Articles | Volume 39, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-975-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-975-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regular paper
| 
25 Nov 2021
Regular paper |
| 25 Nov 2021
| 25 Nov 2021
Fine-scale dynamics of fragmented aurora-like emissions
Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Hanna Sundberg
Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Stockholm, Sweden
Betty S. Lanchester
Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Joshua Dreyer
Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), Uppsala, Sweden
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Noora Partamies
University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, Norway
Birkeland Centre for Space Science, Bergen, Norway
Nickolay Ivchenko
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden
Marco Zaccaria Di Fraia
citizen scientist
Rosie Oliver
citizen scientist
Amanda Serpell-Stevens
citizen scientist
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
citizen scientist
Thomas Braunersreuther
citizen scientist
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We measured the height of green and blue aurorae using thousands of camera images recorded over a 7-year period. Both colours are typically brightest at about 114 km altitude. When they peak at higher altitudes the blue aurora is usually higher than the green aurora. This information will help other studies which need an estimate of the auroral height. We used a computer model to explain our observations and to investigate how the green aurora is produced.
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Pulsating aurora are ubiquitous events that constitute a large amount of energy transfer to the ionosphere. Still there are unsolved issues regarding their formation. Using high-resolution optical and radar data, we find that it is the flux of high-energy electrons that get reduced during the OFF period of the pulsations. We also report on dips in brightness at the transition between ON and OFF, and asymmetric rise and fall times, which may have implications for understanding the pulsations.
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Ann. Geophys., 35, 481–491, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-481-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-481-2017, 2017
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A layer of excited OH molecules in the upper atmosphere produces strong airglow emission from which it is possible to obtain the temperature of the layer. To obtain accurate temperatures values, one must take into account the absorption of OH emission by water vapour in the lower atmosphere before this emission is measured by instruments on the ground. This paper provides the amount of absorption suffered by each OH line due to water vapour and presents a method to estimate water concentrations.
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It is typically thought that the protons which precipitate down from space to cause proton aurora are accelerated by a type of plasma wave called an EMIC wave. In this study we use ground-based observations of proton aurora and Pc1 waves (the ground signature of EMIC waves) to test whether this mechanism occurs in the high Arctic over Svalbard, on the Earth's day side. We did not find any link between the proton aurora and Pc1 pulsations, contrary to our expectations.
Liisa Juusola, Ari Viljanen, Noora Partamies, Heikki Vanhamäki, Mirjam Kellinsalmi, and Simon Walker
Ann. Geophys., 41, 483–510, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-483-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-483-2023, 2023
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At times when auroras erupt on the sky, the magnetic field surrounding the Earth undergoes rapid changes. On the ground, these changes can induce harmful electric currents in technological conductor networks, such as powerlines. We have used magnetic field observations from northern Europe during 28 such events and found consistent behavior that can help to understand, and thus predict, the processes that drive auroras and geomagnetically induced currents.
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Ann. Geophys., 41, 115–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-115-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-115-2023, 2023
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Poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) are specific types of aurora believed to be the signature of the connection of Earth's magnetic field to that of the sun. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of PMAFs with regard to their auroral morphology as observed in all-sky camera images. We interpret different aspects of this evolution in terms of the connection dynamics between the magnetic fields of Earth and the sun. This sheds more light on the magnetic interaction between the sun and Earth.
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We measured the height of green and blue aurorae using thousands of camera images recorded over a 7-year period. Both colours are typically brightest at about 114 km altitude. When they peak at higher altitudes the blue aurora is usually higher than the green aurora. This information will help other studies which need an estimate of the auroral height. We used a computer model to explain our observations and to investigate how the green aurora is produced.
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Short summary
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We investigate the local time behaviour of auroral structures and emission height. Data are collected from the Fennoscandian Lapland and Svalbard latitutes from 7 identical auroral all-sky cameras over about 1 solar cycle. The typical peak emission height of the green aurora varies from 110 km on the nightside to about 118 km in the morning over Lapland but stays systematically higher over Svalbard. During fast solar wind, nightside emission heights are 5 km lower than during slow solar wind.
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When radio waves from our galaxy enter the Earth's atmosphere, they are absorbed by electrons in the upper atmosphere. It was thought that by measuring the amount of absorption, it would allow the height of these electrons in the atmosphere to be determined. If so, this would have significance for future instrument design. However, this paper demonstrates that it is not possible to do this, but it does explain how multiple-frequency measurements can nevertheless be useful.
