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Solar and lunar daily geomagnetic variations and their equivalent current systems observed by Swarm
2022, Yamazaki, Yosuke
This paper describes solar and lunar daily variations of the geomagnetic field over low- and mid-latitude regions, using vector magnetometer data from Swarm satellites at altitudes of ∼500 km during the solar minimum years of 2017–2020. The average solar variation of the geomagnetic field is within the range of ±14 nT, while the lunar variation is within ±2 nT. The latter is comparable to the ocean tidal field. A spherical harmonic analysis is performed on the solar and lunar variations to evaluate their internal and external equivalent current systems. The results show that both the solar and lunar variations are mainly of internal origin, which can be attributed to combined effects of ionospheric dynamo currents and induced underground currents. Global patterns of the internal solar and lunar current systems are consistent with the corresponding external current systems previously reported based on ground observations. The Swarm external currents are mainly in the meridional direction, and are likely associated with interhemispheric field-aligned currents. Both the internal and external current systems depend on the season and longitude.
September 2019 Antarctic Sudden Stratospheric Warming: Quasi-6-Day Wave Burst and Ionospheric Effects
2020, Yamazaki, Y., Matthias, V., Miyoshi, Y., Stolle, C., Siddiqui, T., Kervalishvili, G., Laštovička, J., Kozubek, M., Ward, W., Themens, D.R., Kristoffersen, S., Alken, P.
An exceptionally strong stationary planetary wave with Zonal Wavenumber 1 led to a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in the Southern Hemisphere in September 2019. Ionospheric data from European Space Agency's Swarm satellite constellation mission show prominent 6-day variations in the dayside low-latitude region at this time, which can be attributed to forcing from the middle atmosphere by the Rossby normal mode “quasi-6-day wave” (Q6DW). Geopotential height measurements by the Microwave Limb Sounder aboard National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aura satellite reveal a burst of global Q6DW activity in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere during the SSW, which is one of the strongest in the record. The Q6DW is apparently generated in the polar stratosphere at 30–40 km, where the atmosphere is unstable due to strong vertical wind shear connected with planetary wave breaking. These results suggest that an Antarctic SSW can lead to ionospheric variability through wave forcing from the middle atmosphere. ©2020. The Authors.