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The Earth's Electrical Environment (1986) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 199-200

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From page 199...
... Charge separation associated with the current tends to DUSK create an eastward electric-field component, opposite to the nightside westward convection electric field, largely canceling the convection electric field in the inner mag netosphere. The overall pattern of magnetospheric convection tends to map along the magnetic field into the iono sphere even though this mapping is imperfect because of net electric fields that tend to develop within the non uniform energetic plasma.
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From page 200...
... These vortices are known traditionally as the Sq current system because of the nature of the ground-level magnetic variations that they produce: S for solar daily variations and q for quiet levels of magnetic activity. At high latitudes the electric fields and currents produced by the ionospheric wind dynamo are relatively weak in comparison with those of the solar wind/magnetospheric dynamo.
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Key Terms

  • geomagnetic field
  • electric field
  • charge separation
  • negative charge
  • magnetic field

  • electric fields
  • auroral oval
  • electric currents
  • field lines
  • magnetic variations

  • solar wind
  • field line
  • wind dynamo
  • ionospheric potential
  • upper atmosphere

  • positive charge
  • ionospheric wind
  • currents flowing
  • polar cap
  • daily variation

  • schematic diagram
  • dynamo electric
  • total potential
  • auroral electrojet


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
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