Articles | Volume 40, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-475-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-40-475-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regular paper
| 
12 Jul 2022
Regular paper |
| 12 Jul 2022
| 12 Jul 2022
Reconstruction of precipitating electrons and three-dimensional structure of a pulsating auroral patch from monochromatic auroral images obtained from multiple observation points
Mizuki Fukizawa
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa 190-8518, Japan
Takeshi Sakanoi
Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578,
Japan
Yoshimasa Tanaka
National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa 190-8518, Japan
Polar Environment Data Science Center, Joint Support-Center for Data
Science Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems,
Tachikawa 190-0014, Japan
Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced
Studies (SOKENDAI), Tachikawa 190-8518, Japan
Yasunobu Ogawa
National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa 190-8518, Japan
Polar Environment Data Science Center, Joint Support-Center for Data
Science Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems,
Tachikawa 190-0014, Japan
Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced
Studies (SOKENDAI), Tachikawa 190-8518, Japan
Keisuke Hosokawa
Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
Björn Gustavsson
Department of Physics and Technology, Arctic University of Norway (UiT), 9037
Tromsø, Norway
Kirsti Kauristie
Space Research and Observation Technologies, Finnish Meteorological Institute, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Alexander Kozlovsky
Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Tero Raita
Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Urban Brändström
Solar Terrestrial Atmosphere Research Program (STAR), Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), 981 28 Kiruna, Sweden
Tima Sergienko
Solar Terrestrial Atmosphere Research Program (STAR), Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), 981 28 Kiruna, Sweden
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Gunter Stober, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Zishun Qiao, Witali Krochin, Guochun Shi, Johan Kero, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Kathrin Baumgarten, Evgenia Belova, and Nicholas Mitchell
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The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai volcanic eruption was one of the most vigorous volcanic explosions in the last centuries. The eruption launched many atmospheric waves traveling around the Earth. In this study, we identify these volcanic waves at the edge of space in the mesosphere/lower-thermosphere, leveraging wind observations conducted with multi-static meteor radars in northern Europe and with the Chilean Observation Network De Meteor Radars (CONDOR).
Johann Stamm, Juha Vierinen, Björn Gustavsson, and Andres Spicher
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The study of some ionospheric events benefit from the knowledge of how the physics varies over a volume and over time. Examples are studies of aurora or energy deposition. With EISCAT3D, measurements of ion velocity vectors in a volume will be possible for the first time. We present a technique that uses a set of such measurements to estimate electric field and neutral wind. The technique relies on adding restrictions to the estimates. We successfully consider restrictions based on physics.
Daniel K. Whiter, Noora Partamies, Björn Gustavsson, and Kirsti Kauristie
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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.
Gunter Stober, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Zishun Qiao, Ales Kuchar, Christoph Jacobi, Chris Meek, Diego Janches, Guiping Liu, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, and Nicholas Mitchell
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Precise and accurate measurements of vertical winds at the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are rare. Although meteor radars have been used for decades to observe horizontal winds, their ability to derive reliable vertical wind measurements was always questioned. In this article, we provide mathematical concepts to retrieve mathematically and physically consistent solutions, which are compared to the state-of-the-art non-hydrostatic model UA-ICON.
Noora Partamies, Daniel Whiter, Kirsti Kauristie, and Stefano Massetti
Ann. Geophys., 40, 605–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-605-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-605-2022, 2022
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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.
Sebastian Käki, Ari Viljanen, Liisa Juusola, and Kirsti Kauristie
Ann. Geophys., 40, 107–119, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-107-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-107-2022, 2022
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During auroral substorms, the ionospheric electric currents change rapidly, and a large amount of energy is dissipated. We combine ionospheric current data derived from the Swarm satellite mission with the substorm database from the SuperMAG ground magnetometer network. We obtain statistics of the strength and location of the currents relative to the substorm onset. Our results show that low-earth orbit satellites give a coherent picture of the main features in the substorm current system.
