bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multivariate Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the upper thermocline structure of the Mediterranean Sea from observations and model simulations
Authors: Sparnocchia S. , Pinardi N. , Demirov E.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Multivariate vertical Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) are calculated for the entire Mediterranean Sea both from observations and model simulations, in order to find the optimal number of vertical modes to represent the upper thermocline vertical structure. For the first time, we show that the large-scale Mediterranean thermohaline vertical structure can be represented by a limited number of vertical multivariate EOFs, and that the "optimal set" can be selected on the basis of general principles. In particular, the EOFs are calculated for the combined temperature and salinity statistics, dividing the Mediterranean Sea into 9 regions and grouping the data seasonally. The criterion used to establish whether a reduced set of EOFs is optimal is based on the analysis of the root mean square residual error between the original data and the profiles reconstructed by the reduced set of EOFs. It was found that the number of EOFs needed to capture the variability contained in the original data changes with geographical region and seasons. In particular, winter data require a smaller number of modes (4–8, depending on the region) than the other seasons (8–9 in summer). Moreover, western Mediterranean regions require more modes than the eastern Mediterranean ones, but this result may depend on the data scarcity in the latter regions. The EOFs computed from the in situ data set are compared to those calculated using data obtained from a model simulation. The main results of this exercise are that the two groups of modes are not strictly comparable but their ability to reproduce observations is the same. Thus, they may be thought of as equivalent sets of basis functions, upon which to project the thermohaline variability of the basin. Key words. Oceanography: general (water masses) – Oceanography: physical (hydrography; instruments and techniques)
Low- and high-frequency spectral behavior of cosmic-ray intensity for the period 1953–1996
Authors: Mavromichalaki H. , Preka-Papadema P. , Petropoulos B. , Tsagouri I. , Georgakopoulos S. , Polygiannakis J.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A study of the cosmic-ray intensity power spectrum using the Climax Neutron Monitor data in the frequency range from 10-9 Hz to 10-7 Hz (which corresponds to periodicities from 11 years to a few months) during the period 1953–1996, was carried out by means of the successive approximations method of analysis and was compared against the power spectrum and the maximum entropy methods. The contributions of the time evolution of several peaks to the global one were obtained. Except for the well-known 11-year and the 1-year variations, peaks at 7.7, 5.5, 2 and 1.7 years are found. Several peaks with periods less than 10 months have appeared in our analysis, while the occurrence of 5.1 months is obtained in all the examined solar cycles with a strong signature in cycle 21. Transitions of these quasi-periodicities are seen in power spectra plots. Some of them can be attributed to the modulation of the cosmic ray intensity by solar activity. Others are sporadic and have been previously attributed to the interplanetary magnetic field. The results obtained support once again the argument regarding the difference in the solar activity between odd and even solar cycles.Key words. Interplanetary physics (Cosmic rays, Interplanetary magnetic fields)
Azimuthal expansion of high-latitude auroral arcs
Authors: Safargaleev V. V. , Kozlovsky A. E. , Osipenko S. V. , Tagirov V. R.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. We used the TV auroral observations in Barentsburg (78.05° N 14.12° E) in Spitsbergen archipelago, together with the data of the CUTLASS HF radars and the POLAR satellite images to study azimuthal (in the east-west direction) expansion of the high-latitude auroral arcs. It is shown that the east or west edge of the arc moved in the same direction as the convection flow, westward in the pre-midnight sector and eastward in the post-midnight sector. The velocity of arc expansion was of the order of 2.5 km/s, which is 2–3 times larger than the convection velocity measured in the arc vicinity and 2–3 times smaller than the velocity of the bright patches propagating along the arc. The arc expanded from the active auroras seen from the POLAR satellite around midnight as a region of enhanced luminosity, which might be the auroral bulge or WTS. The pole- or equatorward drift of the arcs occurred at the velocity of the order of 100 m/s that was close to the convection velocity in the same direction. These experimental results can be well explained in terms of the interchange (or flute) instability.Key words. Ionosphere (plasma convection) – Magnetospheric physics (auroral phenomena; magnetospheric configuration and dynamics)
Simulation study of the high-latitude F-layer modification by powerful HF waves with different frequencies for autumn conditions
Authors: Mingaleva G. I. , Mingalev V. S. , Mingalev I. V.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The large-scale high-latitude F-region modification by high power radio waves is investigated using a numerical model of the convecting high-latitude ionosphere developed earlier. Simulations are performed for the point with geographic coordinates of the ionospheric heater near Tromsø, Scandinavia for autumn conditions. The calculations are made for distinct cases, in which high power waves have different frequencies, both for nocturnal and for day-time conditions. The results of modeling indicate that the frequency of HF waves ought to influence significantly the large-scale F-region modification by high power radio waves in the high-latitude ionosphere.Key words. Ionosphere (active experiments; modeling and forecasting; plasma temperature and density)
