Ionospheric convection during substorms ...

• Main Author: Fox, Nicola Justine
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Imperial College London 2023
• Subjects: EISCAT
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25560/104251; http://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/handle/10044/1/104251

In this thesis, the plasma flows in the high-latitude nightside ionosphere are investigated. Firstly, the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field is reviewed with particular attention to the formation of the magnetosphere and the resulting magnetospheric convection. The ionosphere is briefly described with a discussion of magnetosphere- ionosphere coupling and auroras. Secondly, the question ‘what is a magnetospheric substorm ?’ is addressed, together with a review of the current substorm models. There are two main research topics contained in the thesis, investigating the variation of flows in the ionosphere during magnetospheric substorms using data from radars, magnetometer chains and satellites. The first uses EISCAT radar observations to study the ionospheric convection during substorms occurring on a contracted auroral oval on two successive days. Supporting data from the PACE radar, magnetometer chains and geostationary satellites are compared to the EISCAT observations. On 4 ...