Fasil Tesema, Noora Partamies, Daniel K. Whiter, and Yasunobu Ogawa
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.
Johann Stamm, Juha Vierinen, and Björn Gustavsson
Ann. Geophys., 39, 961–974, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-961-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-961-2021, 2021
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Measurements of the electric field and neutral wind in the ionosphere are important for understanding energy flows or electric currents. With incoherent scatter radars (ISRs), we can measure the velocity of the ions, which depends on both the electrical field and the neutral wind. In this paper, we investigate methods to use ISR data to find reasonable values for both parameters. We find that electric field can be well measured down to 125 km height and neutral wind below this height.
Gunter Stober, Alexander Kozlovsky, Alan Liu, Zishun Qiao, Masaki Tsutsumi, Chris Hall, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Patrick J. Espy, Robert E. Hibbins, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6509–6532, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6509-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6509-2021, 2021
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Wind observations at the edge to space, 70–110 km altitude, are challenging. Meteor radars have become a widely used instrument to obtain mean wind profiles above an instrument for these heights. We describe an advanced mathematical concept and present a tomographic analysis using several meteor radars located in Finland, Sweden and Norway, as well as Chile, to derive the three-dimensional flow field. We show an example of a gravity wave decelerating the mean flow.
Gunter Stober, Ales Kuchar, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Hauke Schmidt, Christoph Jacobi, Kathrin Baumgarten, Peter Brown, Diego Janches, Damian Murphy, Alexander Kozlovsky, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13855–13902, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13855-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13855-2021, 2021
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Little is known about the climate change of wind systems in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere at the edge of space at altitudes from 70–110 km. Meteor radars represent a well-accepted remote sensing technique to measure winds at these altitudes. Here we present a state-of-the-art climatological interhemispheric comparison using continuous and long-lasting observations from worldwide distributed meteor radars from the Arctic to the Antarctic and sophisticated general circulation models.
Nadezda Yagova, Alexander Kozlovsky, Evgeny Fedorov, and Olga Kozyreva
Ann. Geophys., 39, 549–562, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-549-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-549-2021, 2021
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We present a study of ultralow-frequency waves in the ionosphere and on the ground. These waves are very slow (their periods are about several minutes). They are registered on the ground as geomagnetic pulsations. No simple dependence exists between geomagnetic and ionospheric pulsations. Here we study not only selected pulsations with very high amplitudes but also usual pulsations and try to answer the question, which pulsation parameters are favorable for modulation of the ionosphere?
Emranul Sarkar, Alexander Kozlovsky, Thomas Ulich, Ilkka Virtanen, Mark Lester, and Bernd Kaifler
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4157–4169, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4157-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4157-2021, 2021
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The biasing effect in meteor radar temperature has been a pressing issue for the last 2 decades. This paper has addressed the underlying reasons for such a biasing effect on both theoretical and experimental grounds. An improved statistical method has been developed which allows atmospheric temperatures at around 90 km to be measured with meteor radar in an independent way such that any subsequent bias correction or calibration is no longer required.
Daniel Kastinen, Johan Kero, Alexander Kozlovsky, and Mark Lester
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 3583–3596, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3583-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3583-2021, 2021
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When a meteor enters the atmosphere, it causes a trail of diffusing plasma that moves with the neutral wind. An interferometric radar system can measure such trails and determine its location. However, there is a chance of determining the wrong position due to noise. We simulate this behaviour and use the simulations to successfully determine the true location of ambiguous events. We also successfully test two simple temporal integration methods for avoiding such erroneous determinations.
