On the Influence of the Data Sampling Interval on Computer-Derived K-Indices

The K index was devised by Bartels et al. (1939) to provide an objective monitoring of irregular geomagnetic activity. The K index was then routinely used to monitor the magnetic activity at permanent magnetic observatories as well as at temporary stations. The increasing number of digital and sometimes unmanned observatories and the creation of INTERMAGNET put the question of computer production of K at the centre of the debate. Four algorithms were selected during the Vienna meeting (1991) and endorsed by IAGA for the computer production of K indices. We used one of them (FMI algorithm) to investigate the impact of the geomagnetic data sampling interval on computer produced K values through the comparison of the computer derived K values for the period 2009, January 1st to 2010, May 31st at the Port-aux-Francais magnetic observatory using magnetic data series with different sampling rates (the smaller: 1 second; the larger: 1 minute). The impact is investigated on both 3-hour range values and K indices data series, as a function of the activity level for low and moderate geomagnetic activity

A statistical study of the observed and modeled global thermosphere response to magnetic activity at middle and low latitudes

International audience[1] From one year (2004) of thermosphere total density data inferred from CHAMP/ STAR accelerometer measurements, we calculate the global thermosphere response to auroral magnetic activity forcing at middle and low latitudes using a method based on a singular value decomposition of the satellite data. This method allows separating the large-scale spatial variations in the density, mostly related to altitude/latitude variations and captured by the first singular component, from the time variations, down to timescales on the order of the orbital period, which are captured by the associated projection coefficient. This projection coefficient is used to define a disturbance coefficient that characterizes the global thermospheric density response to auroral forcing. For quiet to moderate magnetic activity levels (Kp < 6), we show that the disturbance coefficient is better correlated with the magnetic am indices than with the magnetic ap indices. The latter index is used in all empirical thermosphere models to quantify the auroral forcing. It is found that the NRLMSISE-00 model correctly estimates the main features of the thermosphere density response to geomagnetic activity, i.e., the morphology of Universal Time variations and the larger relative increase during nighttime than during daytime. However, it statistically underestimates the amplitude of the thermosphere density response by about 50%. This underestimation reaches 200% for specific disturbed periods. It is also found that the difference between daytime and nighttime responses to auroral forcing can statistically be explained by local differences in magnetic activity as described by the longitude sector magnetic indices. Citation: Lathuillère, C., M. Menvielle, A. Marchaudon, and S. Bruinsma (2008), A statistical study of the observed and modeled global thermosphere response to magnetic activity at middle and low latitudes

On the long term change in the geomagnetic activity during the 20th century

International audienceThe analysis of the aa index series presented in this paper clearly shows that during the last century (1900 to 2000) the number of quiet days (Aa<20 nT) drastically di- minished from a mean annual value greater than 270 days per year at the end of the nineteenth century to a mean value of 160 quiet days per year one hundred years later. This de- crease is mainly due to the decrease of the number of very quiet days (Aa<13 nT). We show that the so-evidenced de- crease in the number of quiet days cannot be accounted for by drift in the aa baseline resulting in a systematic underes- timation of aa during the first quarter of the century: a 2– 3 nT overestimation in the aa increase during the 20th cen- tury would lead to a 20–40% overestimation in the decrease of the number of quiet days during the same period.The quiet days and very quiet days correspond to periods during which the Earth encounters slow solar wind streams flowing in the heliosheet during the period where the solar magnetic field has a dipolar geometry. Therefore, the ob- served change in the number of quiet days is the signature of a long term evolution of the solar coronal field topology. It may be interpreted in terms of an increase in the magnitude of the solar dipole, the associated decrease of the heliosheet thickness accounting for the observed decrease in the number of quiet days

Impact of the 26-30 May 2003 solar events on the earth ionosphere and thermosphere.

During the last week of May 2003, the solar active region AR 10365 produced a large number of flares, several of which were accompanied by Coronal Mass Ejections (CME). Specifically on 27 and 28 May three halo CMEs were observed which had a significant impact on geospace. On 29 May, upon their arrival at the L1 point, in front of the Earth's magnetosphere, two interplanetary shocks and two additional solar wind pressure pulses were recorded by the ACE spacecraft. The interplanetary magnetic field data showed the clear signature of a magnetic cloud passing ACE. In the wake of the successive increases in solar wind pressure, the magnetosphere became strongly compressed and the sub-solar magnetopause moved inside five Earth radii. At low altitudes the increased energy input to the magnetosphere was responsible for a substantial enhancement of Region-1 field-aligned currents. The ionospheric Hall currents also intensified and the entire high-latitude current system moved equatorward by about 10°. Several substorms occurred during this period, some of them - but not all - apparently triggered by the solar wind pressure pulses. The storm's most notable consequences on geospace, including space weather effects, were (1) the expansion of the auroral oval, and aurorae seen at mid latitudes, (2) the significant modification of the total electron content in the sunlight high-latitude ionosphere, (3) the perturbation of radio-wave propagation manifested by HF blackouts and increased GPS signal scintillation, and (4) the heating of the thermosphere, causing increased satellite drag. We discuss the reasons why the May 2003 storm is less intense than the October-November 2003 storms, although several indicators reach similar intensities

