Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora
Characteristics of pulsating aurora (PsA) at the equatorward part of the auroral oval have been well described in the literature by previous studies. We extend our knowledge on high-latitude PsA observations by analysing 68 PsA events from the optical observatory on Svalbard, at 75° magnetic latitud...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.923396/full |
| _version_ | 1818002291124338688 |
|---|---|
| author | Noora Partamies Noora Partamies Fasil Tesema Emma Bland |
| author_facet | Noora Partamies Noora Partamies Fasil Tesema Emma Bland |
| author_sort | Noora Partamies |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Characteristics of pulsating aurora (PsA) at the equatorward part of the auroral oval have been well described in the literature by previous studies. We extend our knowledge on high-latitude PsA observations by analysing 68 PsA events from the optical observatory on Svalbard, at 75° magnetic latitude. We found that the pulsating emission structures are particularly large and transient, they do not experience drift motion, or their drift motion cannot be traced. Our results show that the high-latitude PsA events relate to lower geomagnetic activity and weaker solar wind driving than the lower latitude PsA. The high-latitude PsA events also occur less frequently, which is in agreement with their association to lower-than-average geomagnetic activity. We further show that the ionospheric electron density values during high-latitude PsA events are low compared to the lower latitude PsA. This, together with the non-traceable nature of the pulsating emission structures, suggests that these events are strongly dominated by a sub-type called Amorphous Pulsating Aurora (APA). We therefore conclude that, unlike the lower latitude PsA events, the high-latitude PsA events are not likely to cause direct changes in the chemical composition of the mesosphere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T03:43:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ac65a7ccace4e059a80dd44a56dd939 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-987X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T03:43:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ac65a7ccace4e059a80dd44a56dd9392022-12-22T02:14:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences2296-987X2022-07-01910.3389/fspas.2022.923396923396Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating AuroraNoora Partamies0Noora Partamies1Fasil Tesema2Emma Bland3The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, NorwayBirkeland Centre for Space Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandThe University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, NorwayCharacteristics of pulsating aurora (PsA) at the equatorward part of the auroral oval have been well described in the literature by previous studies. We extend our knowledge on high-latitude PsA observations by analysing 68 PsA events from the optical observatory on Svalbard, at 75° magnetic latitude. We found that the pulsating emission structures are particularly large and transient, they do not experience drift motion, or their drift motion cannot be traced. Our results show that the high-latitude PsA events relate to lower geomagnetic activity and weaker solar wind driving than the lower latitude PsA. The high-latitude PsA events also occur less frequently, which is in agreement with their association to lower-than-average geomagnetic activity. We further show that the ionospheric electron density values during high-latitude PsA events are low compared to the lower latitude PsA. This, together with the non-traceable nature of the pulsating emission structures, suggests that these events are strongly dominated by a sub-type called Amorphous Pulsating Aurora (APA). We therefore conclude that, unlike the lower latitude PsA events, the high-latitude PsA events are not likely to cause direct changes in the chemical composition of the mesosphere.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.923396/fullpulsating auroraparticle precipitationionospheresolar wind drivinghigh-latitude aurora |
| spellingShingle | Noora Partamies Noora Partamies Fasil Tesema Emma Bland Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences pulsating aurora particle precipitation ionosphere solar wind driving high-latitude aurora |
| title | Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora |
| title_full | Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora |
| title_fullStr | Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora |
| title_full_unstemmed | Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora |
| title_short | Appearance and Precipitation Characteristics of High-Latitude Pulsating Aurora |
| title_sort | appearance and precipitation characteristics of high latitude pulsating aurora |
| topic | pulsating aurora particle precipitation ionosphere solar wind driving high-latitude aurora |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.923396/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT noorapartamies appearanceandprecipitationcharacteristicsofhighlatitudepulsatingaurora AT noorapartamies appearanceandprecipitationcharacteristicsofhighlatitudepulsatingaurora AT fasiltesema appearanceandprecipitationcharacteristicsofhighlatitudepulsatingaurora AT emmabland appearanceandprecipitationcharacteristicsofhighlatitudepulsatingaurora |