Articles | Volume 44, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-44-149-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-44-149-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regular paper
| Highlight paper
| 
26 Feb 2026
Regular paper | Highlight paper |
| 26 Feb 2026
| 26 Feb 2026
A source or a sink? How the altitude of particle precipitation influence high-latitude electrodynamics
Magnus F. Ivarsen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
The European Space Agency Centre for Earth Observation, Frascati, Italy
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
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During geomagnetic storms, the sun drives auroral plasma turbulence that disrupts GPS signals. This turbulence spans sizes from hundreds of kilometers to meters, but most instruments see only a narrow slice. We combined radar and GPS receiver data to build a continuous turbulence spectrum across four orders of magnitude in scale, validated by satellite conjunctions. The spectrum suggests the ionosphere directly mirrors magnetospheric energy input, providing a baseline for space weather models.
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
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During aurorae, space-driven electric fields churn the upper atmosphere's plasma into millions of chaotic waves. We applied complexity-science methods to treat their collective electric fields as effective noise, and tested the theory against four years of radar and satellite data. The turbulence self-regulates: extra storm energy produces more waves, not faster ones, scaling predictably with driving power, and thereby we offer candidate transport equations for global space-weather models.
Magnus F. Ivarsen, Kaili Song, Luca Spogli, Jean-Pierre St-Maurice, Devin Ray Huyghebaert, Brian Pitzel, Saif Marei, Yangyang Shen, Satoshi Kasahara, Kunihiro Keika, Yoshizumi Miyoshi, Tomo Hori, Atsuki Shinbori, Kazuhiro Yamamoto, David Russel Themens, P. Thayyil Jayachandran, Yoichi Kazama, Shiang-Yu Wang, Ayako Matsuoka, Iku Shinohara, Takefumi Mitani, Takeshi Takashima, Shoichiro Yokota, Yoshiya Kasahara, and Glenn Hussey
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2344, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2344, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
Short summary
During geomagnetic storms, the sun drives auroral plasma turbulence that disrupts GPS signals. This turbulence spans sizes from hundreds of kilometers to meters, but most instruments see only a narrow slice. We combined radar and GPS receiver data to build a continuous turbulence spectrum across four orders of magnitude in scale, validated by satellite conjunctions. The spectrum suggests the ionosphere directly mirrors magnetospheric energy input, providing a baseline for space weather models.
Magnus F. Ivarsen, Glenn C. Hussey, Yoshizumi Miyoshi, David R. Themens, Atsuki Shinbori, and Shoichiro Yokota
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2345, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2345, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
Short summary
During aurorae, space-driven electric fields churn the upper atmosphere's plasma into millions of chaotic waves. We applied complexity-science methods to treat their collective electric fields as effective noise, and tested the theory against four years of radar and satellite data. The turbulence self-regulates: extra storm energy produces more waves, not faster ones, scaling predictably with driving power, and thereby we offer candidate transport equations for global space-weather models.
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Editorial statement
The paper addresses, with a philosophical approach, an important question related to the origin of ionospheric irregularities in the cusp and auroral ionosphere, in clear and precise writing.
The paper addresses, with a philosophical approach, an important question related to the origin...
Short summary
When energetic particles rain into Earth’s lower ionosphere, they ionize the gas, creating a highly conductive base layer. Using a large database of observations from four orbiting space weather satellites, we demonstrate that this plasma foundation acts as a giant electrical short-circuit: it actively neutralizes the electric fields that would otherwise power plasma turbulence higher up. Without this conductive base to drain the energy, topside turbulence freely grows and persists.
When energetic particles rain into Earth’s lower ionosphere, they ionize the gas, creating a...
