bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the factors controlling occurrence of F-region coherent echoes
Authors: Danskin D. W. , Koustov A. V. , Ogawa T. , Nishitani N. , Nozawa S. , Milan S. E. , Lester M. , Andre D.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Several factors are known to control the HF echo occurrence rate, including electron density distribution in the ionosphere (affecting the propagation path of the radar wave), D-region radio wave absorption, and ionospheric irregularity intensity. In this study, we consider 4 days of CUTLASS Finland radar observations over an area where the EISCAT incoherent scatter radar has continuously monitored ionospheric parameters. We illustrate that for the event under consideration, the D-region absorption was not the major factor affecting the echo appearance. We show that the electron density distribution and the radar frequency selection were much more significant factors. The electron density magnitude affects the echo occurrence in two different ways. For small F-region densities, a minimum value of 1 × 1011 m-3 is required to have sufficient radio wave refraction so that the orthogonality (with the magnetic field lines) condition is met. For too large densities, radio wave strong "over-refraction" leads to the ionospheric echo disappearance. We estimate that the over-refraction is important for densities greater than 4 × 1011 m-3. We also investigated the backscatter power and the electric field magnitude relationship and found no obvious relationship contrary to the expectation that the gradient-drift plasma instability would lead to stronger irregularity intensity/echo power for larger electric fields.Key words. Ionosphere (ionospheric irregularities; plasma waves and instabilities; auroral ionosphere)
Electromagnetic waves and bursty electron acceleration: implications from Freja
Authors: Andersson L. , Wahlund J.-E. , Clemmons J. , Gustavsson B. , Eliasson L.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Dispersive Alfvén wave activity is identified in four dayside auroral oval events measured by the Freja satellite. The events are characterized by ion injection, bursty electron precipitation below about 1 keV, transverse ion heating and broadband extremely low frequency (ELF) emissions below the lower hybrid cutoff frequency (a few kHz). Large-scale density depletions/cavities, as determined by the Langmuir probe measurements, and strong electrostatic emissions are often observed simultaneously. A correlation study has been carried out between the E and B field fluctuations below 64 Hz and 10 Hz, respectively, (the DC instruments upper threshold) and the characteristics of the precipitating electrons. This study revealed that the energisation of electrons is indeed related to the broadband ELF emissions and that the electrostatic component plays a predominant role during very active magnetospheric conditions. Furthermore, the effect of the ELF electromagnetic emissions on the larger scale field-aligned current systems has been investigated, and it is found that such an effect cannot be detected. Instead, the Alfvénic activity creates a local region of field-aligned currents. It is suggested that dispersive Alfvén waves set up these local field-aligned current regions and, in turn, trigger more electrostatic emissions during certain conditions. In these regions, ions are transversely heated, and large-scale density depletions/cavities may be created during especially active periods.Key words. Ionosphere (particle acceleraton; wave-particle interactions) Magnetospheric physics (auroral phenomena)
High resolution observations of sporadic-E layers within the polar cap ionosphere using a new incoherent scatter radar experiment
Authors: Damtie B. , Nygrén T. , Lehtinen M. S. , Huuskonen A.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. High resolution observations of sporadic-E layers using a new experiment with the EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter) Svalbard radar (ESR) are presented. The observations were made by means of a new type of hardware, which was connected in parallel with the standard receiver. The radar beam was aligned with the geomagnetic field. The experiment applies a new modulation principle. Two phase codes, one with 22 bits and the other with 5 bits, were transmitted at separate frequencies. Each bit was further modulated by a 5-bit Barker code. The basic bit length of both transmissions was 6 µs. Instead of storing the lagged products of the ionospheric echoes in the traditional way, samples of both the transmitted pulses and the ionospheric echoes were taken at intervals of 1 µs and stored on hard disk. The lagged products were calculated later in an off-line analysis. In the analysis a sidelobe-free Barker decoding technique was used. The experiment produces range ambiguities, which were removed by mathematical inversion. Sporadic-E layers were observed at 105–115 km altitudes, and they are displayed with a 150-m range resolution and a 10-s time resolution. The layers show sometimes complex shapes, including triple peaked structures. The thickness of these sublayers is of the order of 1–2 km and they may be separated by 5 km in range. While drifting downwards, the sublayers merge together to form a single layer. The plasma inside a layer is found to have a longer correlation length than that of the surrounding plasma. This may be an indication of heavy ions inside the layer. The field-aligned ion velocity is also calculated. It reveals shears in the meridional wind, which suggests that shears probably also exist in the zonal wind. Hence the wind shear mechanism is a possible generation mechanism of the layer. However, observations from the coherent SuperDARN radar indicate the presence of an ionospheric electric field pointing in the sector between west and north. Thus, the layer could also be produced by the electric field mechanism. This means that both mechanisms may be active simultaneously. Their relative importance could not be determined in this study.Key words. Ionosphere; polar ionosphere, instruments and techniques