Turbulence characteristics inside ionospheric small-scale expanding structures observed with SuperDARN HF radars
Authors: André R. , Hanuise C. , Villain J.-P. , Krasnoselskikh V.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Unusual structures characterized by a very high-velocity divergence have been observed in the high-latitude F-region with SuperDARN radars (André et al., 2000). These structures have been interpreted as due to local demagnetization of the plasma in the ionospheric F-region, during very specific geophysical conditions. In this study, the collective wave scattering theory is used to characterize the decameter-scale turbulence (l approx 15 m) inside the structures. The distribution function of the diffusion coefficient is modified when the structures are generated, suggesting that two regimes of turbulence coexist. A temporal analysis decorrelates the two regimes and gives access to the dynamics associated with the structures. It is shown that a high turbulent regime precedes the plasma demagnetization and should be related to an energy deposition. Then a second regime appears when the plasma is demagnetized and disappears simultaneously with the structures. This study is the first application of the collective wave scattering theory to a specific geophysical event.Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities) – Space plasma physics (turbulence)
On the occurrence and motion of decametre-scale irregularities in the sub-auroral, auroral, and polar cap ionosphere
Authors: Parkinson M. L. , Devlin J. C. , Ye H. , Waters C. L. , Dyson P. L. , Breed A. M. , Morris R. J.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The statistical occurrence of decametre-scale ionospheric irregularities, average line-of-sight (LOS) Doppler velocity, and Doppler spectral width in the sub-auroral, auroral, and polar cap ionosphere ( - 57°L to - 88°L) has been investigated using echoes recorded with the Tasman International Geospace Environment Radar (TIGER), a SuperDARN radar located on Bruny Island, Tasmania (147.2° E, 43.4° S geographic; - 54.6 °L). Results are shown for routine soundings made on the magnetic meridian beam 4 and the near zonal beam 15 during the sunspot maximum interval December 1999 to November 2000. Most echoes were observed in the nightside ionosphere, typically via 1.5-hop propagation near dusk and then via 0.5-hop propagation during pre-midnight to dawn. Peak occurrence rates on beam 4 were often > 60% near magnetic midnight and ~ - 70 °L. They increased and shifted equatorward and toward pre-midnight with increasing Kp (i.e. Bz southward). The occurrence rates remained very high for Kp > 4, de-spite enhanced D-region absorption due to particle precipitation. Average occurrence rates on beam 4 exhibited a relatively weak seasonal variation, consistent with known longitudinal variations in auroral zone magnetic activity (Basu, 1975). The average echo power was greatest between 23 and 07 MLT. Two populations of echoes were identified on both beams, those with low spectral width and a mode value of ~ 9 ms-1 (bin size of 2 ms-1) concentrated in the auroral and sub-auroral ionosphere (population A), and those with high spectral width and a mode value of ~ 70 ms-1 concentrated in the polar cap ionosphere (population B). The occurrence of population A echoes maximised post-midnight because of TIGER’s lower latitude, but the subset of the population A echoes observed near dusk had characteristics reminiscent of "dusk scatter" (Ruohoniemi et al., 1988). There was a dusk "bite out" of large spectral widths between ~ 15 and 21 MLT and poleward of - 67 °L, and a pre-dawn enhancement of large spectral widths between ~  03 and 07 MLT, centred on ~ - 61 °L. The average LOS Doppler velocities revealed that frequent westward jets of plasma flow occurred equatorward of, but overlapping, the diffuse auroral oval in the pre-midnight sector.Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; electric fields and currents, ionospheric irregularities)
Combining global and multi-scale features in a description of the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling
Authors: Ukhorskiy A. Y. , Sitnov M. I. , Sharma A. S. , Papadopoulos K.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The solar wind-magnetosphere coupling during substorms exhibits dynamical features in a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The goal of our work is to combine the global and multi-scale description of magnetospheric dynamics in a unified data-derived model. For this purpose we use deterministic methods of nonlinear dynamics, together with a probabilistic approach of statistical physics. In this paper we discuss the mathematical aspects of such a combined analysis. In particular we introduce a new method of embedding analysis based on the notion of a mean-field dimension. For a given level of averaging in the system the mean-filed dimension determines the minimum dimension of the embedding space in which the averaged dynamical system approximates the actual dynamics with the given accuracy. This new technique is first tested on a number of well-known autonomous and open dynamical systems with and without noise contamination. Then, the dimension analysis is carried out for the correlated solar wind-magnetosphere database using vBS time series as the input and AL index as the output of the system. It is found that the minimum embedding dimension of vBS - AL time series is a function of the level of ensemble averaging and the specified accuracy of the method. To extract the global component from the observed time series the ensemble averaging is carried out over the range of scales populated by a high dimensional multi-scale constituent. The wider the range of scales which are smoothed away, the smaller the mean-field dimension of the system. The method also yields a probability density function in the reconstructed phase space which provides the basis for the probabilistic modeling of the multi-scale dynamical features, and is also used to visualize the global portion of the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling. The structure of its input-output phase portrait reveals the existence of two energy levels in the system with non-equilibrium dynamical features such as hysteresis which are typical for non-equilibrium phase transitions. Further improvements in space weather forecasting tools may be achieved by a combination of the dynamical description for the global component and a statistical approach for the multi-scale component.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (solar wind– magnetosphere interactions; storms and substorms) – Space plasma physics (nonlinear phenomena)