Torbjørn Tveito, Juha Vierinen, Björn Gustavsson, and Viswanathan Lakshmi Narayanan
Ann. Geophys., 39, 427–438, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-427-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-427-2021, 2021
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This work explores the role of EISCAT 3D as a tool for planetary mapping. Due to the challenges inherent in detecting the signals reflected from faraway bodies, we have concluded that only the Moon is a viable mapping target. We estimate the impact of the ionosphere on lunar mapping, concluding that its distorting effects should be easily manageable. EISCAT 3D will be useful for mapping the lunar nearside due to its previously unused frequency (233 MHz) and its interferometric capabilities.
Johann Stamm, Juha Vierinen, Juan M. Urco, Björn Gustavsson, and Jorge L. Chau
Ann. Geophys., 39, 119–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-119-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-119-2021, 2021
Vladimir V. Safargaleev, Alexander E. Kozlovsky, and Valery M. Mitrofanov
Ann. Geophys., 38, 901–918, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-901-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-901-2020, 2020
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Comprehensive analysis of a moderate substorm was performed using optical observations inside the auroral oval and in the polar cap, combined with data from satellites, radars, and ground magnetometers. The onset took place near the poleward boundary of the auroral oval that is not typical for classical substorms. The data fit to the near-tail current disruption scenario of the substorm onset. The role of the 15 min oscillations in the IMF Bz component in the substorm initiation is discussed.
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.
Xiaochen Gou, Lei Li, Yiteng Zhang, Bin Zhou, Yongyong Feng, Bingjun Cheng, Tero Raita, Ji Liu, Zeren Zhima, and Xuhui Shen
Ann. Geophys., 38, 775–787, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-775-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-775-2020, 2020
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The CSES observed ionospheric Pc1 waves near the wave injection regions in conjugate hemispheres during the recovery phase of the geomagnetic storm on 27 August 2018. The Pc1s were found to be Alfvén waves with mixed polarisation propagating along background magnetic lines in the ionosphere. We suggest that the possible sources of Pc1 are EMIC waves generated near the plasmapause by the outward expansion of the plasmasphere into the ring current during the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms.
Emilia Kilpua, Liisa Juusola, Maxime Grandin, Antti Kero, Stepan Dubyagin, Noora Partamies, Adnane Osmane, Harriet George, Milla Kalliokoski, Tero Raita, Timo Asikainen, and Minna Palmroth
Ann. Geophys., 38, 557–574, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-557-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-557-2020, 2020
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Coronal mass ejection sheaths and ejecta are key drivers of significant space weather storms, and they cause dramatic changes in radiation belt electron fluxes. Differences in precipitation of high-energy electrons from the belts to the upper atmosphere are thus expected. We investigate here differences in sheath- and ejecta-induced precipitation using the Finnish riometer (relative ionospheric opacity meter) chain.
Thomas B. Leyser, Björn Gustavsson, Theresa Rexer, and Michael T. Rietveld
Ann. Geophys., 38, 297–307, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-297-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-297-2020, 2020
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Powerful radio waves transmitted into the ionosphere give the strongest turbulence effects in geomagnetic zenith, antiparallel to the magnetic field in the Northern Hemisphere. Our results obtained with the EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter association) Heating facility in Norway and the EISCAT UHF incoherent scatter radar together with modelling suggest that the pump wave propagates in the L mode, rather than in the O mode that is usually assumed to be involved in such experiments.
Nadezda Yagova, Alexander Kozlovsky, Evgeny Fedorov, and Olga Kozyreva
Ann. Geophys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2019-155, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2019-155, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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We present a study of ultra-low-frequency waves in the ionosphere and on the ground (geomagnetic pulsations). They can influence particle flux in the magnetosphere, which modify the ionosphere. However, there is no simple dependence between geomagnetic and ionospheric pulsations. We study not only selected pulsations with very high amplitudes but also usual pulsations and try to answer the question, which pulsations' parameters are favorable for modulation of the ionosphere.
