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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • turbulence
  • ionosphere
  • SuperDARN

Index Terms

  • Nonlinear Geophysics: Turbulence
  • Ionosphere: Ionospheric dynamics
  • Ionosphere: Plasma convection
  • Ionosphere: Polar cap ionosphere

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 36, L19102, 5 PP., 2009
doi:10.1029/2009GL040336

IMF clock angle control of multifractality in ionospheric velocity fluctuations

G. A. Abel

British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK

M. P. Freeman

British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK

G. Chisham

British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK

We present an analysis of 8 years of meridional line-of-sight ionospheric plasma velocity measurements from the Halley SuperDARN radar which investigates the effect of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) clock angle on the scaling exponents of the first three order velocity structure functions. We only use velocity measurements made poleward of the open/closed magnetic field line boundary in the nightside ionosphere. The measured scaling exponents are consistent with multifractal Kraichnan-Iroshnikov turbulence for all clock angles but with varying intermittency that decreases to zero during purely northward IMF conditions. We thus propose that intermittency is inherited from the solar wind but also discuss other possible reasons for this relationship.

Received 31 July 2009; accepted 25 August 2009; published 7 October 2009.

Citation: Abel, G. A., M. P. Freeman, and G. Chisham (2009), IMF clock angle control of multifractality in ionospheric velocity fluctuations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L19102, doi:10.1029/2009GL040336.

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