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Ann. Geophys., 40, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-1-2022, 2022
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In this study, we present the comparison between an auroral model and EISCAT radar electron densities during pulsating aurorae. We test whether an overpassing satellite measurement of the average energy spectrum is a reasonable estimate for pulsating aurora electron precipitation. When patchy pulsating aurora is dominant in the morning sector, the overpass-averaged spectrum is found to be a reasonable estimate – but not when there is a mix of pulsating aurora types in the post-midnight sector.
Florine Enengl, Noora Partamies, Nickolay Ivchenko, and Lisa Baddeley
Ann. Geophys., 39, 795–809, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-795-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-795-2021, 2021
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Energetic particle precipitation has the potential to change the neutral atmospheric temperature at the bottom of the ionosphere. We have searched for events and investigated a possible correlation between lower-ionosphere electron density enhancements and simultaneous neutral temperature changes. Six of the 10 analysed events are associated with a temperature decrease of 10–20K. The events change the chemical composition in the mesosphere, and the temperatures are probed at lower altitudes.
Joshua Dreyer, Noora Partamies, Daniel Whiter, Pål G. Ellingsen, Lisa Baddeley, and Stephan C. Buchert
Ann. Geophys., 39, 277–288, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-277-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-277-2021, 2021
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Short summary
Small-scale auroral features are still being discovered and are not well understood. Where aurorae are caused by particle precipitation, the newly reported fragmented aurora-like emissions (FAEs) seem to be locally generated in the ionosphere (hence,
aurora-like). We analyse data from multiple instruments located near Longyearbyen to derive their main characteristics. They seem to occur as two types in a narrow altitude region (individually or in regularly spaced groups).
Minna Palmroth, Maxime Grandin, Theodoros Sarris, Eelco Doornbos, Stelios Tourgaidis, Anita Aikio, Stephan Buchert, Mark A. Clilverd, Iannis Dandouras, Roderick Heelis, Alex Hoffmann, Nickolay Ivchenko, Guram Kervalishvili, David J. Knudsen, Anna Kotova, Han-Li Liu, David M. Malaspina, Günther March, Aurélie Marchaudon, Octav Marghitu, Tomoko Matsuo, Wojciech J. Miloch, Therese Moretto-Jørgensen, Dimitris Mpaloukidis, Nils Olsen, Konstantinos Papadakis, Robert Pfaff, Panagiotis Pirnaris, Christian Siemes, Claudia Stolle, Jonas Suni, Jose van den IJssel, Pekka T. Verronen, Pieter Visser, and Masatoshi Yamauchi
Ann. Geophys., 39, 189–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-189-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-189-2021, 2021
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This is a review paper that summarises the current understanding of the lower thermosphere–ionosphere (LTI) in terms of measurements and modelling. The LTI is the transition region between space and the atmosphere and as such of tremendous importance to both the domains of space and atmosphere. The paper also serves as the background for European Space Agency Earth Explorer 10 candidate mission Daedalus.
Sam Tuttle, Betty Lanchester, Björn Gustavsson, Daniel Whiter, Nickolay Ivchenko, Robert Fear, and Mark Lester
Ann. Geophys., 38, 845–859, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-845-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-845-2020, 2020
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Electric fields in the atmosphere near dynamic aurora are important in the physics of the electric circuit within the Earth's magnetic field. Oxygen ions emit light as they move under the influence of these electric fields; the flow of this emission is used to find the electric field at high temporal resolution. The solution needs two other simultaneous measurements of auroral emissions to give key parameters such as the auroral energy. The electric fields increase with brightness of the aurora.
Joshua M. Chadney and Daniel K. Whiter
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 317–329, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-317-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-317-2018, 2018
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We measure spectra of upper atmospheric emissions in optical wavelengths using the High Throughput Imaging Echelle Spectrograph (HiTIES) located on Svalbard. These spectra contain superposed emissions originating from different altitudes. In this paper, we describe a fitting method which allows us to separate the measured emissions, thus allowing us to measure neutral temperatures at different altitudes and the density of water vapour in the atmosphere above the instrument.
Gabriel Giono, Boris Strelnikov, Heiner Asmus, Tristan Staszak, Nickolay Ivchenko, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 5299–5314, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5299-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5299-2018, 2018
Short summary
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Energetic photons, such as ultraviolet light, are able to eject electrons from a material surface, thus creating an electrical current, also called a photocurrent. A proper estimation of this photocurrent can be crucial for space- or rocket-borne particle detectors, as it can dominate over the currents that are of scientific interest (induced by charged particles, for example). This article outlines the design for photocurrent modelling and for experimental confirmation in a laboratory.
Nickolay Ivchenko, Nicola M. Schlatter, Hanna Dahlgren, Yasunobu Ogawa, Yuka Sato, and Ingemar Häggström
Ann. Geophys., 35, 1143–1149, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-1143-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-1143-2017, 2017
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Photo-electrons and secondary electrons from particle precipitation enhance the incoherent scatter plasma line to levels sufficient for detection. A plasma line gives an accurate measure of the electron density and can be used to estimate electron temperature. The occurrence of plasma line enhancements in the EISCAT Svalbard Radar data was investigated. During summer daytime hours the plasma line is detectable in up to 90 % of the data. In winter time the occurrence is a few percent.
Yunxia Yuan, Nickolay Ivchenko, Gunnar Tibert, Marin Stanev, Jonas Hedin, and Jörg Gumbel
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2017-91, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2017-91, 2017
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
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The paper presents a method to determine altitude profile of atmospheric density, temperature and wind by means of analysing the reconstructed trajectory of a rigid falling sphere released from a sounding rocket. The trajectory reconstruction is achieved by post-flight analysis of GPS raw data gathered in the sphere. A comparison of the results with independent measurements is presented, with good agreement of the falling sphere results with other sources in the stratosphere.
Hanna Dahlgren, Betty S. Lanchester, Nickolay Ivchenko, and Daniel K. Whiter
Ann. Geophys., 35, 493–503, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-493-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-493-2017, 2017
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Pulsating aurora are ubiquitous events that constitute a large amount of energy transfer to the ionosphere. Still there are unsolved issues regarding their formation. Using high-resolution optical and radar data, we find that it is the flux of high-energy electrons that get reduced during the OFF period of the pulsations. We also report on dips in brightness at the transition between ON and OFF, and asymmetric rise and fall times, which may have implications for understanding the pulsations.
Joshua M. Chadney, Daniel K. Whiter, and Betty S. Lanchester
Ann. Geophys., 35, 481–491, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-481-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-481-2017, 2017
Short summary
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A layer of excited OH molecules in the upper atmosphere produces strong airglow emission from which it is possible to obtain the temperature of the layer. To obtain accurate temperatures values, one must take into account the absorption of OH emission by water vapour in the lower atmosphere before this emission is measured by instruments on the ground. This paper provides the amount of absorption suffered by each OH line due to water vapour and presents a method to estimate water concentrations.
Hanna Dahlgren, Nicola M. Schlatter, Nickolay Ivchenko, Lorenz Roth, and Alexander Karlsson
Ann. Geophys., 35, 475–479, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-475-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-475-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Anomalous strong echoes with three frequency peaks are occasionally seen with incoherent scatter radars in the ionosphere near 200 km altitude at high latitudes. We investigate how they relate to electron precipitation, by finding the resulting peak electron density and the height of the peak, respectively. We find that occurrence rate increases with density and decreases with height, indicating a correlation between the echoes and precipitating electrons with high energy and energy flux.
Tuomas Savolainen, Daniel Keith Whiter, and Noora Partamies
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 5, 305–314, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-305-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-305-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we describe a new method for recognition of digits in seven-segment displays. The method is used for adding date and time information to a dataset consisting of about 7 million auroral all-sky images taken during the time period of 1973–1997 at camera stations centred around Sodankylä observatory in Northern Finland. In each image there is a clock display for the date and time together with the reflection of the whole night sky through a spherical mirror.
N. M. Schlatter, V. Belyey, B. Gustavsson, N. Ivchenko, D. Whiter, H. Dahlgren, S. Tuttle, and T. Grydeland
Ann. Geophys., 33, 837–844, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-837-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-837-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The high-latitude ionosphere is a dynamic region where particle precipitation leads to various phenomena including wave instability and turbulence. Anomalous echoes related to aurora are observed in ground-based radar observations of the ionosphere. These echoes indicate enhanced ion acoustic fluctuations. In this article, we show that the origin of the echo is located in or close to the region of particle precipitation and that the echo region itself is limited to hundreds of meters.
