Authors

L. R. Lyons and E. Zesta
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1565

J. C. Samson
Department of Physics
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9

and

G. D. Reeves
NIS-2 Mail Stop D436
Los Alamos National Laboratories
Los Alamos, NM 87545

Geophysical Research Letters, 27, 3237, 2000

Abstract

It is well known that intense and frequent auroral-zone disturbances, which are often attributed to substorms, occur during magnetic storms. We examine observations during the January 10, 1997 main phase and find that observed auroral-zone activity was dominated by a combination of global auroral and current enhancements, which are a direct response to solar wind dynamic pressure enhancements, and poleward boundary intensifications, which are localized in longitude and have an auroral signature that moves equatorward from the magnetic separatrix. Poleward and azimuthally expanding regions of auroral activity which accompany substorms are found to contribute significantly less to the observed activity. This suggests that poleward boundary intensifications and dynamic pressure responses may be an important cause of disturbances during periods of enhanced convection such as magnetic storms and convection bays.

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Paper (pdf format)
Figures: 1-4 (PDF format)