Identification

Title

SAPS in the 17 march 2013 storm event: Initial results from the Coupled Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model

Abstract

Subauroral polarization stream (SAPS) is latitudinally narrow flow channels of large westward plasma drifts in the subauroral ionosphere. In this study, the global structure and dynamic evolution of SAPS are investigated by using the Coupled Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere model with ring current extension, namely, the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry-Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model-Rice Convection Model, to simulate the 2013 St. Patrick's Day storm event. This is the first time that the global distribution and temporal evolution of SAPS are investigated using first-principle models. The model shows a strong westward ion drift channel formed equatorward of the auroral electron precipitation boundary on the duskside, which is identified as the SAPS structure. The simulated ion drift velocity and auroral electron precipitation sampled along the trajectory of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F18 satellite are in good agreement with the satellite measurements. SAPS initiate in the predusk sector when the interplanetary magnetic field turns southward. SAPS latitude generally decreases with magnetic local time from dusk to midnight. The SAPS channel shows wedge, inverse wedge, and crescent morphologies during the storm and becomes discontinuous when the interplanetary magnetic field is weakly southward. The SAPS mean latitude has a correlation coefficient of 0.77 with the Dst index. The mean latitude moves equatorward, and the flow channel broadens in the storm main phase. The simulation results illustrate both the global distribution and highly dynamic behavior of SAPS that are not readily apparent from the observation data.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7tf02j2

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2019-07-22T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

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Conformity

Data format

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version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Copyright 2019 American Geophysical Union.

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2025-07-11T19:27:06.987615

Metadata language

eng; USA