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The geomagnetic Kp index is one of the most extensively used indices of geomagnetic activity, both for scientific and operational purposes. This article reviews the properties of the Kp index and provides a reference for users of the Kp index and associated data products as derived and distributed by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. The near real-time production of the nowcast Kp index is of particular interest for space weather services and here we describe and evaluate its current setup.
Both ground- and satellite-based airglow imaging have significantly contributed to understanding the low-latitude ionosphere, especially the morphology and dynamics of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). The NASA Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission focuses on far-ultraviolet airglow images from a geostationary orbit at 47.5 degrees W. This region is of particular interest at low magnetic latitudes because of the high magnetic declination (i.e., about -20 degrees) and proximity of the South Atlantic magnetic anomaly. In this study, we characterize an exciting feature of the nighttime EIA using GOLD observations from October 5, 2018 to June 30, 2020. It consists of a wavelike structure of a few thousand kilometers seen as poleward and equatorward displacements of the EIA-crests. Initial analyses show that the synoptic-scale structure is symmetric about the dip equator and appears nearly stationary with time over the night. In quasi-dipole coordinates, maxima poleward displacements of the EIA-crests are seen at about +/- 12 degrees latitude and around 20 and 60 degrees longitude (i.e., in geographic longitude at the dip equator, about 53 degrees W and 14 degrees W). The wavelike structure presents typical zonal wavelengths of about 6.7 x 10(3) km and 3.3 x 10(3) km. The structure's occurrence and wavelength are highly variable on a day-to-day basis with no apparent dependence on geomagnetic activity. In addition, a cluster or quasi-periodic wave train of equatorial plasma depletions (EPDs) is often detected within the synoptic-scale structure. We further outline the difference in observing these EPDs from FUV images and in situ measurements during a GOLD and Swarm mission conjunction.
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission carries magnetometers that are dedicated to enhance the satellite's navigation. After appropriate calibration and characterisation of artificial magnetic disturbances, these observations are valuable assets to characterise the natural variability of Earth's magnetic field. We describe the data pre-processing, the calibration, and characterisation strategy against a high-precision magnetic field model applied to the GRACE-FO magnetic data. During times of geomagnetic quiet conditions, the mean residual to the magnetic model is around 1 nT with standard deviations below 10 nT. The mean difference to data of ESA's Swarm mission, which is dedicated to monitor the Earth's magnetic field, is mainly within +/- 10 nT during conjunctions. The performance of GRACE-FO magnetic data is further discussed on selected scientific examples. During a magnetic storm event in August 2018, GRACE-FO reveals the local time dependence of the magnetospheric ring current signature, which is in good agreement with results from a network of ground magnetic observations. Also, derived field-aligned currents (FACs) are applied to monitor auroral FACs that compare well in amplitude and statistical behaviour for local time, hemisphere, and solar wind conditions to approved earlier findings from other missions including Swarm. On a case event, it is demonstrated that the dual-satellite constellation of GRACE-FO is most suitable to derive the persistence of auroral FACs with scale lengths of 180 km or longer. Due to a relatively larger noise level compared to dedicated magnetic missions, GRACE-FO is especially suitable for high-amplitude event studies. However, GRACE-FO is also sensitive to ionospheric signatures even below the noise level within statistical approaches. The combination with data of dedicated magnetic field missions and other missions carrying non-dedicated magnetometers greatly enhances related scientific perspectives.