Ionospheric Irregularities: Auroral Motions and Plasma Drifts.
Abstract
Photometric measurements of auroral intensities and spatial structure were made at Chatanika, Alaska during 1973 and 1974. The auroral intensities measured during 1974 in support of the ICE CAP '74 program of experiments are analyzed in terms of the energy input from precipitating particles. Auroral motion data which were obtained during the ICE CAP '73 program are analyzed in terms of the direction and velocity of the wavelike structure of the auroras. These velocity data are compared with measurements of the ionospheric plasma motion made by the Chatanika incoherent scatter radar. Over a wide range of auroral conditions, at least part of the time, it is found that the motions of auroral forms agree with the motion of the ionospheric plasma. This behavior suggests that both phenomena are driven by magnetospheric E-fields superimposed upon the ionosphere.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA011371
Entities
People
- Robert D. Sears
Organizations
- Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space