Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T10:16:22.446Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Geomagnetic storm and substorm aurora observed from Spitsbergen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

D.A.R. Simmons
Affiliation:
21 Dougalston Avenue, Milngavie, By Glasgow, Scotland
F. Sigernes
Affiliation:
The University Courses on Svalbard, N-9170 Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
K. Henriksen
Affiliation:
The Auroral Observatory, University of Tromsø, N-9001 Tromsø, Norway

Abstract

The present study confirms that the auroras of the nightside oval population consist of two main types, namely storm and substorm aurora. Storm-type aurora, which is relatively infrequent, results from bombardment of the upper ionosphere by fast particle streams generated in the solar wind by cataclysmic solar events related to coronal mass ejections. The associated turbulent plasma that is injected into the magnetosphere produces great magnetic storms of world-wide dimensions that may last for days. In contrast, substorm aurora is a frequent (almost daily) occurrence that lasts for an hour or two around geomagnetic midnight. It is generated by the impulsive release of stored magnetospheric energy from the substorm onset region in the Earth's magnetotail and is associated with localised negative magnetic bays in the H (horizontal)-component of the Earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of the auroral oval.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akasofu, S.-l. 1964. The development of the auroral substorm. Planetary Space Science 12: 273282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akasofu, S.-l. 1965. Dynamic morphology of auroras. Space Science Reviews 4: 498540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baumjohann, W., Paschmann, G., and Nagai, T.. 1992. Thinning and expansion of the substorm plasma sheet. Journal of Geophysical Research 97 (A11): 17, 173–17, 175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borrini, G., Gosling, J.T., Bame, S.J., and Feldman, W.C.. 1982. An analysis of shock wave disturbances observed at 1AU from 1971 through 1978. Journal of Geophysical Research 87 (A6): 43654373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cane, H.V. 1985. The evolution of interplanetary shocks. Journal of Geophysical Research 90 (A1): 191197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, D.S. 1985. The characteristics of a persistent auroral arc at high latitude in the 1400 MLT sector. In: Holtet, J.A., and Egeland, A. (editors). The polar cusp: proceedings of the NATO advanced workshop, May 7–12, 1984. Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company: 99109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fairfield, D.H. 1992. Advances in magnetospheric storm and substorm research: 1989–1991. Journal of Geophysical Research 97 (A7): 10, 865–10, 874.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gosling, J.T., McComas, D.J., Phillips, J.L., and Bame, S.J.. 1991. Geomagnetic activity associated with Earth passage of interplanetary shock disturbances and coronal mass ejections. Journal of Geophysical Research 96 (A5): 78317839.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harang, L. 1951. The aurorae: the international astrophysics series. London: Chapman and Hall: 92106.Google Scholar
Hewish, A., and Bravo, S.. 1986. The sources of large-scale heliospheric disturbances. Solar Physics 106: 185200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hones, E.W. 1977. Substorm processes in the magnetotail. Comments on ‘On hot tenuous plasmas, fireballs and boundary layers in the Earth's magnetotail’, by Frank, L.A., Ackerson, K.L, and Lepping, R.P.. Journal of Geophysical Research 82 (35): 56335640.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joselyn, J.A., and Mclntosh, P.S.. 1981. Disappearing solar filaments: a useful predictor of geomagnetic activity. Journal of Geophysical Research 86 (A6): 45554564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kan, J.R. 1993. A global magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling model of substorms. Journal of Geophysical Research 98 (A10): 17, 263–17, 275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kettmann, G., Fritz, T.A., and Hones, E.W.. 1990. CDAW7 revisited: further evidence for the creation of a near-Earth substorm neutral line. Journal of Geophysical Research 95 (A8): 12, 045–12, 056.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lui, A.T.Y. 1991. A synthesis of magnetospheric substorm models. Journal of Geophysical Research 96 (A2): 18491856.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McPherron, R.L., Russell, C.T., and Aubry, M.P.. 1973. Satellite studies of magnetospheric substorms on August 15, 1968. 9. Phenomenological model for substorms. Journal of Geophysical Research 78 (16): 31313149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munro, R.H., Gosling, J.T., Hildner, E., McQueen, R.M., Poland, A.I., and Ross, C.L.. 1979. The association of coronal mass ejection transients with other forms of solar activity. Solar Physics 61: 201215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rostoker, G. 1991. Some observational constraints for substorm models. In: Kan, J.R., Potemra, T.A., Kokubun, S., and Lijima, T. (editors). Magnetospheric substorms. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union (Geophysical Monograph 64).Google Scholar
Samson, J.C., Wallis, D.D., Hughes, T.S., Creutzberg, F., Ruohoniemi, J.M., and Greenwald, R.A.. 1992. Substorm intensification and field line resonances in the nightside magnetosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research 97 (A6): 84958518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheeley, W.R., Howard, R.A., Koomen, M.J., Michels, D.J., Schwenn, R., Mulhauser, K.H., and Rosenbauer, H.. 1985. Coronal mass ejections and interplanetary shocks. Journal of Geophysical Research 90 (A1): 163175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, D.A.R., and Henriksen, K.. 1988. Polar cap and other auroral events observed from Spitsbergen. Polar Record 24 (149): 8794.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, D.A.R., and Henriksen, K.. 1992. Discrete polar cap aurora observed from Spitsbergen. Polar Record 28 (166): 191204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, D.A.R., and Henriksen, K.. 1995. Polar glow aurora observed from Spitsbergen. Polar Record 31 (178): 315326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, D.A.R., Henriksen, K., Taylor, M.J., and Hermansen, D.. 1990. A remarkable outburst of solar activity and its geomagnetic effects. Journal of the British Astronomical Association 100: 280286.Google Scholar
Stern, D.P. 1990. Substorm electrodynamics. Journal of Geophysical Research 95 (A8): 12, 057–12, 067.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winglee, R.M., and Steinolfsen, R.S.. 1993. Energy storage and dissipation in the magnetotail during substorms. 1. Particle simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research 98 (A5): 75197535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar