• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.129-138
• /
• 2008

This study attempts to show how the geomagnetic indices, AU, AL and Dst, respond to the interplanetary parameters, more specifically, the solar wind electric field VBz during southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) period. The AU index does not seem to respond linearly to the variation of southward IMF. Only a noticeable correlation between the AU and VBz is shown during summer, when the ionospheric conductivity associated with the solar EUV radiation is high. It is highly likely that the effect of electric field on the eastward electrojet intensification is only noticeable whenever the ionospheric conductivity is significantly enhanced during summer. Thus, one should be very cautious in employing the AU as a convection index during other seasons. The AL index shows a significantly high correlation with VBz regardless of season. Considering that the auroral electrojet is the combined result of electric field and ionospheric conductivity, the intensification of these two quantities seems to occur concurrently during southward IMF period. This suggests that the AL index behaves more like a convection index rather than a substorm index as far as hourly mean AL index is concerned. Contrary to the AU index, the AL index does not register the maximum value during summer for a given level of VBz. It has something to do with the findings that discrete auroras are suppressed in sunlight hemisphere (Newell et al. 1996), thus reducing the ionospheric conductivity during summer. As expected, the Dst index tends to become more negative as VBz gets intensified. However, the Dst index (nT) is less than or equal to 15VBz(mV/m) + 50(Bz < 0). It indicates that VBz determines the lower limit of the storm size, while another factor(s), possibly substorm, seems to get further involved in intensifying storms. Although it has not been examined in this study, the duration of southward IMF would also be a factor to be considered in determining the size of a storm.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.489-499
• /
• 2004

The climatological characteristics of the polar ionospheric currents obtained from the simultaneous observations of the ionospheric electric field and conductivity are examined. For this purpose, 43 and 109 days of measurements from the Chatanika and Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radars are utilized respectively. The ionospheric current density is compared with the corresponding ground magnetic disturbance. Several interesting characteristics about the polar ionosphere are apparent from this study: (1) The sun determines largely the conductance over the Sondrestrom radar, while the nighttime conductance distribution over the Chatanika radar is significantly affected by auroral precipitation. (2) The regions of the maximum N-S electric field over the Chatanika radar are located approximately at the dawn and dusk sectors, while they tend to shift towards dayside over the Sondrestrom radar. The N-S component over Son-drestrom is slightly stronger than Chatanika. However, the E-W component over Chatanika is negligible compared to that of Sondrestrom. (3) The E-W ionospheric current flows dominantly in the night hemisphere over Chatanika, while it flows in the sunlit hemisphere over Sondrestrom. The N-S current over Chatanika flows prominently in the dawn and dusk sectors, while a strong southward current flows in the prenoon sector over Sondrestrom. (4) The assumption of infinite sheet current approximation is far from realistic, underestimating the current density by a factor of 2 or more. It is particularly serious for the higher latitude region. (5) The correlation between ${\Delta}H\;and\;J_E$ is higher than the one between ${\Delta}D\;and\;J_N$, indicating that field-aligned current affects ${\Delta}D$significantly.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.251-256
• /
• 2017

The electric coupling between the lithosphere and the ionosphere is examined. The electric field is considered as a timevarying irregular vertical Coulomb field presumably produced on the Earth's surface before an earthquake within its epicentral zone by some micro-processes in the lithosphere. It is shown that the Fourier component of this electric field with a frequency of 500 Hz and a horizontal scale-size of 100 km produces in the nighttime ionosphere of high and middle latitudes a transverse electric field with a magnitude of ~20 mV/m if the peak value of the amplitude of this Fourier component is just 30 V/m. The time-varying vertical Coulomb field with a frequency of 500 Hz penetrates from the ground into the ionosphere by a factor of ${\sim}7{\times}10^5$ more efficient than a time independent vertical electrostatic field of the same scale size. The transverse electric field with amplitude of 20 mV/m will cause perturbations in the nighttime F region electron density through heating the F region plasma resulting in a reduction of the downward plasma flux from the protonosphere and an excitation of acoustic gravity waves.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.75-88
• /
• 2002

The climatological characteristics of the polar ionosphere is examined in terms of the ionospheric conductance and electric field. For this purpose, 109 days of measurements from the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar are utilized. By combining these two quantities, it is possible to deduce the overhead ionospheric current distributions. The ionospheric current density thus obtained is compared with the corresponding ground magnetic disturbance. Also examined is the effect of the field-aligned current on the ground magnetic disturbance, particularly on the D component Several interesting climatological characteristics about the ionosphere over the Sonderstrom are apparent from this study. (1) The conductance distribution is mainly due to solar EUV radiation during day-time On the other hand, the conductance distribution during the night-time is very low. (2) The conductance distribution one. the polar cap region during the day-time is controlled mostly by the solar EUV radiation, while it is extremely low during night-time wish the Hall and Pedersen conductances being 1.6 and 1.2 siemen, respectively (3) The region of the maximum N-S electric field tend to locate in the dayside sector. The E-W component of the electric field is stronger than that over Chatanika (4) The E-W auroal inospheric current (J/sub E/) is more important in the sunlit hemisphere than the night hemisphere. And a strong southward current is noted in the prenoon sector (5) There is a significant correlation between the overhead ionospheric current and the simultaneously observed ground magnetic disturbance. However, the assumption for the infinite sheet current approximation is far from realistic, underestimating the current density. And the correlation between ${\Delta}H$ and J/sub E/ is higher than the one between ${\Delta}D$ and J/sub N/ , indicating that field-aligned current affects significantly ${\Delta}D$.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.141-150
• /
• 2002

