Investigation of quasi-periodic fluctuations in auroral phenomena using EISCAT radar and Cluster satellite data
Final Report Abstract
The solar-terrestrial relations and the coupling between the magnetosphere and ionosphere/ thermosphere was the subject of the present study. These interactions and dependencies have been analyzed in various ways using both ground-based measurements and sateUite observations. The works focused primarily on auroral and polar latitudes, but comprised also geomagnetic wave phenomena (ULF waves or pulsations) at lower latitudes that allow the remote sensing of the plasma parameters within the inner magnetosphere (plasmasphere). One two-week observation campaign at the EISCAT incoherent scatter radar in Northern Scandinavia and Svalbard was successfully performed in October. The statistical studies of the high-latitude magnetospheric convection for various solar wind and IMF conditions using the electron drift observations (EDI) of the Cluster S/Cs and the similar analysis of CHAMP measurements of cross-track thermospheric winds at high latitudes have some novelty in this field of research insofar as the tight coupling of solar wind conditions and their influence on both ionized and neutral components in the high latitude and high-altitude region could be shown. The common investigation of "space-based" and ground-based observations for the study of individual events and/or their larger-scale statistical interrelations should be continued. The EISCAT radar facility and its planned upgrades for high-resolution 3D plasma observations in the auroral region and within the polar cap appear to be a valuable tool for top-level studies in this regard.
