Coordinated optical and EISCAT observations of black aurora

Blixt, E. M. and Kosch, M. J. (2004) Coordinated optical and EISCAT observations of black aurora. Geophysical Research Letters, 31 (6): L06813. ISSN 0094-8276

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Abstract

An image intensified video camera was used in conjunction with the EISCAT radar in Tromsø, Norway, for detailed studies of non-sheared black aurora on March 5, 2002. While it is known that a downward field-aligned current will decrease the ionospheric plasma density, any measurable effect will depend on the noise-level in the density measurements and the background density. The results show that the plasma density is not reduced in the regions of black aurora, which shows that if a downward current existed within the black aurora, it must be less than ∼0.6 μA/m2. Combining this result with recent findings that small scale currents are generally strong, that the downward currents are associated with intense diverging electric fields, and that the observed black arcs show no signs of shear motion, it is concluded that the non-sheared black aurora is not associated with any significant downward field-aligned current.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Information:
Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1900/1908
Subjects:
?? geophysicsgeneral earth and planetary sciencesearth and planetary sciences(all)t technology (general) ??
ID Code:
6637
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
21 Apr 2008 10:58
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
16 Jul 2024 08:45