A statistical look at plasmaspheric drainage plumes

Borovsky, Joseph E. and Denton, Michael H. (2008) A statistical look at plasmaspheric drainage plumes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 113 (A09221). pp. 1-23. ISSN 0148-0227

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Abstract

The properties of plasmaspheric drainage plumes are examined using cold-plasma measurements in geosynchronous orbit. During high-speed stream-driven storms, 210 plume crossings are collected and statistically analyzed. Plumes that persist for 4 days are common, which was the duration of our search. Plumes weaken with age, becoming narrower in local time with plasma that becomes less dense. Cold-plasma flow velocities are sunward in the plumes, with flow speeds decreasing as the storms progress. Plumes transfer typically 2 × 1026 ions/sec (1.2 ton/hr of protons) when they are young, and the rate of transport decreases with plume age. A total of approximately 2 × 1031 ions (34 tons of protons) are transported via plumes in the life of a storm. About half of the outer plasmasphere is drained in the first 20 hours of a storm. Large density fluctuations in the plumes indicate that the drainage plumes are lumpy, and large velocity fluctuations of the plasma flow indicate that the drainage plumes may be turbulent. Because of their persistence, drainage plumes are anticipated to be a regular feature of any ongoing geomagnetic storm.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Geophysical Research
Additional Information:
Copyright (2008) American Geophysical Union. Further reproduction or electronic distribution is not permitted
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1900/1901
Subjects:
?? plasmasphere plume high speed stream hss dcs-publications-idart-926dcs-publications-creditsionodcs-publications-personnel-id123earth and planetary sciences (miscellaneous)geophysicsatmospheric sciencespace and planetary science ??
ID Code:
19233
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
04 Nov 2008 19:01
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 09:41