Robert Reichert, Bernd Kaifler, Natalie Kaifler, Markus Rapp, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Michael J. Taylor, Alexander Kozlovsky, Mark Lester, and Rigel Kivi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5997–6015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5997-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5997-2019, 2019
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To determine gravity wave properties like wavelengths, periods and propagation directions at mesospheric altitudes (∼ 86 km) we combine lidar and airglow temperature and meteor radar wind data. By means of wavelet transformation we investigate the wave field and determine intrinsic wave properties as functions of time and period. We are able to identify several gravity wave packets by their distinct propagation and discover a superposition with possible wave–wave and wave–mean-flow interaction.
Yuta Hozumi, Akinori Saito, Takeshi Sakanoi, Atsushi Yamazaki, and Keisuke Hosokawa
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16399–16407, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16399-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16399-2018, 2018
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Spatial structures of wave disturbances in the upper atmosphere were investigated with space-borne imaging from the International Space Station. The wave disturbance occurred around an altitude of 100 km, and is called a mesospheric bore. The large-scale structure of mesospheric bores has not been fully captured by previous ground-based imagers, but the space-borne imaging captured a bore with a wide field of view, and showed that bores can have a large undulating wave front as long as 2000 km.
Takuo T. Tsuda, Yuta Hozumi, Kento Kawaura, Keisuke Hosokawa, Hidehiko Suzuki, and Takuji Nakamura
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6163–6168, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6163-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6163-2018, 2018
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Polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) or noctilucent clouds (NLCs) are the highest clouds in the Earth's atmosphere. In this paper, we introduce new PMC observations by the Japanese Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) meteorological satellite Himawari-8, which was launched in October 2014.
Thomas B. Leyser, H. Gordon James, Björn Gustavsson, and Michael T. Rietveld
Ann. Geophys., 36, 243–251, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-243-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-243-2018, 2018
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Transmission of powerful radio waves into the overhead ionosphere is used to study plasma turbulence processes. It is well known that the ionospheric response to radio waves is the strongest in the direction of the geomagnetic field. We have found evidence that the transmitted radio wave can propagate in a mode that enables the wave to propagate much higher in altitude and deeper into the ionosphere than what is usually expected, which may account for the strong plasma response observed.
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.
Johannes Norberg, Lassi Roininen, Antti Kero, Tero Raita, Thomas Ulich, Markku Markkanen, Liisa Juusola, and Kirsti Kauristie
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 5, 263–270, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-263-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-263-2016, 2016
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The Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory has been producing ionospheric tomography data since 2003. Based on these data, one solar cycle of ionospheric vertical total electron content (VTEC) estimates is constructed. The measurements are compared against the IRI-2012 model, F10.7 solar flux index and sunspot number data. Qualitatively the tomographic VTEC estimate corresponds to reference data very well, but the IRI-2012 model are on average 40 % higher of that of the tomographic results.
Kirsti Kauristie, Minna Myllys, Noora Partamies, Ari Viljanen, Pyry Peitso, Liisa Juusola, Shabana Ahmadzai, Vikramjit Singh, Ralf Keil, Unai Martinez, Alexej Luginin, Alexi Glover, Vicente Navarro, and Tero Raita
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 5, 253–262, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-253-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-253-2016, 2016
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We use the connection between auroras and geomagnetic field variations in a concept for a Regional Auroral Forecast (RAF) service. RAF is based on statistical relationships between alerts by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and magnetic time derivatives measured by five MIRACLE magnetometer stations located in the surroundings of the Sodankylä research station. As an improvement to previous similar services RAF yields knowledge on typical auroral storm durations at different latitudes.
Johannes Norberg, Ilkka I. Virtanen, Lassi Roininen, Juha Vierinen, Mikko Orispää, Kirsti Kauristie, and Markku S. Lehtinen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 1859–1869, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1859-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1859-2016, 2016
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We validate 2-D ionospheric tomography reconstructions against EISCAT incoherent scatter radar measurements. The method is based on Bayesian statistical inversion. We employ ionosonde measurements for the choice of the prior distribution parameters and use a sparse matrix approximation for the computations. This results in a computationally efficient tomography algorithm with clear probabilistic interpretation. We find that ionosonde measurements improve the reconstruction significantly.
