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Longitude and Seasonal Variations of the S q Current System
Author(s) -
Stening R. J.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/rs006i002p00133
Subject(s) - equatorial electrojet , dynamo , electrojet , earth's magnetic field , ionosphere , longitude , dynamo theory , geodesy , physics , international reference ionosphere , magnetic field , magnetic declination , current (fluid) , geophysics , computational physics , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , geology , latitude , quantum mechanics , total electron content , thermodynamics , tec
The ‘equivalent circuit method’ of deriving electric currents in the ionosphere from assumed values of conductivities and emf's has been described earlier. The ionosphere is represented as a large circuit network, with the Hall effect included, and this network is solved by an iterative procedure on a computer. A single tidal wind system, the ‘1—2’ mode, is used as the driving force of the dynamo. The winds are converted from the geographic to the geomagnetic coordinate system. The international geomagnetic reference field (IGRF) is used to provide magnetic field values for calculating the dynamo emf's and the conductivities. The agreement between the calculated and observed positions of the focuses of the current system is remarkable when we consider that no seasonal variation of the wind was included. Seasonal variations of the reversal times of the equatorial electrojet are obtained in rough agreement with observation, whereas the calculated variations of the intensity of the electrojet do not agree so well.