Spectral and photometric characteristics of mid-latitude auroras during the magnetic storm of March 17, 2015

We study the spatiotemporal dynamics of mid-latitude aurora from observations in the south of Eastern Siberia during St. Patrick’s severe geomagnetic storm on March 17, 2015. We perform a morphological analysis of characteristics of the observed auroras. A preliminary conclusion is drawn that the analyzed event is the result of the manifestation of mid-latitude auroras of two types (type “d” and SAR arc) and ordinary aurora observed at the northern horizon. The maximum intensity of the dominant emission [OI] at 630.0 nm (~14 kR) allows this mid-latitude aurora to be attributed to the extreme auroras occurring in mid-latitudes, which is second only to the November 20, 2003 superstorm (~19 kR)

Probing the high latitude ionosphere from ground-based observations: The state of current knowledge and capabilities during IPY (2007-2009)

During the International Polar Year (IPY), one area of great interest is co-coordinated, multi-instrument probing of the ionosphere at high latitudes. This region is important not only for the applications that rely upon our understanding of it, but also because it contains the footprints of processes that have their origin in the interplanetary space. Many different techniques are now available for probing the ionosphere, from radar measurements to the analysis of very low frequency (VLF) wave paths. Combining these methods provides the ability to study the ionosphere from high in the F-region to the bottom of the D-layer. Thus, coupling processes from the magnetosphere and to the neutral atmosphere can be considered. An additional dimension is through comparisons of the response of the two polar ionospheres to similar (or the same) geomagnetic activity. With more instruments available at the South Pole inter-hemispheric, studies have become easier to accomplish such that a fuller picture of the global response to Sun-Earth coupling can be painted. This paper presents a review of the current state of knowledge in ionospheric probing. It cannot provide a comprehensive guide of the work to date due to the scale of the topic. Rather it is intended to give an overview of the techniques and recent results from some of the instruments and facilities that are a part of the IPY cluster 63-Heliosphere Impact on Geospace. In this way it is hoped that the reader will gain a flavor of the recent research performed in this area and the potential for continuing collaboration and capabilities during the IP