Temperature tides determined with meteor radar
Authors: Hocking W. K. , Hocking A.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A new analysis method for producing tidal temperature parameters using meteor radar measurements is presented, and is demonstrated with data from one polar and two mid-latitude sites. The technique further develops the temperature algorithm originally introduced by Hocking (1999). That earlier method was used to produce temperature measurements over time scales of days and months, but required an empirical model for the mean temperature gradient in the mesopause region. However, when tides are present, this temperature gradient is modulated by the presence of the tides, complicating extraction of diurnal variations. Nevertheless, if the vertical wavelengths of the tides are known from wind measurements, the effects of the gradient variations can be compensated for, permitting determination of temperature tidal amplitudes and phases by meteor techniques. The basic theory is described, and results from meteor radars at Resolute Bay (Canada), London (Canada) and Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA) are shown. Our results are compared with other lidar data, computer models, fundamental tidal theory and rocket data. Phase measurements at two mid-latitude sites (Albuquerque, New Mexico, and London, Canada) show times of maximum for the diurnal temperature tide to change modestly throughout most of the year, varying generally between 0 h and 6 h, with an excursion to 12 h in June at London. The semidiurnal tide shows a larger annual variation in time of maximum, being at 2–4 h in the winter months but increasing to 9 h during the late summer and early fall. We also find that, at least at mid-latitudes, the phase of the temperature tide matches closely the phase of the meridional tide, and theoretical justification for this statement is given. We also demonstrate that this is true using the Global Scale Wave Model (Hagan et al., 1999). Median values for the temperature amplitudes for each site are in the range 5 to 6 Kelvin. Results from a more northern site (Resolute Bay) show less consistency between the wind tides and the temperature tides, supporting suggestions that the temperature tides may be zonally symmetric at these high latitudes (e.g. Walterscheid and Sivjee, 2001).Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides) – Radio science (signal processing)
High resolution general purpose D-layer experiment for EISCAT incoherent scatter radars using selected set of random codes
Authors: Turunen T. , Westman A. , Häggström I. , Wannberg G.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The ionospheric D-layer is a narrow bandwidth radar target often with a very small scattering cross section. The target autocorrelation function can be obtained by transmitting a series of relatively short coded pulses and computing the correlation between data obtained from different pulses. The spatial resolution should be as high as possible and the spatial side lobes of the codes used should be as small as possible. However, due to the short pulse repetition period (in the order of milliseconds) at any instant, the radar receives detectable scattered signals not only from the pulse illuminating the D-region but also from 3–5 ambiguous-range pulses, which makes it difficult to produce a reliable estimate near zero lag of the autocorrelation function. A new experimental solution to this measurement problem, using a selected set of 40-bit random codes with 4 µs elements giving 600 m spatial resolution is presented. The zero lag is approximated by dividing the pulse into two 20-bit codes and computing the correlation between those two pulses. The lowest altitudes of the E-layer are measured by dividing the pulse into 5 pieces of 8 bits, which allows for computation of 4 lags. In addition, coherent integration of data from four pulses is used for obtaining separately the autocorrelation function estimate for the lowest altitudes and in cases when the target contains structures with a long coherence time. Design details and responses of the experiment are given, and analysed test data are shown.Key words. Radio science (signal processing); Ionosphere (plasma temperature and density; instruments and techniques)
Doppler shift simulation of scattered HF signals during the Tromsø HF pumping experiment on 16 February 1996
Authors: Borisova T. D. , Blagoveshchenska N. F. , Moskvin I. V. , Rietveld M. T. , Kosch M. J. , Thidé B.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Comparisons between bistatic scatter measurements and simulation results during the Tromsø HF pumping experiment on 16 February 1996 are made. Doppler measurements of an HF diagnostic signal scattered from the field-aligned irregularities (FAIs) in the auroral E-region were carried out on the London – Tromsø – St. Petersburg path at 9410 kHz from 21:00 to 22:00 UT. The scattered signals were observed both from natural and artificial ionospheric irregularities located in the vicinity of Tromsø. To simulate the Doppler frequency shifts, fd , of scattered signals, a radio channel model, named CONE, was developed. The model allows for ray tracing, group and phase paths, and Doppler frequency shift calculations. The calculated Doppler shifts were analyzed for dependence on the magnitude and direction of plasma velocities in the scattering volume. It was found that the velocity components in the north-south direction are crucial for explaining the Doppler frequency shifts of the scattered diagnostic signals. To simulate fd , real velocities obtained from the EISCAT UHF radar at an altitude of 278 km and from the digital all-sky imager during the experiment were employed. The simulation results of Doppler frequency shift variations with time are in reasonable agreement with the experimental Doppler shifts of scattered signals on the London – Tromsø – St. Petersburg path.Key words. Ionosphere (active experiments; ionospheric irregularities) Radio science (ionospheric propagation)
