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Polar cap F‐layer auroras
Author(s) -
Weber E. J.,
Buchau J.
Publication year - 1981
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/gl008i001p00125
Subject(s) - scintillation , ionosphere , photometer , sky , ionosonde , dusk , satellite , amplitude , physics , electron precipitation , polar , defense meteorological satellite program , geology , remote sensing , geophysics , electron , astronomy , optics , electron density , magnetosphere , detector , magnetic field , quantum mechanics
Polar cap auroras were measured at Thule Air Base, Greenland in December 1979, using an all sky imaging photometer. These images combined with digital ionosonde measurements, show the orientation, structure, and drift motion of sun‐aligned, F layer auroras. Drifts in both the dawn‐to‐dusk and dusk‐to‐dawn direction were observed. These auroras were not visible on the all sky camera films; however, coincident Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) precipitating electron measurements show that these arcs are produced by fluxes of low energy (E<500 ev) electrons. Simultaneous satellite‐to‐ground signal amplitude measurements show that these auroras are accompanied by km scale size ionospheric irregularities, which cause strong amplitude fluctuations (scintillation) on the received satellite signal.