CUTLASS HF radar observations of high-latitude azimuthally propagating vortical currents in the nightside ionosphere during magnetospheric substorms

Wild, J. A. and Yeoman, T. K. (2000) CUTLASS HF radar observations of high-latitude azimuthally propagating vortical currents in the nightside ionosphere during magnetospheric substorms. Annales Geophysicae, 18 (6). pp. 640-652. ISSN 0992-7689

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Abstract

High-time resolution CUTLASS observations and ground-based magnetometers have been employed to study the occurrence of vortical fl ̄ow structures propagating through the high-latitude ionosphere during magnetospheric substorms. Fast-moving flow vortices (~800 m/s) associated with Hall currents flowing around upward directed field-aligned currents are frequently observed propagating at high speed (~1 km/s) azimuthally away from the region of the ionosphere associated with the location of the substorm expansion phase onset. Furthermore, a statistical analysis drawn from over 1000 h of high-time resolution, nightside radar data has enabled the characterisation of the bulk properties of these vortical flow systems. Their occurrence with respect to substorm phase has been investigated and a possible generation mechanism has been suggested.

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