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Abel et al. 2006
Abel, G.A., Freeman, M.P. and Chisham, G. (2006). Spatial structure of ionospheric convection velocities in regions of open and closed magnetic field topology. Geophysical Research Letters 33: doi: 10.1029/2006GL027919. issn: 0094-8276.

We present a spatial structure function analysis of ionospheric velocity, measured by the Halley Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radar over five years. We show evidence for scale-free velocity fluctuations for separations from 45 km to ~1000 km. For larger separations a deviation from scale-free structure is seen that we interpret as the influence of the global convection pattern. We find evidence for scale-free structure in regions of both open and closed field line topology, though with different power-law exponents. The measured power-law exponents poleward and equatorward of the open-closed field line boundary are 0.31 and 0.39 respectively. We propose that the scale-free spatial structure of ionospheric velocity fluctuations on open magnetic field lines is a reflection of the spatial structure of the solar wind and the scale-free spatial structure of ionospheric velocity fluctuations on closed magnetic field lines is dictated by the internal dynamics of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Ionosphere, Plasma convection, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions, Magnetospheric Physics, Polar cap phenomena, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions, Nonlinear Geophysics, Scaling, spatial and temporal (1872, 3270, 4277)
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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