Abstract
WE describe the first results obtained from a new facility designed to study auroral absorption events exhibiting small scale spatial structure and rapid temporal variations. The absorption is measured by means of a modern solid-state riometer with high time resolution1 and the spatial resolution is obtained using a narrow-beam antenna with 64 elements. The most striking observations made so far involve intense, short-lived ‘spikes’ of absorption associated with the onsets of auroral substorms. These spikes, which seem to be of small spatial scale, are probably related to the sudden ionospheric absorption (SIA or SAI) events reported by previous workers2–5 and perhaps to the ‘spikes’ of intense energetic electron precipitation observed from polar-orbiting satellites6–11. Five such spikes were observed during November and December 1975.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chivers, H. J. A. & Maagoe, S. IEEE Trans. on Antennas and Propagat. 513, July 1972.
Ansari, Z. A. J. geophys. Res. 69, 4493, (1964).
Eather, R. H. & Jacka, F. Aust. J. Phys. 19, 215 (1966).
Berkey, F. T. J. geophys. Res. 73, 319 (1968).
Hargreaves, J. K. Proc. I.E.E. 57, No. 8, 1348 (1969).
Lin, W. C., McDiarmid, I. B. & Burrows, J. R. Can. J. Phys. 46, 80 (1968).
Axford, W. I. Rev. Geophys. 7, 421 (1969).
McDiarmid, I. B. & Burrows, J. R. J. geophys. Res. 70, 3031 (1965).
Fritz, T. A. & Gurnett, D. A. J. geophys. Res. 70, 2485 (1965).
Hoffman, R. A. & Evans, D. S. J. geophys. Res. 73, 6201 (1968).
Brown, J. W. & Stone, E. C. J. geophys. Res. 77, 3384 (1972).
Balsley B. B. . & Ecklund W. L. IEEE Trans. Antennas and Propagat. 513 (1972).
Committee for Co-ordination of Observations Associated with GEOS, Circular Letter No. 6, February 1975.
Akasofu, S.-I. Space Sci. Rev. 16, 617 (1974).
Hargreaves, J. K., Chivers, H. J. A. & Axford, W. I. Planet. Space. Sci. 23, 905 (1975).
Williams, D. J. & Trefall, H. J. geophys. Res. 81, 2927 (1976).
Greenwald, R., Max-Planck-lnstitut für Aeronomie Report W-04-67-24 (1976.)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
NIELSEN, E., AXFORD, W. Small scale auroral absorption events associated with substorms. Nature 267, 502–504 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/267502a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/267502a0
This article is cited by
-
Transient ionization of the mesosphere during auroral breakup: Arase satellite and ground-based conjugate observations at Syowa Station
Earth, Planets and Space (2019)
-
Energetic protons near the plasma sheet boundary
Nature (1979)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