K. Kauristie, M. V. Uspensky, N. G. Kleimenova, O. V. Kozyreva, M. M. J. L. Van De Kamp, S. V. Dubyagin, and S. Massetti
Ann. Geophys., 34, 379–392, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-379-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-379-2016, 2016
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This study presents some example events in which sudden changes in the auroral activity at midnight sector seem to have an impact on the intensity of morning-sector magnetic pulsations. Mechanisms which could link these two separate regions are discussed in the paper. Sudden changes in the solar wind properties and fast westward-propagating electrons are suggested to explain the coupling between midnight-sector and morning-sector phenomena.
J. Manninen, N. G. Kleimenova, A. Kozlovsky, I. A. Kornilov, L. I. Gromova, Y. V. Fedorenko, and T. Turunen
Ann. Geophys., 33, 991–995, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-991-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-991-2015, 2015
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A non-typical 1-4 kHz hiss was studied. It shows a sequence of separated noise bursts with strange “mushroom-like” shapes in the frequency-time domain, each lasting several minutes. This sequence could be a result of the modulation of the VLF hiss electron-cyclotron instability by Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations. This strange “mushroom-like” shape of the considered VLF hiss could be a combined mutual effect of the magnetospheric ULF-VLF wave interaction and the ionosphere waveguide propagation.
T. Takahashi, S. Nozawa, T. T. Tsuda, Y. Ogawa, N. Saito, T. Hidemori, T. D. Kawahara, C. Hall, H. Fujiwara, N. Matuura, A. Brekke, M. Tsutsumi, S. Wada, T. Kawabata, S. Oyama, and R. Fujii
Ann. Geophys., 33, 941–953, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-941-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-941-2015, 2015
T. Ishida, Y. Ogawa, A. Kadokura, K. Hosokawa, and Y. Otsuka
Ann. Geophys., 33, 525–530, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-525-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-525-2015, 2015
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We studied the localized plasma density enhancements called blobs, which are often produced in the high-latitude ionosphere by the transportation process of plasma or particle precipitations. This subject is important because such structures affect radio wave propagation and can cause scintillation of GNSS signals in the deformation process. This paper is the first report of direct observations of blob deformation during a substorm.
V. Pilipenko, V. Belakhovsky, M. J. Engebretson, A. Kozlovsky, and T. Yeoman
Ann. Geophys., 33, 395–404, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-395-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-395-2015, 2015
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Irregular broadband pulsations and narrow-band Pc5 waves are found to be a ubiquitous element of ULF activity in the dayside high-latitude region. To identify the ionospheric projections of the cusp, we use the width of return signal of the SuperDARN radar. The spatial structure of broadband Pc5-6 pulsation spectral power has been found to have a localized latitudinal peak, not under the cusp proper as was previously thought, but several degrees southward from the equatorward cusp boundary.
P. T. Verronen, M. E. Andersson, A. Kero, C.-F. Enell, J. M. Wissing, E. R. Talaat, K. Kauristie, M. Palmroth, T. E. Sarris, and E. Armandillo
Ann. Geophys., 33, 381–394, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-381-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-33-381-2015, 2015
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Electron concentrations observed by EISCAT radars can be reasonable well represented using AIMOS v1.2 satellite-data-based ionization model and SIC D-region ion chemistry model. SIC-EISCAT difference varies from event to event, probably because the statistical nature of AIMOS ionization is not capturing all the spatio-temporal fine structure of electron precipitation. Below 90km, AIMOS overestimates electron ionization because of proton contamination of the satellite electron detectors.