Magnetic turbulence and particle dynamics in the Earth’s magnetotail
Authors: Zimbardo G. , Greco A. , Taktakishvili A. L. , Veltri P. , Zelenyi L. M.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The influence of magnetic turbulence in the near-Earth magnetotail on ion motion is investigated by numerical simulation. The magnetotail current sheet is modelled as a magnetic field reversal with a normal magnetic field com-ponent Bn , plus a three-dimensional spectrum of magnetic fluctuations dB which represents the observed magnetic turbulence. The dawn-dusk electric field Ey is also considered. A test particle simulation is performed using different values of Bn and of the fluctuation level dB/B0. We show that when the magnetic fluctuations are taken into account, the particle dynamics is deeply affected, giving rise to an increase in the cross tail transport, ion heating, and current sheet thickness. For strong enough turbulence, the current splits in two layers, in agreement with recent Cluster observations.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetospheric configuration and dynamics) – Interplanetary physics (MHD waves and turbulence) – Electromagnetics (numerical methods)
Derivation of TEC and estimation of instrumental biases from GEONET in Japan
Authors: Ma G. , Maruyama T.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. This paper presents a method to derive the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and to estimate the biases of GPS satellites and dual frequency receivers using the GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) in Japan. Based on the consideration that the TEC is uniform in a small area, the method divides the ionosphere over Japan into 32 meshes. The size of each mesh is 2° by 2° in latitude and longitude, respectively. By assuming that the TEC is identical at any point within a given mesh and the biases do not vary within a day, the method arranges unknown TECs and biases with dual GPS data from about 209 receivers in a day unit into a set of equations. Then the TECs and the biases of satellites and receivers were determined by using the least-squares fitting technique. The performance of the method is examined by applying it to geomagnetically quiet days in various seasons, and then comparing the GPS-derived TEC with ionospheric critical frequencies (foF2). It is found that the biases of GPS satellites and most receivers are very stable. The diurnal and seasonal variation in TEC and foF2 shows a high degree of conformity. The method using a highly dense receiver network like GEONET is not always applicable in other areas. Thus, the paper also proposes a simpler and faster method to estimate a single receiver’s bias by using the satellite biases determined from GEONET. The accuracy of the simple method is examined by comparing the receiver biases determined by the two methods. Larger deviation from GEONET derived bias tends to be found in the receivers at lower (<30° N) latitudes due to the effects of equatorial anomaly.Key words. Ionosphere (mid-latitude ionosphere; instruments and techniques) – Radio science (radio-wave propagation)
Turbulent characteristics of a semiarid atmospheric surface layer from cup anemometers – effects of soil tillage treatment (Northern Spain)
Authors: Yahaya S. , Frangi J. P. , Richard D. C.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. This paper deals with the characteristics of turbulent flow over two agricultural plots with various tillage treatments in a fallow, semiarid area (Central Aragon, Spain). The main dynamic characteristics of the Atmospheric Surface Layer (ASL) measured over the experimental site (friction velocity, roughness length, etc.), and energy budget, have been presented previously (Frangi and Richard, 2000). The current study is based on experimental measurements performed with cup anemometers located in the vicinity of the ground at 5 different levels (from 0.25 to 4 m) and sampled at 1 Hz. It reveals that the horizontal wind variance, the Eulerian integral scales, the frequency range of turbulence and the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate are affected by the surface roughness. In the vicinity of the ground surface, the horizontal wind variance logarithmically increases with height, directly in relation to the friction velocity and the roughness length scale. It was found that the time integral scale (and subsequently the length integral scale) increased with the surface roughness and decreased with the anemometer height. These variations imply some shifts in the meteorological spectral gap and some variations of the spectral peak length scale. The turbulent energy dissipation rate, affected by the soil roughness, shows a z-less stratification behaviour under stable conditions. In addition to the characterization of the studied ASL, this paper intends to show which turbulence characteristics, and under what conditions, are accessible through the cup anemometer.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (climatology, turbulence, instruments and techniques)
Modelling the solar wind interaction with Mercury by a quasi-neutral hybrid model
