An investigation of latitudinal transitions in the SuperDARN Doppler spectral width parameter at different magnetic local times

Chisham, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1151-5934; Freeman, M.P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8653-8279. 2004 An investigation of latitudinal transitions in the SuperDARN Doppler spectral width parameter at different magnetic local times. Annales Geophysicae, 22 (4). 1187-1202. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-22-1187-2004

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Abstract/Summary

Latitudinal transitions from low to high Doppler spectral width in backscatter measured by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) are now routinely used as proxies for the polar cap boundary (PCB) in the cusp-region ionosphere. In this paper we perform a statistical study of the nature of similar spectral width transitions at other magnetic local times (MLTs). This analysis illustrates that these latitudinal spectral width transitions exist at all magnetic local times, and that the latitude, gradient, and amplitude of the transitions vary systematically with MLT. In particular, the probability of a transition occurring at any latitude, identified independently in each MLT sector, is continuous with MLT from the cusp, through the morning sector, to the nightside. This suggests that the transition represents the PCB. as this is known to be what it represents in the cusp region. However, the picture in the afternoon sector ( 12:0018:00 MLT) is more complex with no clearly preferred transition latitudes.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-22-1187-2004
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Antarctic Science in the Global Context (2000-2005) > Magnetic Reconnection, Substorms and their Consequences
ISSN:	0992-7689
Additional Keywords:	ionosphere, ionosphere-magnetosphere interactions, instruments and techniques, magnetospheric physics, magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers
NORA Subject Terms:	Physics Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	12 Jan 2012 09:37 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/12117

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