N. M. Schlatter, N. Ivchenko, T. Sergienko, B. Gustavsson, and B. U. E. Brändström
Ann. Geophys., 31, 1681–1687, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1681-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1681-2013, 2013
N. M. Schlatter, N. Ivchenko, B. Gustavsson, T. Leyser, and M. Rietveld
Ann. Geophys., 31, 1103–1108, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1103-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1103-2013, 2013
W. Reid, P. Achtert, N. Ivchenko, P. Magnusson, T. Kuremyr, V. Shepenkov, and G. Tibert
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 777–785, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-777-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-777-2013, 2013
D. K. Whiter, B. Gustavsson, N. Partamies, and L. Sangalli
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 2, 131–144, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-2-131-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-2-131-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Earth's ionosphere & aeronomy | Keywords: Polar ionosphere
Polar tongue of ionisation during geomagnetic superstorm
Characteristics of fragmented aurora-like emissions (FAEs) observed on Svalbard
Plasma density gradients at the edge of polar ionospheric holes: the absence of phase scintillation
AMPERE polar cap boundaries
Characteristics of the layered polar mesosphere summer echoes occurrence ratio observed by EISCAT VHF 224 MHz radar
Dimitry Pokhotelov, Isabel Fernandez-Gomez, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 39, 833–847, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-833-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-833-2021, 2021
Short summary
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During geomagnetic storms, enhanced solar wind and changes in the interplanetary magnetic field lead to ionisation anomalies across the polar regions. The superstorm of 20 November 2003 was one of the largest events in recent history. Numerical simulations of ionospheric dynamics during the storm are compared with plasma observations to understand the mechanisms forming the polar plasma anomalies. The results are important for understanding and forecasting space weather in polar regions.
Joshua Dreyer, Noora Partamies, Daniel Whiter, Pål G. Ellingsen, Lisa Baddeley, and Stephan C. Buchert
Ann. Geophys., 39, 277–288, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-277-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-277-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Small-scale auroral features are still being discovered and are not well understood. Where aurorae are caused by particle precipitation, the newly reported fragmented aurora-like emissions (FAEs) seem to be locally generated in the ionosphere (hence,
aurora-like). We analyse data from multiple instruments located near Longyearbyen to derive their main characteristics. They seem to occur as two types in a narrow altitude region (individually or in regularly spaced groups).
Luke A. Jenner, Alan G. Wood, Gareth D. Dorrian, Kjellmar Oksavik, Timothy K. Yeoman, Alexandra R. Fogg, and Anthea J. Coster
Ann. Geophys., 38, 575–590, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-575-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-575-2020, 2020
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The boundary of regions with a plasma density much lower than background was investigated in the northern polar cap using observations of ionospheric plasma density. Similar regions with an above-background density have been linked to fluctuations in phase and amplitude in radio waves traversing the density gradient at their boundary. These fluctuations were absent through the gradient in the below-background regions; thus, a minimum of both density and gradient are required for scintillation.
Angeline G. Burrell, Gareth Chisham, Stephen E. Milan, Liam Kilcommons, Yun-Ju Chen, Evan G. Thomas, and Brian Anderson
Ann. Geophys., 38, 481–490, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-481-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-481-2020, 2020
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The Earth's polar upper atmosphere changes along with the magnetic field, other parts of the atmosphere, and the Sun. When studying these changes, knowing the polar region that the data come from is vital, as different processes dominate the area where the aurora is and poleward of the aurora (the polar cap). The boundary between these areas is hard to find, so this study used a different boundary and figured out how they are related. Future studies can now find their polar region more easily.
Shucan Ge, Hailong Li, Tong Xu, Mengyan Zhu, Maoyan Wang, Lin Meng, Safi Ullah, and Abdur Rauf
Ann. Geophys., 37, 417–427, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-417-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-417-2019, 2019
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The paper investigates the occurrence of polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSEs) over a solar cycle. Besides the statistical study of the layered PMSE occurrence ratio, the authors propose a method to deal with the discontinuous EISCAT radar measurements. The method makes it easier to establish a relationship between the layered PMSEs and solar and geomagnetic activities. The paper presents a relatively large data set that brings results. It can be recommended in future research on the PMSEs.
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Short summary
This paper presents an analysis of high-resolution optical and radar observations of a phenomenon called fragmented aurora-like emissions (FAEs) observed close to aurora in the high Arctic. The observations suggest that FAEs are not caused by high-energy electrons or protons entering the atmosphere along Earth's magnetic field and are, therefore, not aurora. The speeds of the FAEs and their internal dynamics were measured and used to evaluate theories for how the FAEs are produced.
This paper presents an analysis of high-resolution optical and radar observations of a...