The ionosphere plays an important role in the electrodynamics of space environment. In particular, the information on the ionospheric conductivity distribution is indispensable in understanding the electrodynamics of the magnetosphere and ionosphere coupling study. To meet such a requirement, several attempts have been made to estimate the conductivity distribution over the polar ionosphere. As one of such attempts we compare the ionospheric plasma convection patterns obtained from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), from which the electric field distribution is estimated, and the simultaneously measured ground magnetic disturbance. Specifically, the electric field measured from the Goose Bay and Stokkseyri radars and magnetic disturbance data obtained from the west coast chain of Greenland are compared. In order to estimate ionospheric conductivity distribution with these information, the overhead infinite sheet current approximation is employed. As expected, the Hall conductance, height-integrated conductivity, shows a wide enhancement along the center of the auroral electrojet. However, Pedersen conductance shows negative values over a wide portion of the auroral oval region, a physically unacceptable situation. To alleviate this problem, the effect of the field-aligned current is taken into account. As a result, the region with negative Pedersen conductance disappears significantly, suggesting that the effect of the field-aligned current should be taken into account, when one wants to estimate ionospheric conductance based on ground magnetic disturbance and electric field measurements by radars.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.62-62
• /
• 1999

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
• /
• 2001.04a
• /
• pp.55-55
• /
• 2001

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.15 no.spc2
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2000

Through the coupling between the near-earth space environment and the polar ionosphere via geomagnetic field lines, the variations occurred in the magnetosphere are transferred to the polar region. According to recent studies, however, the polar ionosphere reacts not only passively to such variations, but also plays active roles in modifying the near-earth space environment. So the study of the polar ionosphere in terms of geomagnetic disturbance becomes one of the major elements in space weather research. Although it is an indirect method, ground magnetic disturbance data can be used in estimating the ionospheric current distribution. By employing a realistic ionospheric conductivity model, it is further possible to obtain the distributions of electric potential, field-aligned current, Joule heating rate and energy injection rate associated with precipitating auroral particles and their energy spectra in a global scale with a high time resolution. Considering that the ground magnetic disturbances are recorded simultaneously over the entire polar region wherever magnetic station is located, we are able to separate temporal disturbances from spatial ones. On the other hand, satellite measurements are indispensible in the space weather research, since they provide us with in situ measurements. Unfortunately it is not easy to separate temporal variations from spatial ones specifically measured by a single satellite. To demonstrate the usefulness of ground magnetic disturbance data in space weather research, various ionospheric quantities are calculated through the KRM method, one of the magneto gram inversion methods. In particular, we attempt to show how these quantities depend on the ionospheric conductivity model employed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.34-34
• /
• 2003

To better understand how high-latitude electric fields influence thermospheric dynamics, we study winds in the high-latitude lower thermosphere using the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR/TIEGCM). In order to compare with Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) observations the model is run for the conditions of 1992-1993 southern summer. The association of the model results with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is also examined to determine the influences of the IMF-dependent ionospheric convection on the winds. The wind patterns show good agreement with the WINDII observations, although the model wind speeds are generally weaker than the observations. It is confirmed that the influences of high-latitude ionospheric convection on summertime thermospheric winds are seen down to 105 km. For negative and positive IMF By the difference winds, with respect to the wind during null IMF conditions, show significantly strong anticyclonic and cyclonic vortices, respectively, down to 105 km. For positive IMF Bz the difference winds are largely confined to the polar cap, while for negative IMF Bz they extend to subauroral latitudes. The IMF Bz-dependent diurnal wind component is strongly correlated with the corresponding component of ionospheric convection velocity down to 108 km and is largely rotational. The influence of IMF By on the lower thermospheric summertime zonal-mean zonal wind is substantial at high latitudes, with maximum wind speeds being 60 m/s at 130 km around 77 magnetic latitude.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2008

By analyzing the observations from a number of ground- and space-based instruments, including ionosonde, magnetometers, and ACE interplanetary data, we examine the response of the ionospheric TEC over Korea during 2003 magnetic storms. We found that the variation of vertical TEC is correlated with the southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field $B_z$. It is suggested that the electric fields produced by the dynamo process in the high-latitude region and the prompt penetration in the low- latitude region are responsible for TEC increases. During the June 16 event, dayside TEC values increase more than 15%. And the ionospheric F2-layer peak height (hmF2) was ${\sim}300km$ higher and the vertical $E{\times}B$ drift (estimated from ground-based magnetometer equatorial electrojet delta H) showed downward drift, which may be due to the ionospheric disturbance dynamo electric field produced by the large amount of energy dissipation into high-latitude regions. In contrast, during November 20 event, the nightside TEC increases may be due to the prompt penetration westward electric field. The ionospheric F2-layer peak height was below 200km and the vertical $E{\times}B$ drift showed downward drift. Also, a strong correlation is observed between enhanced vertical TEC and enhaaced interplanetary electric field. It is shown that, even though TEC increases are caused by the different processes, the electric field disturbances in the ionosphere play an important role in the variation of TEC over Korea.