Seasonal and UT variations of the position of the auroral precipitation and polar cap boundaries |
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| Authors: | V G Vorobjev O I Yagodkina |
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| Institution: | 1.Polar Geophysical Institute, Kola Science Center,Russian Academy of Sciences,Apatity, Murmansk oblast,Russia |
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| Abstract: | The data of the DMSP F7 spacecraft are used for studying the influence of the geomagnetic dipole tilt angle on the latitudinal position of auroral
precipitation boundaries in the nighttime (2100–2400 MLT) and daytime (0900–1200 MLT) sectors. It is shown that, in the nighttime
sector, the high-latitude zone of soft diffuse precipitation (SDP) and the boundary of the polar cap (PC) at all levels of
geomagnetic activity are located at higher and lower latitudes relative to the equinox period in winter and summer, respectively.
The position of boundaries of the diffuse auroral precipitation zone (DAZ) located equatorward from the auroral oval does
not depend on the season. In the daytime sector, the inverse picture is observed: the SDP precipitation zone takes the most
low-latitude and high-latitude positions in the winter and summer periods, respectively. The total value of the displacements
from winter to summer of both the nighttime and daytime boundaries of the PC is ∼2.5°. A diurnal wave in the latitudinal position
of the nighttime precipitation boundaries is detected. The wave is most pronounced in the periods of the winter and fall seasons,
is much weaker in the spring period, and is almost absent in summer. The diurnal variations of the position of the boundaries
are quasi-sinusoidal oscillations with the latitude maximum and minimum at 0300–0500 and 1700–2100 UT, respectively. The total
value of the diurnal displacement of the boundaries is ∼2.5° of latitude. The results obtained show that, undergoing seasonal
and diurnal variations, the polar cap is shifted as a whole in the direction opposite to the changes in the tilt angle of
the geomagnetic dipole. The seasonal displacements of the polar cap and its diurnal variations in the winter period occur
without any substantial changes in its area. |
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