Coordinated Ground and Space Measurements of Auroral Surge over South Pole.

• Main Authors: Rosenberg, T J, Detrick, D L, Mizera, P F, Gorney, D J, Berkey, F T
• Other Authors: AEROSPACE CORP EL SEGUNDO CA SPACE SCIENCES LAB
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1988
• Subjects: Atmospheric Physics; *AURORAE; ABSORPTION; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES; ELECTRIC CURRENT; ELECTRON IMPACT SPECTRA; EMISSION; GEOMAGNETISM; HIGH LATITUDES; INTENSITY; IONOSPHERE; LUMINOSITY; MAGNETOMETERS; MEASUREMENT; MOTION; PEAK VALUES; PHOTOMETERS; PRECIPITATION; RIOMETERS; STORMS; SURGES; VELOCITY; X RAYS; MAGNETIC STORMS; South Pole; Amundsen Scott South Pole Station; Amundsen-Scott; Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station; Antarctic; Antarc*; South pole
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA191164; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA191164

Coincident ground-based and satellite observations are presented of a premidnight auroral surge over Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. The set of near-simultaneous measurements provides an excellent opportunity to gain amore quantitative understanding of the nature of premidnight substorm activity at high geomagnetic latitudes. The surge produced a rapid onset of cosmic radio noise absorption at the station. On the polar-orbiting DMSP-F6 spacecraft, intense X-ray emissions with E 2 keV energy were imaged 1 to 2 deg magnetically equatorward of the South Pole approximately 1 min prior to the peak of the absorption event. The precipitating electron spectrum determined from the X-ray measurements could be characterized by an e-folding energy of approx. 11 keV and is found to be adequate to account for the cosmic noise absorption and maximum auroral luminosity recorded at South Pole. Photometer, all-sky camera, riometer, and magnetometer data are used to estimate the velocity of motion and spatial extent of the auroral precipitation and the ionospheric currents associated with the surge.