Electromagnetic weather at 100 km altitude on 3 August 1986

The electromagnetic weather at high altitudes above the Earth’s surface is determined by the transport of ionospheric plasma, which in turn is governed by the magnitude as well as the direction of the electric and magnetic fields. Different models [Levitin et al., 1984; Friis-Christensen et al., 1985; Mishin, 1990] have been proposed that allow an estimation of the electromagnetic parameters of the upper atmosphere, given a knowledge of the magnitude and orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field. Here we use one such model to estimate the global convection pattern and its temporal evolution during a pass of the Swedish satellite Viking over the northern polar cap. The model predictions are shown to agree well with the electric and magnetic fields measured along the satellite trajectory. The good agreement implies that the model can be used to reconstruct, with reasonable confidence, the large-scale distribution of electric and magnetic fields and their time-variation in the entire auroral ionosphere.
NR 20140805