M. van de Kamp, D. Pokhotelov, and K. Kauristie
Ann. Geophys., 32, 1511–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-1511-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-1511-2014, 2014
F. Sigernes, S. E. Holmen, D. Biles, H. Bjørklund, X. Chen, M. Dyrland, D. A. Lorentzen, L. Baddeley, T. Trondsen, U. Brändström, E. Trondsen, B. Lybekk, J. Moen, S. Chernouss, and C. S. Deehr
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 3, 241–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-241-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-241-2014, 2014
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A two-step procedure to calibrate the spectral sensitivity of auroral all-sky (fish-eye) cameras is outlined. First, center pixel response is obtained by the use of a Lambertian surface and a standard tungsten lamp. Second, all-sky flat-field correction is carried out with an integrating sphere.
H. Fujiwara, S. Nozawa, Y. Ogawa, R. Kataoka, Y. Miyoshi, H. Jin, and H. Shinagawa
Ann. Geophys., 32, 831–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-831-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-831-2014, 2014
K. Axelsson, T. Sergienko, H. Nilsson, U. Brändström, K. Asamura, and T. Sakanoi
Ann. Geophys., 32, 499–506, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-499-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-499-2014, 2014
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
N. Partamies, L. Juusola, E. Tanskanen, and K. Kauristie
Ann. Geophys., 31, 349–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-349-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-349-2013, 2013
K. Axelsson, T. Sergienko, H. Nilsson, U. Brändström, Y. Ebihara, K. Asamura, and M. Hirahara
Ann. Geophys., 30, 1693–1701, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1693-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1693-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Subject: Earth's ionosphere & aeronomy | Keywords: Auroral ionosphere
First observations of continuum emission in dayside aurora
Leaping and vortex motion of the shock aurora toward the late evening sector observed on 26 February 2023
Application of generalized aurora computed tomography to the EISCAT_3D project
Auroral breakup detection in all-sky images by unsupervised learning
Three-dimensional ionospheric conductivity associated with pulsating auroral patches: reconstruction from ground-based optical observations
The altitude of green OI 557.7 nm and blue N2+ 427.8 nm aurora
Spatio-temporal development of large-scale auroral electrojet currents relative to substorm onsets
Validation of SSUSI-derived auroral electron densities: comparisons to EISCAT data
Observations of sunlit N2+ aurora at high altitudes during the RENU2 flight
Noora Partamies, Rowan Dayton-Oxland, Katie Herlingshaw, Ilkka Virtanen, Bea Gallardo-Lacourt, Mikko Syrjäsuo, Fred Sigernes, Takanori Nishiyama, Toshi Nishimura, Mathieu Barthelemy, Anasuya Aruliah, Daniel Whiter, Lena Mielke, Maxime Grandin, Eero Karvinen, Marjan Spijkers, and Vincent Ledvina
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3669, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3669, 2024
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We studied the first broad band emissions, called continuum, in the dayside aurora. They are similar to STEVE with white, pale pink or mauve coloured light. But unlike STEVE, they follow the dayside aurora forming rays and other dynamic shapes. We used ground optical and radar observations and found evidence of heating and upwelling of both plasma and neutral air. This study provides new information on conditions for continuum emission, but its understanding will require further work.
Sota Nanjo, Masatoshi Yamauchi, Magnar Gullikstad Johnsen, Yoshihiro Yokoyama, Urban Brändström, Yasunobu Ogawa, Anna Naemi Willer, and Keisuke Hosokawa
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3277, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3277, 2024
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Our research explored the "shock aurora," caused by the impact of solar wind particles on Earth's magnetic field. On February 26, 2023, we observed this rare event on the nightside, where such observations are difficult. Ground-based cameras revealed new structural features, including undulating and jumping patterns. These results provide fresh insights into the complex interactions between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere, enhancing our understanding of space weather effects.
