Premium
Stormtime observations of the flux of plasmaspheric ions to the dayside cusp/magnetopause
Author(s) -
Foster J. C.,
Coster A. J.,
Erickson P. J.,
Rich F. J.,
Sandel B. R.
Publication year - 2004
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 - 10.1029/2004gl020082
Subject(s) - plasmasphere , physics , flux (metallurgy) , geophysics , millstone hill , magnetopause , ionosphere , magnetosphere , substorm , daytime , astrophysics , incoherent scatter , atmospheric sciences , plasma , materials science , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
For the large geomagnetic disturbance on April 11, 2001, we combine data from the Millstone Hill radar, a network of GPS TEC receivers, and the DMSP F‐12 and IMAGE satellites, to estimate the sunward flux of thermal plasma associated with erosion of the outer plasmasphere/ionosphere in the dusk sector. Direct radar observations of the E × B advection of SED plasma determine a flux of >10E26 ions/s to the noontime cusp at F ‐region heights. DMSP in situ observations provide a similar estimate. Assuming a dipolar magnetic field, we project our low‐altitude observations into the outer plasmasphere, obtaining a total sunward flux of >10E27 ions/s. High‐altitude IMAGE EUV observations of the plasmasphere drainage plume provides an estimate of 1.5 × 10E27 ions/s for the sunward flux. Such rates of sunward plasma transport are sufficient to deplete a 1‐Re shell of the outer plasmasphere in ∼1 hour.