Authors: Kallio E. , Janhunen P.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Quasi-neutral hybrid model is a self-consistent modelling approach that includes positively charged particles and an electron fluid. The approach has received an increasing interest in space plasma physics research because it makes it possible to study several plasma physical processes that are difficult or impossible to model by self-consistent fluid models, such as the effects associated with the ions’ finite gyroradius, the velocity difference between different ion species, or the non-Maxwellian velocity distribution function. By now quasi-neutral hybrid models have been used to study the solar wind interaction with the non-magnetised Solar System bodies of Mars, Venus, Titan and comets. Localized, two-dimensional hybrid model runs have also been made to study terrestrial dayside magnetosheath. However, the Hermean plasma environment has not yet been analysed by a global quasi-neutral hybrid model. In this paper we present a new quasi-neutral hybrid model developed to study various processes associated with the Mercury-solar wind interaction. Emphasis is placed on addressing advantages and disadvantages of the approach to study different plasma physical processes near the planet. The basic assumptions of the approach and the algorithms used in the new model are thoroughly presented. Finally, some of the first three-dimensional hybrid model runs made for Mercury are presented. The resulting macroscopic plasma parameters and the morphology of the magnetic field demonstrate the applicability of the new approach to study the Mercury-solar wind interaction globally. In addition, the real advantage of the kinetic hybrid model approach is to study the property of individual ions, and the study clearly demonstrates the large potential of the approach to address these more detailed issues by a quasi-neutral hybrid model in the future.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (planetary magnetospheres; solar wind-magnetosphere interactions) – Space plasma physics (numerical simulation studies)
The local-time variation of the quiet plasmasphere: geosynchronous observations and kinetic theory
Authors: Reynolds M. A. , Ganguli G. , Su Y.-J. , Thomsen M. F.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The quiet-time structure of the plasmaspheric density was investigated using observations of the Los Alamos geosynchronous satellites, and these observations were compared with theoretical predictions of the quasi-static local-time variation by a kinetic model. It was found that the coupling to the ionosphere (via the local-time variation of the exobase) played a key role in determining the density structure at 6.6 RE . The kinetic model predicts that most of the local-time variation at geosynchronous orbit is due to the variation of the exobase parameters. During quiet times, when the convection electric field is dominated by the corotation field, the effects due to flux-tube convection are less prominent than those due to the exobase variation. In addition, the kinetic model predicts that the geosynchronous plasmaspheric density level is at most only 25% of saturation density, even when geomagnetic activity is low. The low night-time densities of the ionospheric footpoints, and the subsequent long trapping time scales, prevent the equatorial densities from reaching saturation.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions; plasma convection; plasmasphere)
Antarctic air over New Zealand following vortex breakdown in 1998
Authors: Ajtic J. , Connor B. J. , Randall C. E. , Lawrence B. N. , Bodeker G. E. , Rosenfield J. E. , Heuff D. N.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. An ozonesonde profile over the Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) site at Lauder (45.0° S, 169.7° E), New Zealand, for 24 December 1998 showed atypically low ozone centered around 24 km altitude (600 K potential temperature). The origin of the anomaly is explained using reverse domain filling (RDF) calculations combined with a PV/O3 fitting technique applied to ozone measurements from the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) III instrument. The RDF calculations for two isentropic surfaces, 550 and 600 K, show that ozone-poor air from the Antarctic polar vortex reached New Zealand on 24–26 December 1998. The vortex air on the 550 K isentrope originated in the ozone hole region, unlike the air on 600 K where low ozone values were caused by dynamical effects. High-resolution ozone maps were generated, and their examination shows that a vortex remnant situated above New Zealand was the cause of the altered ozone profile on 24 December. The maps also illustrate mixing of the vortex filaments into southern midlatitudes, whereby the overall mid-latitude ozone levels were decreased.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere composition and chemistry) – Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics)
A new approach to the derivation of dynamic information from ionosonde measurements
Authors: Liu L. , Luan X. , Wan W. , Ning B. , Lei J.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A new approach is developed to derive dynamic information near the peak of the ionospheric F-layer from ionosonde measurements. This approach avoids deducing equivalent winds from the displacement of the observed peak height from a no-wind equilibrium height, so it need not determine the no-wind equilibrium height which may limit the accuracy of the deduced winds, as did the traditional servo theory. This approach is preliminarily validated with comparisons of deduced equivalent winds with the measurements from the Fabry-Perot interferometer, the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar and with previous works. Examples of vertical components of equivalent winds (VEWs), over Wuhan (114.4° E, 30.6° N, 45.2° dip), China in December 2000 are derived from Wuhan DGS-256 Digisonde data. The deduced VEWs show large day-to-day variations during the winter, even in low magnetic activity conditions. The diurnal pattern of average VEWs is more complicated than that predicted by the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM). Using an empirical electric field model based on the observations from Jicamarca radar and satellites, we investigate the contributions to VEWs from neutral winds and from electric fields at the F-layer peak. If the electric field model is reasonable for Wuhan during this period, the neutral winds contribute mostly to the VEWs, and the contribution from the E × B drifts is insignificant.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics) – Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interaction; instrument and techniques)
