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Electric currents of a substorm current wedge on 24 February 2010
Author(s) -
Connors Martin,
McPherron Robert L.,
Anderson Brian J.,
Korth Haje,
Russell Christopher T.,
Chu Xiangning
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl060604
Subject(s) - substorm , electrojet , ionosphere , geophysics , ampere , physics , magnetosphere , current (fluid) , wedge (geometry) , geology , earth's magnetic field , magnetic field , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics , optics
The three‐dimensional “substorm current wedge” (SCW) was postulated by McPherron et al. (1973) to explain substorm magnetic perturbations. The origin and coherence as a physical system of this important paradigm of modern space physics remained unclear, however, with progress hindered by gross undersampling, and uniqueness problems in data inversion. Complementing AMPERE (Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment) space‐derived radial electric currents with ground magnetic data allowing us to determine currents from the ionosphere up, we overcome problems of uniqueness identified by Fukushima (1969, 1994). For a substorm on 24 February 2010, we quantify SCW development consistently from ground and space data. Its westward electrojet carries 0.5 MA in the more poleward part of the auroral oval, in Region 1 (R1) sense spanning midnight. The evening sector electrojet also feeds into its upward current. We thus validate the SCW concept and obtain parameters needed for quantitative study of substorms.