Birkeland Current Boundary Flows

Simple item page
atmire.migration.oldid5336
dc.contributor.advisorKnudsen, David
dc.contributor.authorArcher, William
dc.contributor.committeememberBurchill, Johnathan
dc.contributor.committeememberSkone, Susan
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-30T22:43:29Z
dc.date.available2017-01-30T22:43:29Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.date.submitted2017en
dc.description.abstractIn this thesis I will define and investigate a phenomenon called Birkeland current boundary flows (BCBF). These narrow regions of intense ion flow mark the boundary between upward and downward field aligned current in the auroral ionosphere. I use measurements of electric and magnetic field, ion temperature, plasma density, and electron temperature from the Swarm satellites to characterize the plasma surrounding these events. Ground-based magnetic field and optical measurements coincident with Swarm measurements of BCBF provide large-scale context for my observations with respect to the auroral electrojets and the optical aurora respectively. In a series of three papers, I will present first observations of BCBF, establish the morphology and significance of the phenomenon near midnight, and contrast BCBF with a similar phenomenon, subauroral ion drifts. While large electric fields have been previously reported in the auroral zone, often associated either with auroral precipitation or the auroral electrojets, the studies in this thesis first show BCBF to be a ubiquitous and persistent characteristic of auroral ionospheric current closure near midnight.en_US
dc.identifier.citationArcher, W. (2017). Birkeland Current Boundary Flows (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25142en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25142
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/3602
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectAtmospheric Science
dc.subjectElectricity and Magnetism
dc.subject.otherIonosphere
dc.subject.otherBirkeland currents
dc.subject.otherIon flows
dc.subject.otherSAID
dc.subject.otherquiet-time
dc.subject.otheraurora
dc.titleBirkeland Current Boundary Flows
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplinePhysics and Astronomy
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
Files
Collections
Open Theses and Dissertations