Long-term changes in atmospheric electrical parameters observed at Nagycenk (Hungary) and the UK observatories at Eskdalemuir and Kew
Authors: Märcz F. , Harrison R. G.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The Nagycenk Geophysical Observatory in Hungary (47° 38 ' N, 16° 43 ' E) has made continuous measurements of the vertical atmospheric electric Potential Gradient (PG) since 1962. Global signals have previously been identified in the Nagycenk PG data. A long-term (1920–1981) decrease has been discovered in the PG measured at the Eskdalemuir Observatory, Scotland (55° 19 ' N, 3° 12 ' W), suggesting that this represents a global change in the atmospheric electricity related to a decline in cosmic rays. A 40% decline in PG is shown here to have occurred at Nagycenk between 1962 and 2001, also consistent with changes in the air-Earth current measured at Kew (51° 28 ' N, 0° 19 ' W), London, 1966–1978. Comparison of the long-term PG measurements at both Eskdalemuir and Nagycenk gives further evidence to support the hypothesis of a global atmospheric electrical decline from the early twentieth century to the present time, as it is shown that local effects at Nagycenk are unlikely to have dominated the changes there.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (atmospheric electricity)
High resolution nested model for the Cyprus, NE Levantine Basin, eastern Mediterranean Sea: implementation and climatological runs
Authors: Zodiatis G. , Lardner R. , Lascaratos A. , Georgiou G. , Korres G. , Syrimis M.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A high resolution nested flow model for the coastal, shelf and open sea areas of the Cyprus Basin, NE Levantine, eastern Mediterranean Sea is implemented to fulfil the objectives of the Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project, funded by the EU. The Cyprus coastal ocean model is nested entirely within a coarse regional grid model of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, using the MODB climatology for initialisation and the ECMWF perpetual year surface forcing. The nested simulations of the Cyprus model were able to reproduce, with greater detail, flow features similar to those of the coarse grid regional model. The project results show the feasibility of the approach for the development of an operational forecasting system in the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the Cyprus coastal/shelf sea area. Key words. Oceanography: general (descriptive and regional oceanography; numerical modelling) Oceanography: physical (general circulation)
Polar, Cluster and SuperDARN evidence for high-latitude merging during southward IMF: temporal/spatial evolution
Authors: Maynard N. C. , Ober D. M. , Burke W. J. , Scudder J. D. , Lester M. , Dunlop M. , Wild J. A. , Grocott A. , Farrugia C. J. , Lund E. J. , Russell C. T. , Weimer D. R. , Siebert K. D. , Balogh A. , Andre M. , Rème H.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Magnetic merging on the dayside magnetopause often occurs at high latitudes. Polar measured fluxes of accelerated ions and wave Poynting vectors while skimming the subsolar magnetopause. The measurements indicate that their source was located to the north of the spacecraft, well removed from expected component merging sites. This represents the first use of wave Poynting flux as a merging discriminator at the magnetopause. We argue that wave Poynting vectors, like accelerated particle fluxes and the Walén tests, are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for identifying merging events. The Polar data are complemented with nearly simultaneous measurements from Cluster in the northern cusp, with correlated observations from the Super-DARN radar, to show that the locations and rates of merging vary. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations are used to place the measurements into a global context. The MHD simulations confirm the existence of a high-latitude merging site and suggest that Polar and SuperDARN observed effects are attributable to both exhaust regions of a temporally varying X-line. A survey of 13 merging events places the location at high latitudes whenever the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) clock angle is less than ~150°. While inferred high-latitude merging sites favor the antiparallel merging hypothesis, our data alone cannot exclude the possible existence of a guide field. Merging can even move away from equatorial latitudes when the IMF has a strong southward component. MHD simulations suggest that this happens when the dipole ilt angle increases or when IMF BX increases the effective dipole tilt.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers; magnetospheric configuration and dynamics; solar wind-magnetosphere interactions)
Two-dimensional current-carrying plasma sheet in the near-Earth geomagnetic tail region:a quasi-stationary evolution
Authors: Manankova A. V.