for northern high latitudes during January 18-19, 1984, from combined incoherent-scatter radar and ground magnetometer observations, using the technique of Richmond and Kamide (this issue). The patterns usually have a dominant two-cell characteristic, although the intensities, orientations and shapes of the cells undergo considerable changes with time. Often evident during substorm expansive phases is a “tongue” of low electric potential extending toward the east along the low-latitude edge of the high potential cell at night. Time-series plots of the maximum and minimum electric potentials show that they can respond rapidly to changes in the interplanetary magnetic field Bz component. Total estimated potential drops for this 2-day period range from about 15 kV up to 108 kV. The influence of the different types of data on the resultant estimated electric potential patterns is analyzed. Where available, the direct electric field observations by the radars primarily control the characteristics of the estimated potential patterns, while the magnetometer data have their greatest influence in regions where direct electric field measurements are unavailable. We also employ the statistical electric potential model of Foster et al. (1986) to help fill in the patterns in datasparse regions. For the present study, data coverage is often good enough that the statistical model plays only a secondary role in determining the estimated convection patterns. The ionospheric electrical conductance observations from the Sondrestrom and EISCAT radars are very important in helping modify the statistical conductance model of Fuller-Rowell and Evans (1987) to yield modified conductance distributions suitable for interrelating the electric fields, currents, and magnetic perturbations. Analysis of the statistical uncertainty in the estimated large-scale electric field patterns shows the uncertainty to exceed 50% in the polar cap and sub auroral regions and to be less than 20% only in the vicinity of the radar electric field observations.

Simultaneous data from the Chatanika radar and the DE 2 and NOAA 6 satellites are used to study the typical behavior of the winter evening-sector auroral plasma during moderate and steady magnetic activity. The equatorward edge of the auroral E layer, of the region 2 field-aligned currents, and of the region of intense convection are colocated. The auroral E layer extends several degrees south of the equatorward edge of the keV electron precipitation from the CPS. Although the main trough and ionization channel are embedded in a region of intense electric field where the plasma flows sunward at high speed, the flux tubes associated with these two features have different time histories. The midlatitude trough is located south of the region of electron precipitation, above a proton aurora. The ionization channel marks the poleward edge of the main trough and is colocated with the equatorward boundary of the electron precipitation from the central plasma sheet.

The ionospheric height-integrated Hall conductivity has been derived from two different techniques: first, by combining ground-based magnetometer observations with measurements of the ionospheric electric field made by the Scandinavian Twin Auroral Radar Experiment (STARE), a coherent radar system, and, second, by combining electron density measurements made by the European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT) with a neutral atmosphere model. For the events analyzed, EISCAT did not operate in a mode that allowed the electron and ion temperatures to be measured below 131 km. In the analysis these temperatures are therefore assumed to be of the same magnitude. For small electric fields (25 mV/m) we find the two conductivity estimates to be in good agreement. However, for large fields (75 mV/m) the former method yields a conductivity value larger by a factor of 1.5 than the latter method. We interpret this result as being due to an increase of the electron temperature above the ion temperature, possibly associated with the excitation of unstable short-scale plasma waves in the ionospheric E region. The combination of STARE and magnetometer data is demonstrated to lead to realistic estimates of the Hall conductivity in the eastward electrojet.