Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Vondrak, Richard R.
• Rich, F. J.

Titel

Simultaneous Chatanika radar and S3-2 satellite measurements of ionospheric electrodynamics in the diffuse aurora

Ist Teil von

• Journal of Geophysical Research, 1982-08, Vol.87 (A8), p.6173-6185

Ort / Verlag

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

1982

Link zum Volltext

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Simultaneous Chatanika radar and S3‐2 satellite measurements have been used to investigate the spatial variation of the auroral zone ionosphere near the equatorward edge of the diffuse aurora. During early evening satellite passes on 2 days in February 1976, the equatorward boundary of the diffuse aurora was nearly overhead at Chatanika. The configurations of E region ionization and conductivity were nearly identical in both passes, but the latitudinal variations of F region ionization were quite dissimilar. During both passes, the ionospheric electric field in the diffuse aurora was directed northward. As a result, the closing current of the field‐aligned current system was primarily a Pedersen current, and the eastward electrojet was larger than the northward ionospheric current. Although the morphology of ionospheric conductivity was very similar on the 2 days, different patterns were observed for the latitudinal distribution of electric field and field‐aligned current.