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A problem concerning stationary configurations of an inhomogeneous, current-carrying, two-dimensional plasma sheet as the solution of the Grad–Shafranov equation with boundary conditions given on cross-sheet profiles at the  foot of the sheet and at infinity is considered, with the aim of using its solution for the description of the interaction of two current systems: the current system of the geomagnetic field, and the tail currents. The obtained solution is an exact analytical solution which contains 5 independent parameters characterizing the intensity of the current sheet. As the solution is exact, it may be applied to describe the most interesting transitional magnetospheric region: that of a strong interaction between the magnetic fields of the geodipole and of the current sheet, i.e. the region where characteristic scales of the change of all variables along and across the sheet are of the same order. This makes it possible to model the structure of the transitional region and its dynamics under quasi-stationary variation of the input parameters. The obtained solution describes the principal processes developing at various phases of magnetospheric disturbances, such as (1) formation of a very intense thin current sheet localized within the transition region, (2) changing from the quasi-dipolar magnetic field to the configuration when a "neck" is formed in this region. An important feature of the obtained solution is the existence of a critical value of one of the parameters of the problem, which leads to the change in the geomagnetic field configuration described above. The solution can be used as an initial condition in simulating dynamical processes in the magnetotail current sheet, as well as in testing the current sheet stability. In the summary a series of limitations in the model problem under consideration is discussed. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetotail; plasma sheet; magnetospheric configuration and dynamics)
A substorm in midnight auroral precipitation
Authors: Vorobjev V. G. , Yagodkina O. I. , Starkov G. V. , Feldstein Ya. I.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. DMSP F7 spacecraft observations for the whole of 1986 were used to construct the empirical model of the midnight auroral precipitation during a substorm. The model includes the dynamics of different auroral precipitation boundaries and simultaneous changes in average electron precipitation energy and energy flux in different precipitation regions during all substorm phases, as well as the IMF and solar wind plasma signatures during a substorm. The analysis of the model shows a few important features of precipitation. (1) During the magnetic quietness and just before the beginning of the substorm expansive phase the latitudinal width of the auroral precipitation in the nightside sector is about 5 – 6° CGL, while that of the auroral oval is about 2 – 3° CGL during such periods. (2) For about 5 min before the substorm onset a decrease in the average precipitating electron energy in the equatorward part of auroral zone was observed simultaneously, with an increase in both the average electron energy and energy flux of electron precipitation in the poleward part of the auroral zone. (3) The isotropy boundary position in the beginning of the substorm expansive phase coincides well with the inner edge of the central plasma sheet. The analysis of interplanetary medium parameters shows that, on average, during the substorm development, the solar wind dynamic pressure was about 1.5 times that of the magnetic quietness period. Substorms occurred predominantly during the southward IMF orientation, suggesting that substorm onset often was not associated with the northern turn or decrease in the southward interplanetary Bz . The Northern Hemisphere’s substorms occurred generally during the positive interplanetary By in winter, and they were observed when the interplanetary By was negative in summer.Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; particle precipitation) – Magnetospheric physics (storm and substorm; magnetosphere-ionosphere interaction)
Magion 5 observations of chorus-like emissions and their propagation features as inferred from ray-tracing simulation
Authors: Chum J. , Jiříček F. , Šmilauer J. , Shklyar D.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. After reviewing briefly the present state of knowledge about chorus-like emissions, we present an overview of Magion 5 satellite observations of these emissions in the inner magnetosphere of the Earth. From the extensive VLF data recorded on board the Magion 5 satellite, we show examples of different types of discrete elements, representing rising and falling tones, and discuss their spectral properties, such as the bandwidth and the characteristic frequency as compared to the equatorial electron gyrofrequency. We analyse the possibility of satellite observation of discrete elements, assuming nonducted wave propagation from the source. As for the characteristic dimension of the generation region, we apply the figures obtained from the recently published correlation analysis of chorus emission recorded by four satellites in the Cluster experiment. We conclude that different frequencies in the chorus element should be emitted in a certain span of wave normal angles, so that the whole element could be observed far from the generation region.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (plasmasphere; plasma waves and instabilities) – Space plasma physics (wave-particle interactions) – Ionosphere (wave propagation)
Pre-noon high-latitude auroral arcs as a manifestation of the interchange instability
Authors: Kozlovsky A. E. , Safargaleev V. V. , Jussila J. R. T. , Koustov A. V.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. On 7 December 2000, TV ASC camera in Barentsburg (Svalbard) observed pre-noon (at 09:00–10:00 MLT) rayed auroral arcs, which occurred at the pole-ward edge of the auroral oval after an IMF transition from By -dominated (By = + 8.8, Bz = + 4.3) to strongly northward dominated (By = + 2.7, Bz = + 8.6). The arcs appeared from the area of enhanced luminosity seen in the western (nightside) horizon, and developed to the east, progressing at a velocity of about 1.5 km/s. Simultaneously, the arcs were drifting poleward at a velocity of 300–500 m/s, whose value was equal to the F-region ionospheric plasma drift velocity observed by the Incoherent Scatter Radar (ESR). The arc appearance and motion corresponded well to the poleward expansion of the auroral oval following the IMF shift, which was observed by the UVI on board the Polar satellite. The observed auroras were associated with closed LLBL indicated by the particle precipitation data from DMSP satellites showing also several-keV electrons of PS origin. The observations allow us to suggest that the arcs arise due to the interchange instability that starts to develop at the boundary between the magnetospheric plasma and the magnetosheath flux tubes entering the closed magnetosphere due to the reconnection beyond the cusp after the IMF changes. The interchange instability can be suggested as a possible mechanism for the formation of the LLBL. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (auroral phenomena; magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers; magnetospheric configuration and dynamics)
