• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.243-254
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• 2002

Various uncertainties involved in ionospheric conductivity estimation utilizing the electron density profile obtained from the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar are examined. First, we compare the conductivity which is based on raw electron density and the one based on corrected electron density that takes into account the effects of the difference between the electron and ion temperatures and the Debye length. The corrected electron density yields higher Pedersen and Hall conductivities than the raw electron density does. Second, the dependence of collision frequency model on the conductivity estimation is examined. Below 110 km conductivity does not depend significantly on collision frequency models. Above 110 km, however, the collision models affect the conductivity estimation. Third, the influence of the electron and ion temperatures on the conductivity estimation is examined. Electron and ion temperatures carrying an error of about 10% do not seem to affect significantly the conductivity estimation. Fourth, also examined is the effect of the choice of the altitude range of integration in calculating the height-integrated conductivity, conductance. It has been demonstrated that the lower and upper boundaries of the integration are quite sensitive to the estimation of the Hall and Pedersen conductances, respectively.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2008

This study attempts to show how the geomagnetic indices, AU, AL and Dst, respond to the interplanetary parameters, more specifically, the solar wind electric field VBz during southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) period. The AU index does not seem to respond linearly to the variation of southward IMF. Only a noticeable correlation between the AU and VBz is shown during summer, when the ionospheric conductivity associated with the solar EUV radiation is high. It is highly likely that the effect of electric field on the eastward electrojet intensification is only noticeable whenever the ionospheric conductivity is significantly enhanced during summer. Thus, one should be very cautious in employing the AU as a convection index during other seasons. The AL index shows a significantly high correlation with VBz regardless of season. Considering that the auroral electrojet is the combined result of electric field and ionospheric conductivity, the intensification of these two quantities seems to occur concurrently during southward IMF period. This suggests that the AL index behaves more like a convection index rather than a substorm index as far as hourly mean AL index is concerned. Contrary to the AU index, the AL index does not register the maximum value during summer for a given level of VBz. It has something to do with the findings that discrete auroras are suppressed in sunlight hemisphere (Newell et al. 1996), thus reducing the ionospheric conductivity during summer. As expected, the Dst index tends to become more negative as VBz gets intensified. However, the Dst index (nT) is less than or equal to 15VBz(mV/m) + 50(Bz < 0). It indicates that VBz determines the lower limit of the storm size, while another factor(s), possibly substorm, seems to get further involved in intensifying storms. Although it has not been examined in this study, the duration of southward IMF would also be a factor to be considered in determining the size of a storm.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.15 no.spc2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2000

Through the coupling between the near-earth space environment and the polar ionosphere via geomagnetic field lines, the variations occurred in the magnetosphere are transferred to the polar region. According to recent studies, however, the polar ionosphere reacts not only passively to such variations, but also plays active roles in modifying the near-earth space environment. So the study of the polar ionosphere in terms of geomagnetic disturbance becomes one of the major elements in space weather research. Although it is an indirect method, ground magnetic disturbance data can be used in estimating the ionospheric current distribution. By employing a realistic ionospheric conductivity model, it is further possible to obtain the distributions of electric potential, field-aligned current, Joule heating rate and energy injection rate associated with precipitating auroral particles and their energy spectra in a global scale with a high time resolution. Considering that the ground magnetic disturbances are recorded simultaneously over the entire polar region wherever magnetic station is located, we are able to separate temporal disturbances from spatial ones. On the other hand, satellite measurements are indispensible in the space weather research, since they provide us with in situ measurements. Unfortunately it is not easy to separate temporal variations from spatial ones specifically measured by a single satellite. To demonstrate the usefulness of ground magnetic disturbance data in space weather research, various ionospheric quantities are calculated through the KRM method, one of the magneto gram inversion methods. In particular, we attempt to show how these quantities depend on the ionospheric conductivity model employed.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2002

The ionosphere plays an important role in the electrodynamics of space environment. In particular, the information on the ionospheric conductivity distribution is indispensable in understanding the electrodynamics of the magnetosphere and ionosphere coupling study. To meet such a requirement, several attempts have been made to estimate the conductivity distribution over the polar ionosphere. As one of such attempts we compare the ionospheric plasma convection patterns obtained from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), from which the electric field distribution is estimated, and the simultaneously measured ground magnetic disturbance. Specifically, the electric field measured from the Goose Bay and Stokkseyri radars and magnetic disturbance data obtained from the west coast chain of Greenland are compared. In order to estimate ionospheric conductivity distribution with these information, the overhead infinite sheet current approximation is employed. As expected, the Hall conductance, height-integrated conductivity, shows a wide enhancement along the center of the auroral electrojet. However, Pedersen conductance shows negative values over a wide portion of the auroral oval region, a physically unacceptable situation. To alleviate this problem, the effect of the field-aligned current is taken into account. As a result, the region with negative Pedersen conductance disappears significantly, suggesting that the effect of the field-aligned current should be taken into account, when one wants to estimate ionospheric conductance based on ground magnetic disturbance and electric field measurements by radars.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.55-55
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• 2001

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2002.05b
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• pp.50.1-50
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• 2002

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.489-499
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• 2004

