Characteristics of field-aligned currents deduced from preliminary data analysis of MAGSAT observations

Preliminary analyses of the MAGSAT magnetic field data have been carried out. In high latitudes the signatures of field-aligned currents are clearly recognized to have the following characteristics : (1) the persistent basic pattern of current flow (so-called Regions 1 and 2), with the dominate in i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNankyoku shiryo no. 74; pp. 1 - 9
Main Authors Masaki Ejiri, Ryoichi Fujii, Haruo Sakurai, Takesi Iijima, Naoshi Fukushima
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published National Institute of Polar Research 01.02.1982
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Preliminary analyses of the MAGSAT magnetic field data have been carried out. In high latitudes the signatures of field-aligned currents are clearly recognized to have the following characteristics : (1) the persistent basic pattern of current flow (so-called Regions 1 and 2), with the dominate in intensity of Region 1 (pole-side) current over Region 2 (equator-side) current, and with greater variability of Region 2 current presumably depending on the substorm activity; (2) spatial latitudinal extent of field-aligned current being about 3°for Region 1 and about 5° for Region 2,wider than previously expected, and unusual reverse polarity of current flow direction; and (3) apparent dawn-dusk asymmetry in the field-aligned current intensity between the north and south polar regions.
ISSN:0085-7289
2432-079X
DOI:10.15094/00008282