Ground Based Observation of High Latitude ULF Wave Signatures

Gane, C.1, Wright, D.1 and Raita, T.2

1 University of Leicester, UK
2 Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, Sodankylä, Finland

The island of Spitsbergen, at a latitude of 78 deg north spends a significant amount of its time at either side of the open-closed field line boundary and within the cusp region. The ULF wave spectrum at these latitudes still remains little understood and the unique dynamic processes which occur here leave characteristic wave signatures, which may be resolved using a number of techniques.

A new induction coil magnetometer system located at Barentsburg has been employed to identify these phenomena. Combining these measurements with those obtained using the CUTLASS radars and spacecraft provides new insight into the wave modes present in this dynamic region.

This presentation focuses on a number of observations of high latitude ULF wave signatures including those which are associated with the cusp. CUTLASS radar measurements will be compared with those from the ground-based magnetometer to identify common features in the data and these observations will be considered in the context of current theories of ULF wave generation.