Ducted compressional waves in the magnetosphere in the double-polytropic approximation
Authors: Ballai I. , Erdélyi R. , Roberts B.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Small-amplitude compressional magnetohydrodynamic-type waves are studied in the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere is treated as a rarefied plasma with anisotropy in the kinetic pressure distribution. The parallel and perpendicular pressures are defined by general polytropic pressure laws. This double-polytropic model can be considered as a natural extension of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model when the plasma is collisionless.  Generalized dispersion relations for surface and body waves are derived and analyzed for an isolated magnetic slab. The waves are confined to the slab. For specific polytropic indices, the results obtained in the (i) Chew-Goldberger-Low (CGL) double-adiabatic and (ii) double-isothermal approximations are recovered.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (MHD waves and in-stabilities; plasma sheet; plasma waves and instabilities)
Origin of some anisotropic tailward flows in the plasma sheet
Authors: Wanliss J. A. , Sydora R. D. , Rostoker G. , Rankin R.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. We use a test particle model to explore anisotropy and fast flows in the central plasma sheet (CPS) that are a consequence of plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) ion beam dynamics. Ion distributions and flows (velocity moments) in the CPS and equatorial current sheet (CS) are compared and we find that mirroring of initially earthward beams from the PSBL, and their subsequent convection to the CS region, results in strong anisotropy throughout the CPS. At higher latitudes, velocity moments are field-aligned and feature earthward flow. Deeper in the CPS, velocity moments yield flows in the anti-earthward direction. There is no clear distinction between the PSBL and CPS, since velocity distributions with large streaming components occur throughout the model CPS, but in the CS region they are anisotropic and nongyrotropic. In the CS region velocity moments can feature anti-earthward cross field flows. These tailward flows (> 400 km/s) are observed in the CS region between X = - 20 to - 30 RE due to nonadiabatic effects. Model results suggest that fast tailward plasma flows can be obtained without necessarily appealing to magnetotail processes associated with dynamic geomagnetic activity.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetospheric con-figuration and dynamics) – Space plasma physics (charge particle motion and acceleration; numerical simulation studies)
Velocities of auroral coherent echoes at 12 and 144 MHz
Authors: Koustov A. V. , Danskin D. W. , Uspensky M. V. , Ogawa T. , Janhunen P. , Nishitani N. , Nozawa S. , Lester M. , Milan S.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Two Doppler coherent radar systems are currently working at Hankasalmi, Finland, the STARE and CUTLASS radars operating at ~144 MHz and ~12 MHz, respectively. The STARE beam 3 is nearly co-located with the CUTLASS beam 5, providing an opportunity for echo velocity comparison along the same direction but at significantly different radar frequencies. In this study we consider an event when STARE radar echoes are detected at the same ranges as CUT-LASS radar echoes. The observations are complemented by EISCAT measurements of the ionospheric electric field and electron density behaviour at one range of 900 km. Two separate situations are studied; for the first one, CUTLASS observed F-region echoes (including the range of the EIS-CAT measurements), while for the second one CUTLASS observed E-region echoes. In both cases STARE E-region measurements were available. We show that F-region CUT-LASS velocities agree well with the convection component along the CUTLASS radar beam, while STARE velocities are typically smaller by a factor of 2–3. For the second case, STARE velocities are found to be either smaller or larger than CUTLASS velocities, depending on the range. Plasma physics of E-and F-region irregularities is discussed in attempt to explain the inferred relationship between various velocities. Special attention is paid to ionospheric refraction that is important for the detection of 12-MHz echoes.Key words. Ionosphere (ionospheric irregularities; plasma waves and instabilities; auroral ionosphere)
Solar Cycle variations of ƒoF2 from IGY to 1990
Authors: Sethi N. K. , Goel M. K. , Mahajan K. K.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Noontime monthly median values of F2-layer critical frequency foF2 (m) for some ionospheric stations representing low- and mid-latitudes are examined for their dependence on solar activity for the years 1957 (IGY) to 1990. This is the period for which ionospheric data in digital form is available in two CD-ROMs at the World Data Center, Boulder. It is observed that at mid-latitudes, foF2 (m) shows nearly a linear relationship with R12 (the 12-month running average of the Zurich sunspot number), though this relation is nonlinear for low-latitudes. These results indicate some departures from the existing information often used in theoretical and applied areas of space research.Key words. Ionosphere (equatorial ionosphere; mid-latitude ionosphere; modelling and forecasting)
Polar observations of electron density distribution in the Earth’s magnetosphere. 2. Density profiles
