Plasma convection at high latitudes using the EISCAT VHF and ESR incoherent scatter radars

• Published in: Annales Geophysicae
• Main Authors: J. M. Holt, A. P. van Eyken
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2000
• Subjects: Science; Q; Physics; QC1-999; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; Svalbard; Tromsø; EISCAT
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00585-000-1088-5; https://doaj.org/article/82090be4ebe44af892198cf18f6dd183

The recent availability of substantial data sets taken by the EISCAT Svalbard Radar allows several important tests to be made on the determination of convection patterns from incoherent scatter radar results. During one 30-h period, the Svalbard Radar made 15 min scans combining local field aligned observations with two, low elevation positions selected to intersect the two beams of the Common Programme Four experiment being simultaneously conducted by the EISCAT VHF radar at Tromsø. The common volume results from the two radars are compared. The plasma convection velocities determined independently by the two radars are shown to agree very closely and the combined three-dimensional velocity data used to test the common assumption of negligible field-aligned flow in this regime. Key words: Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; polar ionosphere) - Magnetospheric physics (plasma convection)