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Utah State University

All Physics Faculty Publications

1987

High Latitude

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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Lower-Thermospheric Winds At High Latitude, R M. Johnson, Vincent B. Wickwar, R G. Roble, J G. Luhmann Jan 1987

Lower-Thermospheric Winds At High Latitude, R M. Johnson, Vincent B. Wickwar, R G. Roble, J G. Luhmann

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Observations made of the high-latitude E-region with the Chatanika, Alaska (65° N), incoherent scatter radar facility during the summer months of 1976 to 1982 are presented. Fourteen 24-h experiments were performed with altitude resolution between 9 and 24 km. Ion drifts measured during these experiments have been analysed to obtain neutral winds at lower-thermospheric heights. Tidal oscillations are the predominant feature of the neutral winds from 90 to 125 km. The semidiurnal oscillation is particularly strong, attaining peak amplitudes of ≈50 m/s at 110 km. Average semidiurnal tidal phases are in good agreement with previous mid- to hight-latitude observations. …


Optical And Radar Characterization Of A Short-Lived Auroral Event At High Latitude, A Vallance-Jones, R L. Gattinger, P Shih, J W. Meriwether, Vincent B. Wickwar, J D. Kelly Jan 1987

Optical And Radar Characterization Of A Short-Lived Auroral Event At High Latitude, A Vallance-Jones, R L. Gattinger, P Shih, J W. Meriwether, Vincent B. Wickwar, J D. Kelly

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Observations of optical emission intensities and incoherent scatter radar returns in the magnetic zenith were compared in a study carried out at Sondre Stromfjord (Λ = 76.1°) in Greenland. The results were used to test the consistency of a theoretical model of ion chemistry and optical emissions in aurora and to explore the accuracy of relations between optical measurements and the average energy of the incident electrons. The incident primary electron spectrum and its temporal variation were inferred from zenith electron density profiles from the radar. The inferred primary energy spectrum at the peak intensity of the event approximated a …