Authors: Laakso H. , Pfaff R. , Janhunen P.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Using spacecraft potential measurements of the Polar electric field experiment, we investigate electron density variations of key plasma regions within the magnetosphere, including the polar cap, cusp, trough, plasmapause, and auroral zone. The statistical results were presented in the first part of this study, and the present paper reports detailed structures revealed by individual satellite passes. The high-altitude (> 3 RE) polar cap is generally one of the most tenuous regions in the magnetosphere, but surprisingly, the polar cap boundary does not appear as a steep density decline. At low altitudes (1 RE) in summer, the polar densities are very high, several 100 cm-3 , and interestingly, the density peaks at the central polar cap. On the noonside of the polar cap, the cusp appears as a dense, 1–3° wide region. A typical cusp density above 4 RE distance is between several 10 cm-3 and a few 100 cm-3 . On some occasions the cusp is crossed multiple times in a single pass, simultaneously with the occurrence of IMF excursions, as the cusp can instantly shift its position under varying solar wind conditions, similar to the magnetopause. On the nightside, the auroral zone is not always detected as a simple density cavity. Cavities are observed but their locations, strengths, and sizes vary. Also, the electric field perturbations do not necessarily overlap with the cavities: there are cavities with no field disturbances, as well as electric field disturbances observed with no clear cavitation. In the inner magnetosphere, the density distributions clearly show that the plasmapause and trough densities are well correlated with geomagnetic activity. Data from individual orbits near noon and midnight demonstrate that at the beginning of geomagnetic disturbances, the retreat speed of the plasmapause can be one L-shell per hour, while during quiet intervals the plasmapause can expand anti-earthward at the same speed. For the trough region, it is found that the density tends to be an order of magnitude higher on the day-side (~1 cm-3) than on the nightside (~0.1–1 cm-3), particularly during low Kp.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (auroral phenomena; plasmasphere; polar cap phenomena)
The storm time central plasma sheet
Authors: Schödel R. , Dierschke K. , Baumjohann W. , Nakamura R. , Mukai T.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The plasma sheet plays a key role during magnetic storms because it is the bottleneck through which large amounts of magnetic flux that have been eroded from the dayside magnetopause have to be returned to the dayside magnetosphere. Using about five years of Geotail data we studied the average properties of the near- and midtail central plasma sheet (CPS) in the 10–30 RE range during magnetic storms. The earthward flux transport rate is greatly enhanced during the storm main phase, but shows a significant earthward decrease. Hence, since the magnetic flux cannot be circulated at a sufficient rate, this leads to an average dipolarization of the central plasma sheet. An increase of the specific entropy of the CPS ion population by a factor of about two during the storm main phase provides evidence for nonadiabatic heating processes. The direction of flux transport during the main phase is consistent with the possible formation of a near-Earth neutral line beyond ~20 RE.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (plasma convection; plasma sheet; storms and substorms)
Altitude dependence of plasma density in the auroral zone
Authors: Janhunen P. , Olsson A. , Laakso H.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. We study the altitude dependence of plasma depletions above the auroral region in the 5000–30 000 km altitude range using five years of Polar spacecraft potential data. We find that besides a general decrease of plasma density with altitude, there frequently exist additional density depletions at 2–4 RE radial distance, where RE is the Earth radius. The position of the depletions tends to move to higher altitude when the ionospheric footpoint is sunlit as compared to darkness. Apart from these cavities at 2–4 RE radial distance, separate cavities above 4 RE occur in the midnight sector for all Kp and also in the morning sector for high Kp. In the evening sector our data remain inconclusive in this respect. This holds for the ILAT range 68–74. These additional depletions may be substorm-related. Our study shows that auroral phenomena modify the plasma density in the auroral region in such a way that a nontrivial and interesting altitude variation results, which reflects the nature of the auroral acceleration processes.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (auroral phenomena; magnetosphere–ionosphere interactions)
Nonlinear time series analysis of the fluctuations of the geomagnetic horizontal field
Authors: George B. , Renuka G. , Satheesh Kumar K. , Anil Kumar C. P. , Venugopal C.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A detailed nonlinear time series analysis of the hourly data of the geomagnetic horizontal intensity H measured at Kodaikanal (10.2° N; 77.5° E; mag: dip 3.5° N) has been carried out to investigate the dynamical behaviour of the fluctuations of H. The recurrence plots, spatiotemporal entropy and the result of the surrogate data test show the deterministic nature of the fluctuations, rejecting the hypothesis that H belong to the family of linear stochastic signals. The low dimensional character of the dynamics is evident from the estimated value of the correlation dimension and the fraction of false neighbours calculated for various embedding dimensions. The exponential decay of the power spectrum and the positive Lyapunov exponent indicate chaotic behaviour of the underlying dynamics of H. This is also supported by the results of the comparison of the chaotic characteristics of the time series of H with the pseudo-chaotic characteristics of coloured noise time series. We have also shown that the error involved in the short-term prediction of successive values of H, using a simple but robust, zero-order nonlinear prediction method, increases exponentially. It has also been suggested that there exists the possibility of characterizing the geomagnetic fluctuations in terms of the invariants in chaos theory, such as Lyapunov exponents and correlation dimension. The results of the analysis could also have implications in the development of a suitable model for the daily fluctuations of geomagnetic horizontal intensity.Key words. Geomagnetism and paleomagnetism (time variations, diurnal to secular) – History of geophysics (solar-planetary relationships) Magnetospheric physics (storms and substorms)
Variability in the maximum height of the ionospheric F2-layer over Millstone Hill (September 1998–March 2000); influence from below and above
Authors: Pancheva D. , Mitchell N. , Clark R. R. , Drobjeva J. , Lastovicka J.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The basic aim of this ‘case study’ is to investigate the variability in the maximum height of the ionospheric F2-layer, hmF2, with periods of planetary waves (2–30 days), and to make an attempt to determine their origin. The hourly data of hmF2 above Millstone Hill (42.6° N, 71.5° W) during 01 September 1998 - 31 March 2000 were used for analysis. Three types of disturbances are studied in detail: (i) the 27- day oscillations observed in the hmF2 above Millstone Hill are generated by the geomagnetic activity and by the global-scale 27-day wave present in the zonal mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) neutral wind. The time delay between the 27-day oscillation in the zonal wind and that in the hmF2 is found to be 5–6 days, while between the 27-day oscillation in the geomagnetic activity and that in the hmF2 is found to be 0.8–1 day; (ii) the 16-day oscillation in the hmF2 observed during summer 1999 is probably generated by the global scale 16-day modulation of the semidiurnal tide observed in the MLT region during PSMOS campaign in June–August. We found that if the modulated semidiurnal tide mediates the planetary wave signature in the ionosphere, this planetary wave oscillation has to be best expressed in the amplitude and in the phase of the 12-h periodicity of the ionosphere; and (iii) the third type of disturbances studied is the quasi-2- day activity in the hmF2 that increases during geomagnetic disturbances. The strong pseudo diurnal periodicities generated during the geomagnetic storms can interact between each other and produce the quasi-2-day oscillations in the ionosphere.Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interactions; ionosphere-magnetoshpere interactions; wave propagation)
A comparative study of night-time enhancement of TEC at a low latitude station on storm and quiet nights including the local time, seasonal and solar activity dependence
Authors: Unnikrishnan K. , Balachandran Nair R. , Venugopal C.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The main characteristics of night-time enhancements in TEC during magnetic storms are compared with those during quiet nights for different seasons and solar activity conditions at Palehua, a low latitude station during the period 1980–1989. We find that the mean amplitude has both a seasonal and solar activity dependence: in winter, the values are higher for weak storms as compared to those during quiet nights and increase with an increase in solar activity. In summer, the mean amplitude values during weak storms and quiet nights are almost equal. But during equinox, the mean amplitude values for quiet nights are greater than those during weak storms. The mean half-amplitude duration is higher during weak storms as compared to that during quiet nights in summer. However, during winter and equinox, the durations are almost equal for both quiet and weak storm nights. For the mean half-amplitude duration, the quiet night values for all the seasons and equinoctial weak storm values increase with an increase in solar activity. The occurrence frequency (in percent) of TEC enhancement during weak storms is greater than during quiet nights for all seasons. The mean amplitude, the mean half-amplitude duration and the occurrence frequency (in percent) of TEC enhancement values are higher during major storms as compared to those during quiet nights. The above parameters have their highest values during pre-midnight hours. From the data analysed, this behaviour is true in the case of major storms also.Key words. Ionosphere (ionospheric disturbances; plasma convection) Magnetospheric physics (storms and substorms)
Faraday polarization fluctuations and their dependence on post sunset secondary maximum and amplitude scintillations at Delhi
Authors: Gupta J. K. , Singh Lakha , Dabas R. S.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. VHF Faraday rotation (FR) and amplitude scintillation data recorded simultaneously during May 1978–December 1980 at Delhi (28.63° N, 77.22° E; Dip 42.44° N) is analyzed in order to study the Faraday polarization fluctuations (FPFs) and their dependence on the occurrence of post sunset secondary maximum (PSSM) and amplitude scintillations. It is noted that FPFs are observed only when both PSSM and scintillations also occur simultaneously. FPFs are observed only during winter and the equinoctial months of high sunspot years. FPFs events are associated with intense scintillation activity, which is characterized by sudden onsets and abrupt endings, and are observed one to three hours after the local sunset. When FPFs and scintillation data from Delhi is compared with the corresponding data from a still lower latitude station, Hyderabad (17.35° N, 78.45° E), it is found that the occurrence of FPFs and scintillations at Delhi is conditional to their prior occurrence at Hyderabad, which indicates their production by a plasma bubble and the as-sociated irregularities generated initially over the magnetic equator. In addition, FPFs and scintillation data for October 1979, when their occurrence was maximum, is also examined in relation to daytime (11:00 LT) electrojet strength (EEj) values and evening hour h’F from an equatorial location, Kodaikanal (10.3° N, 77.5° E). It is interesting to note that FPFs and scintillations are most likely observed when the EEj was 100 nT or more and h’F reaches around 500 km. These results show that EEj and evening hours h’F values over the magnetic equator are important parameters for predicting FPFs and scintillation activity at locations such as Delhi, where scintillation activity is much more intense as compared to the equatorial region due to the enhanced back-ground ionization due to the occurrence of PSSM.Key words. Ionosphere (equatorial ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities) – Radio science (ionospheric physics)
Global distributions of diurnal and semi-diurnal tides: observations from HRDI-UARS of the MLT region
Authors: Manson A. H. , Luo Y. , Meek C.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. HRDI (High Resolution Doppler Interferometer-UARS) winds data have been analyzed in 4° latitude by 10° longitude cells at 96 km to obtain global contour maps of solar-tidal amplitudes and phases, and also mean winds. The solstices June–July (1993), December–January (1993–1994), and one equinox September–October (1994) are shown.  The 24-h diurnal tide that maximizes near the 20–25° latitude has significant seasonal changes with equinoctial maxima, and very clear longitudinal variability. Maxima are very clear over the oceans. In contrast, the 12-h semi-diurnal tides that maximize near the 40–55° latitude have very strong seasonal changes with winter maxima, and more modest longitudinal changes. The similarities with MLT (mesosphere-lower thermosphere) radar observations (90 km) and the GSWM (Global Scale Wave Model) are very satisfactory. The mean winds are consistent with expectations and show clear poleward flow from summer to winter hemispheres in the solstices.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides) Radio science (remote sensing)
Effects of solar eclipse on the electrodynamical processes of the equatorial ionosphere: a case study during 11 August 1999 dusk time total solar eclipse over India
Authors: Sridharan R. , Devasia C. V. , Jyoti N. , Tiwari Diwakar , Viswanathan K. S. , Subbarao K. S. V.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The effects on the electrodynamics of the equatorial E- and F-regions of the ionosphere, due to the occurrence of the solar eclipse during sunset hours on 11 August 1999, were investigated in a unique observational campaign involving ground based ionosondes, VHF and HF radars from the equatorial location of Trivandrum (8.5° N; 77° E; dip lat. 0.5° N), India. The study revealed the nature of changes brought about by the eclipse in the evening time E- and F-regions in terms of (i) the sudden intensification of a weak blanketing ES-layer and the associated large enhancement of the VHF backscattered returns, (ii) significant increase in h' F immediately following the eclipse and (iii) distinctly different spatial and temporal structures in the spread-F irregularity drift velocities as observed by the HF radar. The significantly large enhancement of the backscattered returns from the E-region coincident with the onset of the eclipse is attributed to the generation of steep electron density gradients associated with the blanketing ES , possibly triggered by the eclipse phenomena. The increase in F-region base height immediately after the eclipse is explained as due to the reduction in the conductivity of the conjugate E-region in the path of totality connected to the F-region over the equator along the magnetic field lines, and this, with the peculiar local and regional conditions, seems to have reduced the E-region loading of the F-region dynamo, resulting in a larger post sunset F-region height (h' F) rise. These aspects of E-and F-region behaviour on the eclipse day are discussed in relation to those observed on the control day.Key words. Ionosphere (electric fields and currents; equatorial ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities)
Doppler temperatures from O(1D) airglow in the daytime thermosphere as observed by the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) on the UARS satellite
Authors: Lathuillère C. , Gault W. A. , Lamballais B. , Rochon Y. J. , Solheim B. H.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. From 1992 to 1997, the WINDII interferometer on board the UARS satellite acquired a large set of thermospheric data from the O(1D) and O(1S) airglows. We report here for the first time on daytime O(1D) Doppler temperatures obtained with version 5.11 of the WINDII data processing software. Using a statistical analysis of the temperatures independently measured by the two WINDII fields of view, we estimate that the temperature variations larger than 40 K can be considered as geophysical. Comparisons of WINDII temperatures measured during magnetically quiet days with temperatures obtained by the MSIS-90 and DTM-94 thermospheric models show a 100 K bias. We demonstrate, however, that the modeled temperature variations represent very well the mean temperature variation observed by WINDII over 4 years. We also show that the observed latitudinal/local time variation is in very good agreement with the two empirical models. Finally, the temperature variations during a magnetically disturbed day are found to be qualitatively well represented in form by the models, but largely underestimated. The presence of non-thermal atoms and instrument related issues are discussed as possible explanations for the 100 K bias between the WINDII Doppler temperatures and the empirical models.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (air-glow and aurora; pressure, density and temperature; instruments and techniques)
Numerical study of the October 2000 torrential precipitation event over eastern Spain: analysis of the synoptic-scale stationarity
Authors: Homar V. , Romero R. , Ramis C. , Alonso S.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A torrential precipitation event affected eastern Spain during 21 to 24 October 2000. Total accumulated rainfall higher than 500 mm was registered at some locations, with values up to 300 mm in a 24-h period. The synoptic-scale charts for these days show the presence of a cold cutoff low aloft, south of the Iberian Peninsula, as a part of an W-blocking structure over Europe. At low levels, persistent easterly winds, established between a dominant anticyclone over eastern Europe and a cyclone over Morocco, are found over the western Mediterranean throughout the entire period. Satellite images show the advance and breaking away of a trough, with an associated cold front, over the Iberian Peninsula, which resulted in the cutoff low formation. Later, scattered convective cells are detected along the eastern Spanish coast during more than 3 days. Numerical simulations reveal that the convective environment was developed by the low-level advection of warm and moist air from central Mediterranean, being charged of moisture by evaporation from the sea. Sensitivity runs confirm that the synoptic-scale persistent low-level easterly flow, and specifically, the presence of a low level jet, was crucial for the subsynoptic processes leading to the long lasting torrential rainfall over the exposed terrains of eastern Spain. The stagnancy of the low-level flow is attributed to the quasi-stationary characteristics of the upper level cutoff low located south of the Iberian Peninsula. Experiments with modified upper-level potential vorticity distributions reveal that slight deviations from the observed configuration result in enhanced mobility of the low-level flow pattern, and thereby a reduction of the precipitation persistence. This suggests the major importance of a correct representation in the model initial conditions of the intensity and location of the upper level features, in order to obtain valuable numerical forecasts of these heavy rainfall events.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (convective processes; mesoscale meteorology; precipitation)
NAO influence on extreme winter temperatures in Madrid (Spain)
Authors: Prieto L. , Garcia R. , Diaz J. , Hernandez E. , del Teso T.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. Extremely cold days (ECDs), with minimum temperatures lower than -4.6°C, have been analysed for Madrid. This threshold corresponds to the 5th percentile of the period 1963–1999. Adopting a case analysis approach, five synoptic patterns have been identified that produce these extremely low temperatures. Three of them are associated with cold air flows over the Iberian Peninsula, and the other two with a lack of significant circulation over the region. A nonlinear association with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has been identified using log-linear models. The NAO positive phase leads to an increase in the winter frequency of those synoptic patterns associated with stagnant air flow over Iberia, while those characterised by cold, northern flows do not appear to be similarly influenced.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (climatology; synoptic-scale meteorology; general or miscellaneous)
Letter to the Editor Aerosol radiative forcing over land: effect of surface and cloud reflection
Authors: Satheesh S. K.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. It is now clearly understood that atmospheric aerosols have a significant impact on climate due to their important role in modifying the incoming solar and outgoing infrared radiation. The question of whether aerosol cools (negative forcing) or warms (positive forcing) the planet depends on the relative dominance of absorbing aerosols. Recent investigations over the tropical Indian Ocean have shown that, irrespective of the comparatively small percentage contribution in optical depth ( ~ 11%), soot has an important role in the overall radiative forcing. However, when the amount of absorbing aerosols such as soot are significant, aerosol optical depth and chemical composition are not the only determinants of aerosol climate effects, but the altitude of the aerosol layer and the altitude and type of clouds are also important. In this paper, the aerosol forcing in the presence of clouds and the effect of different surface types (ocean, soil, vegetation, and different combinations of soil and vegetation) are examined based on model simulations, demonstrating that aerosol forcing changes sign from negative (cooling) to positive (warming) when reflection from below (either due to land or clouds) is high.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles) History of Geophysics (atmospheric sciences) Hydrology (anthropogenic effects)
A study into the effect of the diurnal tide on the structure of the background mesosphere and thermosphere using the new coupled middle atmosphere and thermosphere (CMAT) general circulation model
Authors: Harris M. J. , Arnold N. F. , Aylward A. D.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A new coupled middle atmosphere and thermosphere general circulation model has been developed, and some first results are presented. An investigation into the effects of the diurnal tide upon the mean composition, dynamics and energetics was carried out for equinox conditions. Previous studies have shown that tides deplete mean atomic oxygen in the upper mesosphere-lower thermosphere due to an increased recombination in the tidal displaced air parcels. The model runs presented suggest that the mean residual circulation associated with the tidal dissipation also plays an important role. Stronger lower boundary tidal forcing was seen to increase the equatorial local diurnal maximum of atomic oxygen and the associated 0(1S) 557.7 nm green line volume emission rates. The changes in the mean background temperature structure were found to correspond to changes in the mean circulation and exothermic chemical heating.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry) Meterology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides)
Letter to the EditorA statistical study of the location and motion of the HF radar cusp
Authors: Yeoman T. K. , Hanlon P. G. , McWilliams K. A.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The large-scale and continuous monitoring of the ionospheric cusp region offered by HF radars has been exploited in order to examine the statistical location and motion of the equatorward edge of the HF radar cusp as a function of the upstream IMF BZ component. Although a considerable scatter is seen, both parameters have a clear influence from the north-south component of the IMF. Excellent agreement is achieved with previous observations from low altitude spacecraft data. The HF radar cusp region is seen to migrate equatorward at a rate of 0.02° min-1 nT-1 under IMF BZ south conditions, but remains static for IMF BZ north. The motion of the cusp implies an addition of magnetic flux of ~ 2 × 104 Wbs-1 nT-1 under IMF BZ south conditions, equivalent to a reconnection voltage of 20 kV nT-1, which is consistent with previous estimates from case studies on both the dayside and nightside regions.Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere) – Magnetospheric physics (magnetosphere-ionosphere interaction; solar wind magnetosphere interactions)
The magnetopause shape and location: a comparison of the Interball and Geotail observations with models
Authors: Šafránková J. , Nĕmeček Z. , Dušík Š. , Přech L. , Sibeck D. G. , Borodkova N. N.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. A number of magnetopause models have been developed in the course of last three decades. We have chosen seven of them and tested them using a fresh set of magnetopause crossings observed by Interball-1, Magion-4, and Geotail satellites. The crossings cover the magnetopause from the subsolar region up to near-Earth tail (XGSE ~ - 20 RE ) and all geomagnetic latitudes. Our study reveals that (1) the difference between investigated models is smaller than the error of prediction caused by the factors not included in models, (2) the dayside magnetopause is indented in the cusp region, (3) the deepness of the indentation can reach ~ 4 RE , and (4) the dimensions of the indentation do not depend on the dipole tilt, whereas its location does.Key words. Magnetopause, magnetospheric physics, solar wind
Cusp-like plasma in high altitudes: a statistical study of the width and location of the cusp from Magion-4
Authors: Mĕrka J. , Šafránková J. , Nĕmeček Z.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. The width of the cusp region is an indicator of the strength of the merging process and the degree of opening of the magnetosphere. During three years, the Magion-4 satellite, as part of the Interball project, has collected a unique data set of cusp-like plasma observations in middle and high altitudes. For a comparison of high- and low-altitude cusp determination, we map our observations of cusp-like plasma along the magnetic field lines down to the Earth’s surface. We use the Tsyganenko and Stern 1996 model of the magnetospheric magnetic field for the mapping, taking actual solar wind and IMF parameters from the Wind observations. The footprint positions show substantial latitudinal dependence on the dipole tilt angle. We fit this dependence with a linear function and subtract this function from observed cusp position. This process allows us to study both statistical width and location of the inspected region as a function of the solar wind and IMF parameters. Our processing of the Magion-4 measurements shows that high-altitude regions occupied by the cusp-like plasma (cusp and cleft) are projected onto a much broader area (in magnetic local time as well as in a latitude) than that determined in low altitudes. The trends of the shift of the cusp position with changes in the IMF direction established by low-altitude observations have been confirmed.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp and boundary layer; solar wind – magnetosphere interactions)
Two types of ion spectral gaps in the quiet inner magnetosphere: Interball-2 observations and modeling
Authors: Buzulukova N. Y. , Galperin Y. I. , Kovrazhkin R. A. , Glazunov A. L. , Vladimirova G. A. , Stenuit H. , Sauvaud J. A. , Delcourt D. C.
Published: June 2010

Abstract. We analyse measurements of ion spectral gaps (ISGs) observed by the ION particle spectrometer on board the Interball-2 satellite. The ISG represents a sharp decrease in H+ flux at a particular narrow energy range. ISGs are practically always observed in the inner magnetosphere in a wide MLT range during quiet times. Clear examples of ISG in the morning, dayside, evening and nightside sectors of the magnetosphere are selected for detailed analysis and modeling. To obtain a model ISG, the trajectories of ions drifting in the equatorial plane from their nightside source to the observation point were computed for the energy range 0.1–15 keV. Three global convection models (McIlwain, 1972, 1986; Volland, 1973; Stern, 1975) were tested to reproduce the observed ISGs in all MLT sectors. Qualitative agreement is obtained for all three models, but the better agreement for quiet times is reached with the McIlwain (1972) convection model. It is shown that the ISGs observed by the ION spectrometer throughout the inner magnetosphere are the result of super-position of the two effects, already described in the literature (e.g. McIlwain, 1972; Shirai et al., 1997), but acting under different conditions. Also, the role of particle source location on the model gaps is investigated. It may be concluded that despite the evidence of large amplitude and directional local fluctuations of electric fields in the inner magnetosphere (Quinn et al., 1999), the existence of a stationary average convection pattern is confirmed by this modeling. This fact directly follows from observations of ISGs and from a good agreement of observations with modeled gaps calculated in the frames of adiabatic theory for a stationary (average) convection pattern.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (plasma convection; electric fields)