An analysis of Pc3 and Pc4 pulsations at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica)

Abstract. We conducted a statistical analysis of the physical characteristics of the micropulsation activity (Pc3 and Pc4 range) detected, during the austral summer 1994–95, at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica, corrected latitude 80.0°S), a station which is few degrees poleward of those where most of the Antarctic measurements in these frequency ranges have been performed. The emerging overview suggests that the correspondence between the pulsation power and the external parameters (solar wind speed, interplanetary magnetic field magnitude and orientation) is significantly stronger than at somewhat lower latitudes. The day-to-day power variability was found to be strictly related to the general level of the geomagnetic activity, and the power level sharply maximizes at local magnetic noon. In the Pc4 range peaks of correlation with the SW speed are found in the dawn and dusk sides of the Earth's magnetosphere and the daily variation of the polarization pattern is closely consistent with that found at auroral latitudes and at lower frequencies. In the Pc3 range the correlation coefficient between the pulsation power and the SW speed has maximum values in the local morning, and the frequency of selected events reveals a strong IMF control during closed magnetospheric conditions. The local time dependence of the correlation coefficient between the pulsation power and the cone angle reveals an additional control by the IMF orientation, which becomes more explicit around local noon.

Key words: Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers)