Solar Sector Structure Correlations with SuperDARN and EISCAT Radar Data

Devin Huyghebaert and Kathryn McWilliams Department of Physics and Engineering Physics University of Saskatchewan June 1, 2011

Outline

- Introduction - Solar sector structure - Quick overview of previous studies

- SuperDARN Results

- ISR Results

- Future Work

Introduction

- Solar current sheet

- Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) (Akasofu, 1981) directed one direction above current sheet, and opposite direction

below current sheet. “away” “toward”

“away” “toward” - finds itself above and below current sheet during

(Wilcox & Ness, 1967) Introduction

- “towards” solar sectors connect southern cap upstream

- “away” solar sectors connect northern polar cap upstream

(Fairfield & Scudder, 1985)

Introduction

- Summary of away/toward solar sectors for 10 years, 1998-2007

- Almost full solar cycle worth of data

Connections to Tropospheric Weather?

- Vorticity Area Index (VAI) - measure of low pressure troughs in Northern Hemisphere at latitudes >20°

- Past studies have shown correlations between solar sector boundary crossings and VAI

- Is there a link?

(Tinsley, 2000)

Past Study – Ionospheric Backscatter

day of month

Past Study – Ionospheric Backscatter

day of month

Results – Saskatoon SuperDARN Groundscatter 2003

-Groundscatter vs. ionospheric (Gilles, 2006) backscatter

t t t

- More groundscatter in a a a t n

“towards” sectors u o C

r e t t a

- Occurs Distinctly in c s d

second half of 2003 n u o r G

y l r

- Same trend in u o ionospheric H backscatter

Year

Results t a t a t a t a t

Results – Saskatoon SuperDARN Groundscatter 2004 t

- 2004, solar sector n u o C

structure no r e t t a

longer well c s d

defined n u o r G

y l r u

- difficult to find any o correlation during H this period

Year

Results – SuperDARN Groundscatter 2003

t a a t

90%

90%

70%

70% 50% 50% 30%

30% 10% 10%

Results – SuperDARN Groundscatter 2004

t a a t

90% 90%

70% 70%

50% 50%

30% 30%

10% 10%

Results – SuperDARN Ionospheric Scatter 2003

t a a t

90%

90% 70%

70% 50%

30% 50%

30% 10% 10%

Results – Southern SuperDARN Groundscatter 2003

t a a t

90% 90%

50% 70%

70% 50% 30% 10% 30%

10%

Results – Solar Data SW Velocity

- ACE Data

- 2003 shows an increase in velocity, and a SW Density decrease in solar wind density

Results – Incoherent Scatter Radar Electron Density 2007 day - EISCAT 60-310 Svalbard Radar (ESR) 42m field- aligned dish

- Opposite Correlations in E- and F- ) m

regions k (

t h g i e

- 27 day repetition H of trend Lag Days

Conclusions

- SuperDARN Groundscatter/Ionospheric Backscatter - count increase in “towards” (southern polar cap connected) - count decrease in “away” (northern polar cap connected) - caused by propagation effects - occurs in 2003, not evident in other years - only evident in Northern Hemisphere - often a peak within a day of the boundary crossing

- ISR Electron Density - E- and F- region 27 day synodic solar rotation evident

Future Work

- Further analyze ISR data - 2003, solar sector structure was well defined - 2007, what is happening in the E- and F-regions? - Analyze other ISR high-latitude locations (Svalbard, Poker Flat, RISR-N, etc.)

- Link to NO density/D-region ionization?

- DMSP

References

Akasofu, S. -I., Energy coupling between the solar wind and the , Space Science Reviews, 28(2), pp. 121-190, 1981.

Fairfield, D. H., and Scudder, J. D., Polar rain: Solar coronal electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 90, pp. 4055, 1985.

Larsen, M.F., & M.C. Kelley, A study of an observed and forecasted meteorological index and its relation to the interplanetary magnetic field, Geophys. Res. Lett., 4:8, pp. 337-340, 1977.

Tinsley, B.A., Influence of solar wind on the global electric circuit, and inferred effects on cloud microphysics, temperature, and dynamics in the troposphere, Space Science Reviews, 94:1-2, pp. 231-258, 2000.

Tinsley, B. A., and R. A. Heelis, Correlations of atmospheric dynamics with solar activity evidence for a connection via the solar wind, atmospheric electricity, and cloud microphysics, J. Geophys. Res., 98(D6), pp. 10,375–10,384, 1993.

Wilcox, J.M., Tropospheric circulation and interplanetary magnetic sector boundaries followed by MeV proton streams, Nature, 278, pp. 840-841, 1979.

Wilcox, J.M., and N.F. Ness, Solar source of the interplanetary sector structure, Solar Physics, 1:3- 4, pp. 437-P445, 1967.

Results

- Attempted finding F- and E- region heights from groundscatter

- Problem with elevation angle

Results Ion Temperature 2007 day 60-310

- E- and F- regions have the same sign correlation

- 27 day repetition of trend