Dusk-Dawn Asymmetries in SuperDARN Convection Maps

The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is a collection of radars built to study ionospheric convection. We use a 7-year archive of SuperDARN convection maps, processed in 3 different ways, to build a statistical understanding of dusk-dawn asymmetries in the convection patterns. We find that the data set processing alone can introduce a bias which manifests itself in dusk-dawn asymmetries. We find that the solar wind clock angle affects the balance in the strength of the convection cells. We further find that the location of the positive potential foci is most likely observed at latitudes of 78° for long periods (>300 min) of southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), as opposed to 74° for short periods (<20 min) of steady IMF. For long steady dawnward IMF the median is also at 78°. For long steady periods of duskward IMF, the positive potential foci tends to be at lower latitudes than the negative potential and vice versa during dawnward IMF. For long periods of steady Northward IMF, the positive and negative cells can swap sides in the convection pattern. We find that they move from ∼0-9 MLT to 15 MLT or ∼15-23 MLT to 10 MLT, which reduces asymmetry in the average convection cell locations for Northward IMF. We also investigate the width of the region in which the convection returns to the dayside, the return flow width. Asymmetries in this are not obvious, until we select by solar wind conditions, when the return flow region is widest for the negative convection cell during Southward IMF.

Local Mapping of Polar Ionospheric Electrodynamics

An accurate description of the state of the ionosphere is crucial for understanding the physics of Earth's coupling to space, including many potentially hazardous space weather phenomena. To support this effort, ground networks of magnetometer stations, optical instruments, and radars have been deployed. However, the spatial coverage of such networks is naturally restricted by the distribution of land mass and access to necessary infrastructure. We present a new technique for local mapping of polar ionospheric electrodynamics, for use in regions with high data density, such as Fennoscandia and North America. The technique is based on spherical elementary current systems (SECS), which were originally developed to map ionospheric currents. We expand their use by linking magnetic field perturbations in space and on ground, convection measurements from space and ground, and conductance measurements, via the ionospheric Ohm's law. The result is a technique that is similar to the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) technique, but tailored for regional analyses of arbitrary spatial extent and resolution. We demonstrate our technique on synthetic data, and with real data from three different regions. We also discuss limitations of the technique and potential areas for improvement.

Explicit IMF B y -Dependence of Energetic Protons and the Ring Current

The most important parameter driving the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction is the southward (B z ) component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). While the dawn-dusk (B y ) component of the IMF is also known to play an important role, its effects are usually assumed to be independent of its sign. Here we demonstrate for the first time a seasonally varying, explicit IMF B y -dependence of the ring current and Dst index. Using satellite observations and a global magnetohydrodynamic model coupled with a ring current model, we show that for a fixed level of solar wind driving the flux of energetic magnetospheric protons and the growth-rate of the ring current are greater for B y  < 0 (B y  > 0) than for B y  > 0 (B y  < 0) in Northern Hemisphere summer (winter). While the physical mechanism of this explicit B y -effect is not yet fully understood, our results suggest that IMF B y modulates magnetospheric convection and plasma transport in the inner magnetosphere.

Quantitative maps of geomagnetic perturbation vectors during substorm onset and recovery

We have produced the first series of spherical harmonic, numerical maps of the time-dependent surface perturbations in the Earth's magnetic field following the onset of substorms. Data from 124 ground magnetometer stations in the Northern Hemisphere at geomagnetic latitudes above 33° were used. Ground station data averaged over 5 min intervals covering 8 years (1998-2005) were used to construct pseudo auroral upper, auroral lower, and auroral electrojet (AU*, AL*, and AE*) indices. These indices were used to generate a list of substorms that extended from 1998 to 2005, through a combination of automated processing and visual checks. Events were sorted by interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation (at the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite), dipole tilt angle, and substorm magnitude. Within each category, the events were aligned on substorm onset. A spherical cap harmonic analysis was used to obtain a least error fit of the substorm disturbance patterns at 5 min intervals up to 90 min after onset. The fits obtained at onset time were subtracted from all subsequent fits, for each group of substorm events. Maps of the three vector components of the averaged magnetic perturbations were constructed to show the effects of substorm currents. These maps are produced for several specific ranges of values for the peak |AL*| index, IMF orientation, and dipole tilt angle. We demonstrate an influence of the dipole tilt angle on the response to substorms. Our results indicate that there are downward currents poleward and upward currents just equatorward of the peak in the substorms' westward electrojet.

KEY POINTS

Show quantitative maps of ground geomagnetic perturbations due to substorms Three vector components mapped as function of time during onset and recovery Compare/contrast results for different tilt angle and sign of IMF Y-component.