Assessing the phenomenology of the Cretan Sea shelf area using coupling modelling techniques
Authors: Triantafyllou G. , Korres G. , Petihakis G. , Pollani A. , Lascaratos A.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. In this work the ability of nesting two hydrodynamical models, the high-resolution Cretan Sea shelf model and the lower resolution regional ALERMO model, was investigated. A new database was developed by objectively analysing raw climatological data from the MODB database enriched with in situ measurements collected by the Institute of Marine Biology of Crete. Prior to nesting with the ALERMO model, the Cretan Sea model was integrated using this new hydrological database, in order to investigate the capability of the model setup to describe the phenomenology of the Cretan Sea. Results show that the model can successfully reproduce the complex general circulation characteristics of the area, such as the dipole of a cyclone and an anticyclone, and the flow reversal between winter and summer. As a next step, the shelf-model was one-way nested with the ALERMO model and was integrated on a climatological basis. The evolution of the circulation characteristics of the Cretan Sea was compared, qualitatively and quantitatively, against the results of the regional model, and proved that the nesting between the two models can provide reliable information while overcoming at the same time the computational constraints imposed by high-resolution models.Key words. Oceanography: general (continental shelf processes; numerical modelling) – Oceanography: physical (general circulation)
Simulation and analysis of the mesoscale circulation in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Echevin V. , Crépon M. , Mortier L.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The large-scale and mesoscale circulation of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea are simulated with an eddy-resolving primitive-equation regional model (RM) of 1/16° resolution embedded in a general circulation model (GM) of the Mediterranean Sea of 1/8° resolution. The RM is forced by a monthly climatology of heat fluxes, precipitation and wind stress. The GM, which uses the same atmospheric forcing, provides initial and boundary conditions for the RM. Analysis of the RM results shows that several realistic features of the large-scale and mesoscale circulation are evident in this region. The mean cyclonic circulation is in good agreement with observations. Mesoscale variability is intense along the coasts of Sardinia and Corsica, in the Gulf of Lions and in the Catalan Sea. The length scales of the Northern Current meanders along the Provence coast and in the Gulf of Lions’ shelf are in good agreement with observations. Winter Intermediate Water is formed along most of the north-coast shelves, between the Gulf of Genoa and Cape Creus. Advection of this water by the mean cyclonic circulation generates a complex eddy field in the Catalan Sea. Intense anticyclonic eddies are generated northeast of the Balearic Islands. These results are in good agreement with mesoscale activity inferred from satellite altimetric data. This work demonstrates the feasibility of a down-scaling system composed of a general-circulation, a regional and a coastal model, which is one of the goals of the Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project. Key words. Oceanography: physical (currents; eddies and mesoscale processes; general circulation)
Assessing the performance of the Cretan Sea ecosystem model with the use of high frequency M3A buoy data set
Authors: Triantafyllou G. , Petihakis G. , Allen I. J.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. During the Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project a buoy was deployed in the Cretan Sea and for the first time high-frequency physical and biogeochemical data were collected over an extended period, providing a unique opportunity for the evaluation of an ecosystem model. The model both tuned and validated in the Cretan Sea in the past, is explored and quantified. In addition, the optimal parameter set is determined while the effects of high-frequency forcing are explored. The model results are satisfactory, especially at the upper part of the water column, while the inability of 1-D modelling in fully exploring the hydrodynamics of the particular area is depicted and further developments are suggested. Key words. Oceanography; general (numerical modeling) – Oceanography; biological and chemical (ecosystems and ecology)
An Ensemble Kalman Filter with a complex marine ecosystem model: hindcasting phytoplankton in the Cretan Sea
Authors: Allen J. I. , Eknes M. , Evensen G.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a complex ecosystem model along with near real-time in situ data and a sequential data assimilation method for state estimation. The ecosystem model used is the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM; Baretta et al., 1995) and the assimilation method chosen is the Ensemble Kalman Filer (EnKF). Previously, it has been shown that this method captures the nonlinear error evolution in time and is capable of both tracking the observations and providing realistic error estimates for the estimated state. This system has been used to assimilate long time series of in situ chlorophyll taken from a data buoy in the Cretan Sea. The assimilation of this data using the EnKF method results in a marked improvement in the ability of ERSEM to hindcast chlorophyll. The sensitivity of this system to the type of data used for assimilation, the frequency of assimilation, ensemble size and model errors is discussed. The predictability window of the EnKF appears to be at least 2 days. This is an indication that the methodology might be suitable for future operational data assimilation systems using more complex three-dimensional models. Key words. Oceanography: general (numerical modelling; ocean prediction) – Oceanography: biological and chemical (plankton)
