Filamentary field-aligned currents at the polar cap region during
northward interplanetary magnetic field derived with  the Swarm
constellation

Lühr, Hermann; Huang, Tao; Wing, Simon; Kervalishvili, Guram; Rauberg, Jan; Korth, Haje

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-901-2016

Articles | Volume 34, issue 10

https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-901-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-901-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 34, issue 10

Regular paper

|

24 Oct 2016

Regular paper |

| 24 Oct 2016

Filamentary field-aligned currents at the polar cap region during northward interplanetary magnetic field derived with the Swarm constellation

Hermann Lühr, Tao Huang, Simon Wing, Guram Kervalishvili, Jan Rauberg, and Haje Korth

Data sets

Swarm level 2 product "FAC" European Space Agency https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/swarm/data-access

DMSP SSUSI data The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory http://ssusi.jhuapl.edu/data_products

DMSP SSJ4/5 data The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/Aurora/dataset_list.html

Short summary

ESA's constellation mission Swarm makes it possible for the first time to determine field-aligned currents (FACs) reliably in the ionosphere. FACs are able to transport energy from the solar wind to the Earth and heat the upper atmosphere. Here we investigate FAC structures that have been missed by previous satellite missions. Most of them are found poleward of the northern light zone. The energy sources seem to be located on the nightside of Earth about 100 000 km away.