An investigation of polar substorms observed at Halley Bay, Antarctica ...

• Main Author: Boteler, David H.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0053464; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0053464

Ground observations of magnetic and ionospheric substorms are reviewed, and the processes involved are explained. Then magnetic and absorption results from an auroral zone station, Halley Bay, are examined. Positive H bays occur in the evening sector between 16.00 and 22.00 local time while negative H bays occur on the nightside between 22.00 and 06.00 local time. Clockwise and counterclockwise rotating Pi2 pulsations respectively have similar times of occurrence, as do westward and eastward moving radio aurora. Short-period absorption occurs coincident with magnetic bays while longer-period absorption occurs on the dayside (04.00 to 20.00 local time). This information is used to determine the disturbance pattern in local time seen at auroral zone stations. A simple model is presented to illustrate the processes responsible for the effects observed in the 3 different local-time zones. On the nightside there is direct injection of particles from the tail, into the ionosphere, accompanied by short-circuiting ...