Evidence for impulsive solar wind plasma penetration through the dayside magnetopause
Authors: Lundin R. , Sauvaud J.-A. , Rème H. , Balogh A. , Dandouras I. , Bosqued J. M. , Carlson C. , Parks G. K. , Möbius E. , Kistler L. M. , Klecker B. , Amata E. , Formisano V. , Dunlop M. , Eliasson L. , Korth A. , Lavraud B. , McCarthy M.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. This paper presents in situ observational evidence from the Cluster Ion Spectrometer (CIS) on Cluster of injected solar wind "plasma clouds" protruding into the day-side high-latitude magnetopause. The plasma clouds, presumably injected by a transient process through the day-side magnetopause, show characteristics implying a generation mechanism denoted impulsive penetration (Lemaire and Roth, 1978). The injected plasma clouds, hereafter termed "plasma transfer events", (PTEs), (Woch and Lundin, 1991), are temporal in nature and relatively limited in size. They are initially moving inward with a high velocity and a magnetic signature that makes them essentially indistinguishable from regular magnetosheath encounters. Once inside the magnetosphere, however, PTEs are more easily distinguished from magnetopause encounters. The PTEs may still be moving while embedded in an isotropic background of energetic trapped particles but, once inside the magnetosphere, they expand along magnetic field lines. However, they frequently have a significant transverse drift component as well. The drift is localised, thus constituting an excess momentum/motional emf generating electric fields and currents. The induced emf also acts locally, accelerating a pre-existing cold plasma (e.g. Sauvaud et al., 2001). Observations of PTE-signatures range from "active" (strong transverse flow, magnetic turbulence, electric current, local plasma acceleration) to "evanescent" (weak flow, weak current signature). PTEs appear to occur independently of Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) Bz in the vicinity of the polar cusp region, which is consistent with observations of transient plasma injections observed with mid- and high-altitude satellites (e.g. Woch and Lundin, 1992; Stenuit et al., 2001). However the characteristics of PTEs in the magnetosphere boundary layer differ for southward and northward IMF. The Cluster data available up to now indicate that PTEs penetrate deeper into the magnetosphere for northward IMF than for southward IMF. This may or may not mark a difference in nature between PTEs observed for southward and northward IMF. Considering that flux transfer events (FTEs), (Russell and Elphic, 1979), are observed for southward IMF or when the IMF is oriented such that antiparallel merging may occur, it seems likely that PTEs observed for southward IMF are related to FTEs.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers; magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions; solar-wind magnetosphere interactions)
Multi-site observations of the association between aurora and plasma convection in the cusp/polar cap during a southeastward(By ~ |Bz|) IMF orientation
Authors: Sandholt P. E. , Moen J. , Farrugia C. J. , Cowley S. W. H. , Lester M. , Milan S. E. , Valladares C. , Denig W. F. , Eriksson S.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. In a case study we demonstrate the spatiotemporal structure of aurora and plasma convection in the cusp/polar cap when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz < 0 and By ~ | Bz | (clock angle in GSM Y - Z plane: ~ 135°). This IMF orientation elicited a response different from that corresponding to strongly northward and southward IMF. Our study of this "intermediate state" is based on a combination of ground observations of optical auroral emissions and ionospheric plasma convection. Utilizing all-sky cameras at NyAlesund, Svalbard and Heiss Island (Russian arctic), we are able to monitor the high-latitude auroral activity within the ~10:00–15:00 MLT sector. Information on plasma convection is obtained from the SuperDARN radars, with emphasis placed on line of sight observations from the radar situated in Hankasalmi, Finland (Cutlass). A central feature of the auroral observations in the cusp/polar cap region is a ~ 30-min long sequence of four brightening events, some of which consists of latitudinally and longitudinally separated forms, which are found to be associated with pulsed ionospheric flows in merging and lobe convection cells. The auroral/convection events may be separated into different forms/cells and phases, reflecting a spatiotem-poral evolution of the reconnection process on the dayside magnetopause. The initial phase consists of a brightening in the postnoon sector (~ 12:00–14:00 MLT) at ~ 73° MLAT, accompanied by a pulse of enhanced westward convection in the postnoon merging cell. Thereafter, the event evolution comprises two phenomena which occur almost simultaneously: (1) westward expansion of the auroral brightening (equatorward boundary intensification) across noon, into the ~ 10:00–12:00 MLT sector, where the plasma convection subsequently turns almost due north, in the convection throat, and where classical poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) are observed; and (2) auroral brightening at slightly higher latitudes (~ 75° MLAT) in the postnoon lobe cell, with expansion towards noon, giving rise to a clear cusp bifurcation. The fading phase of PMAFs is accompanied by a "patch" of enhanced (~ 1 km/s) poleward-directed merging cell convection at high latitudes (75–82° MLAT), e.g. more than 500 km poleward of the cusp equatorward boundary. The major aurora/convection events are recurring at ~ 5–10 min intervals. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (auroral phenomena; magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers; plasma convection)