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Dayside global ionospheric response to the major interplanetary events of October 29–30, 2003 “Halloween Storms”
Author(s) -
Mannucci A. J.,
Tsurutani B. T.,
Iijima B. A.,
Komjathy A.,
Saito A.,
Gonzalez W. D.,
Guarnieri F. L.,
Kozyra J. U.,
Skoug R.
Publication year - 2005
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 - 10.1029/2004gl021467
Subject(s) - ionosphere , interplanetary spaceflight , daytime , geomagnetic storm , interplanetary magnetic field , atmospheric sciences , magnetopause , storm , geophysics , earth's magnetic field , total electron content , physics , solar wind , meteorology , plasma , magnetic field , tec , quantum mechanics
We demonstrate extreme ionospheric response to the large interplanetary electric fields during the “Halloween” storms that occurred on October 29 and 30, 2003. Within a few (2–5) hours of the time when the enhanced interplanetary electric field impinged on the magnetopause, dayside total electron content increases of ∼40% and ∼250% are observed for the October 29 and 30 events, respectively. During the Oct 30 event, ∼900% increases in electron content above the CHAMP satellite (∼400 km altitude) were observed at mid‐latitudes (±30 degrees geomagnetic). The geomagnetic storm‐time phenomenon of prompt penetration electric fields is a possible contributing cause of these electron content increases, producing dayside ionospheric uplift combined with equatorial plasma diffusion along magnetic field lines to higher latitudes, creating a “daytime super‐fountain” effect.