Yoshimasa Tanaka, Yasunobu Ogawa, Akira Kadokura, Takehiko Aso, Björn Gustavsson, Urban Brändström, Tima Sergienko, Genta Ueno, and Satoko Saita
Ann. Geophys., 42, 179–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-179-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-179-2024, 2024
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We present via simulation how useful monochromatic images taken by a multi-point imager network are for auroral research in the EISCAT_3D project. We apply the generalized-aurora computed tomography (G-ACT) to modeled multiple auroral images and ionospheric electron density data. It is demonstrated that G-ACT provides better reconstruction results than the normal ACT and can interpolate ionospheric electron density at a much higher spatial resolution than observed by the EISCAT_3D radar.
Noora Partamies, Bas Dol, Vincent Teissier, Liisa Juusola, Mikko Syrjäsuo, and Hjalmar Mulders
Ann. Geophys., 42, 103–115, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-103-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-103-2024, 2024
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Auroral imaging produces large amounts of image data that can no longer be analyzed by visual inspection. Thus, every step towards automatic analysis tools is crucial. Previously supervised learning methods have been used in auroral physics, with a human expert providing ground truth. However, this ground truth is debatable. We present an unsupervised learning method, which shows promising results in detecting auroral breakups in the all-sky image data.
Mizuki Fukizawa, Yoshimasa Tanaka, Yasunobu Ogawa, Keisuke Hosokawa, Tero Raita, and Kirsti Kauristie
Ann. Geophys., 41, 511–528, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-511-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-511-2023, 2023
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We use computed tomography to reconstruct the three-dimensional distributions of the Hall and Pedersen conductivities of pulsating auroras, a key research target for understanding the magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling process. It is suggested that the high-energy electron precipitation associated with pulsating auroras may have a greater impact on the closure of field-aligned currents in the ionosphere than has been previously reported.
Daniel K. Whiter, Noora Partamies, Björn Gustavsson, and Kirsti Kauristie
Ann. Geophys., 41, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-1-2023, 2023
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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.
Sebastian Käki, Ari Viljanen, Liisa Juusola, and Kirsti Kauristie
Ann. Geophys., 40, 107–119, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-107-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-107-2022, 2022
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During auroral substorms, the ionospheric electric currents change rapidly, and a large amount of energy is dissipated. We combine ionospheric current data derived from the Swarm satellite mission with the substorm database from the SuperMAG ground magnetometer network. We obtain statistics of the strength and location of the currents relative to the substorm onset. Our results show that low-earth orbit satellites give a coherent picture of the main features in the substorm current system.
Stefan Bender, Patrick J. Espy, and Larry J. Paxton
Ann. Geophys., 39, 899–910, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-899-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-899-2021, 2021
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The coupling of the atmosphere to the space environment has become recognized as an important driver of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics. We have validated the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) products for average electron energy and electron energy flux by comparison to EISCAT electron density profiles. The good agreement shows that SSUSI far-UV observations can be used to provide ionization rate profiles throughout the auroral region.
Pål Gunnar Ellingsen, Dag Lorentzen, David Kenward, James H. Hecht, J. Scott Evans, Fred Sigernes, and Marc Lessard
Ann. Geophys., 39, 849–859, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-849-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-849-2021, 2021
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Using the RENU2 rocket and ground-based instruments, we show that significant parts of the blue aurora above Svalbard at the time of launch were sunlit aurora. A sunlit aurora occurs when nitrogen molecules are ionised by extreme UV sunlight and subsequently hit by electrons from the Sun, resulting in blue and violet emissions. Understanding the source of an auroral emission gives insight into the interaction between the Sun and the Earth's upper atmosphere.
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Short summary
The pulsating auroral generation mechanism has been investigated by observing precipitating electrons using rockets or satellites. However, it is difficult for such observations to distinguish temporal changes from spatial ones. In this study, we reconstructed the horizontal 2-D distribution of precipitating electrons using only auroral images. The 3-D aurora structure was also reconstructed. We found that there were both spatial and temporal changes in the precipitating electron energy.
The pulsating auroral generation mechanism has been investigated by observing precipitating...