The climatological characteristics of the polar ionospheric currents obtained from the simultaneous observations of the ionospheric electric field and conductivity are examined. For this purpose, 43 and 109 days of measurements from the Chatanika and Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radars are utilized respectively. The ionospheric current density is compared with the corresponding ground magnetic disturbance. Several interesting characteristics about the polar ionosphere are apparent from this study: (1) The sun determines largely the conductance over the Sondrestrom radar, while the nighttime conductance distribution over the Chatanika radar is significantly affected by auroral precipitation. (2) The regions of the maximum N-S electric field over the Chatanika radar are located approximately at the dawn and dusk sectors, while they tend to shift towards dayside over the Sondrestrom radar. The N-S component over Son-drestrom is slightly stronger than Chatanika. However, the E-W component over Chatanika is negligible compared to that of Sondrestrom. (3) The E-W ionospheric current flows dominantly in the night hemisphere over Chatanika, while it flows in the sunlit hemisphere over Sondrestrom. The N-S current over Chatanika flows prominently in the dawn and dusk sectors, while a strong southward current flows in the prenoon sector over Sondrestrom. (4) The assumption of infinite sheet current approximation is far from realistic, underestimating the current density by a factor of 2 or more. It is particularly serious for the higher latitude region. (5) The correlation between ${\Delta}H\;and\;J_E$ is higher than the one between ${\Delta}D\;and\;J_N$, indicating that field-aligned current affects ${\Delta}D$significantly.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.216-233
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• 1995

The distributions of the ionospheric conductivities, electric potential, ionospheric currents, field-aligned currents, Joule heating rate, and particle energy input rate by auroral electrons along with the characteristics of auroral particle spectrum are examined during moderately disturbed period by using the computer code developed by Kamide et al. (1981) and the ionospheric conductivity model developed by Ahn et al. (1995). Since the ground magnetic disturbance data are obtained from a single meridian chain of magnetometers (Alaska meridian chain) for an extended period of time (March 9 - April 27, 1978), they are expected to present the average picture of the electrodynamics over the entire polar ionosphere. A number of global features noted in this study are as follows: (1) The electric potential distribution is characterized by the so-called two cell convection pattern with the positive potential cell in the morning sector extending into the evening sector. (2) The auroral electrojet system is well developed during this time period with the signatures of DP-1 and DP-2 current systems being clearly discernable. It is also noted that the electric field seems to play a more important role than the ionospheric conductivity the conductivity over the poleward half of the westward electrojet in the morning sector while the conductivity enhancement seems to be more important over its equatorward half. (3) The global field-aligned current distribution pattern is quite comparable with the statistical result obtained by Iijima and Potemra (1976). However, the current density of Region 1 is much higher than that of Region 2 current at pointed out by pervious studies (e.g.; Kamide 1988). (4) The Joule heating occurs over a couple of island-like areas, one along the poleward side of the westward electrojet region in the afternoon sector. (5) The maximum average energy of precipitating electrons is found to be in the morning sector (07∼08 MLT) while the maximum energy flux is registered in the postmidnight sector (02 MLT). Thus auroral brightening and enhancement of ionospheric conductivity during disturbed period seem to be more closely associated with enhancement of particle flux rather than hardening of particle energy.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.141-144
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• 2015

In this paper we study the transmission of the electrostatic field due to coulomb charges of an individual thundercloud into the midlatitude ionosphere, taking into account the total geomagnetic field integrated Pedersen conductivity of the ionosphere. It is shown that at ionospheric altitudes, a typical thundercloud produces an insignificant electrostatic field whereas a giant thundercloud can drive the horizontal electrostatic field with a magnitude of ${\sim}270{\mu}V/m$ for nighttime conditions.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.spc1
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• pp.93-99
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• 2003

Various attempts have been made to explain the: pronounced seasonal and universal time (UT) variations of geomagnetic indices. As one of such attempts, we analyze the hourly-averaged auroral electroject indices obtained during the past 20 years. The AU and AL indices maximize during summer and equinoctial months, respectively. By normalizing the contribution of the solar conductivity enhancement to the AU index, or to the eastward electrojet, it is found that the AU also follows the same semiannual variation pattern of the AL index, suggesting that the electric field is the main modulator of the semiannual magnetic variation. The fact that the variation pattern of the yearly-mean AU index follows the mirror image of the AL index provides another indication that the electric field is the main modulator of magnetic disturbance. The pronounced UT variations of the auroral electrojet indices are also noted. To determine the magnetic activity dependence, the probability of recording a given activity level of AU and AL during each UT is examined. The UT variation of the AL index, thus obtained, shows a maximum at around 1200-1800 UT and a minimum around 0000-0800 UT particularly during winter. It is closely associated with the rotation of the geomagnetic pole around the rotational axis, which results in the change of the solar-originated ionospheric conductivity distribution over the polar region. On the other hand the UT variation is prominent during disturbed periods, indicating that the latitudinal mismatch between the AE stations and the auroral electrojet belt is responsible for it. Although not as prominent as the AL index, the probability distribution of the AU also shows two UT peaks. We confirm that the Dst index shows more prominent seasonal variation than the AE indices. However, the UT variation of the Dst index is only noticeable during the main phase of a magnetic storm. It is a combined result of the uneven distribution of the Dst stations and frequent developments of the partial ring current and substorm wedge current preferentially during the main phase.