NGHIÊN CỨU CẤU TRÚC SÂU KHU VỰC ĐỨT GÃY SÔNG SÀI GÒN BẰNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP TỪ TELUA

This paper presents the magnetotelluric sounding results  of  Cu  Chi  -  Ben  Cat profile across the  Saigon  River fault. Results obtained by one-dimensional inversion of the data of a typical station located near the middle of the profile show that the geoelectric structure of the study area consists of three layers, in which the resistivities of the superficial and the underlying layers are relatively low compared with that of the intermediate layer. This geoelectric structure is then used to estimate the influence of the equatorial electrojet on the magnetotelluric measurements carried out in the region. Magnetotelluric forward problems were calculated and compared for cases of the present and the absent of the equatorial electrojet model. Results show that in the range of periods less than 0.7s, the apparent resistivity measured are not affected by the equatorial electrojet. Therefore, the apparent resistivity data measured in the period range less than 0.7s of all stations on the profile have been used for two-dimensional inversion to obtain geoelectric cross-section acrossing the Saigon River fault. The geoelectric cross-section down to a depth of 10km obtained by two-dimensional inversion shows a geoelectric structure consist of 3 layers: a low resistivity superficial layer, a resistive intermediate layer, and a low resistivity underlying layer. The superficial layer is clearly related to the sedimentary series. The intermediate layer may relate to the intrusive and consolidated rocks. The underlying layer may reflect conductive materials causing by high-temperature condition at depth. The interface between the intermediate and the underlying layers at around 3km depth corresponds probably to the crystalline basement. The low resistivity regions under the C4 and C2 stations may be related to the Duong Minh Chau - Dau Tieng - Can Gio and the Saigon River faults, correspondingly.ReferencesS. C. Constable, R. L. Parker, and C. G. Constable, 1987. Occam’ s inversion: A practical algorithm for generating smooth models from EM sounding data, Geophysics, 52, 289-300. H. Grandis, M. Menvielle, and M. Roussignol, 1999. Bayesian inversion with Markovchains-I. Themagnetotelluric one-dimensional case, Geophys. J. Int., 138, 757-768. Trương Quang Hảo, Lương Văn Trương, 2005. Xác định một vài thông số của dòng điện xích đạo ở Việt Nam, Tuyển tập báo cáo Hội nghị khoa học kỹ thuật địa vật lý Việt Nam lần thứ 4, 47-70. Trương Quang Hảo, 1997. Thành tựu nghiên cứu Vật lý Địa cầu 1987-1997. Trung tâm Khoa học Tự nhiên và Công nghệ Quốc Gia, viện Vật lý Địa cầu, Nxb. KHKT, 202-236. Nguyễn Ngọc Hoa (chủ biên), 1995. Bản đồ địa chất và khoáng sản Việt Nam, tỷ lệ 1:200.000, tờ C-48-XI, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Cục Địa chất và Khoáng sản Việt Nam, Hà Nội. Đặng Văn Hưng, 1987. Tính chất của trường điện từ tự nhiên miền xích đạo từ và độ chính xác của của phương pháp MTS ở Việt Nam, Tạp chí các Khoa học về Trái Đất, T.9, 2, 61-66. A. G. Jones, 1992. Electrical conductivity of the continental lower crust, Continental lower crust, Edi. D. M. Fountain, R. J. Arculus and R. W. Kay, 81-143. S. K. Lee et al, 2009. MT2DinvMatlab-A program in MATLAB and FORTRAN for two-dimensional magnetotelluric inversion, Computers Geosciences, 35, 1722-1734. Đỗ Văn Lĩnh (chủ biên), 2009. Báo cáo thuyết minh đề tài “Phân vùng nhỏ động đất khu vực thành phố Hồ Chí Minh”, Sở Khoa học và Công nghệ thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 248tr. Lê Huy Minh, Nguyễn Văn Giảng, Nguyễn Trọng Vũ và Lại Cao Khiêm, 2004. Kết quả sơ bộ nghiên cứu cấu trúc sâu vùng đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, Tuyển tập báo cáo Hội nghị Khoa học cơ bản, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 12/2004. Lê Huy Minh, Nguyễn Chiến Thắng, Lưu Việt Hùng, 2005. Kết quả đo sâu từ telua tuyến Chợ Gạo- Hóc Môn, Tuyển tập báo cáo Hội nghị Khoa học kỹ thuật Địa vật lý Việt Nam lần thứ 4, 149-161. Lê Huy Minh, Phạm Văn Ngọc, D. Boyer, Nguyễn Ngọc Thủy, Lê Trường Thanh, Ngô Văn Quân, G. Marquis, 2009. Nghiên cứu chi tiết cấu trúc đứt gãy Lai Châu - Điện Biên bằng phương pháp đo sâu từ tellur, Tạp chí Địa chất loạt A, 311, 11 -21. W. R. Peltier and J. F. Hermance, 1971. Magnetotelluric Fields of a Gaussian Electrojet, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 8(3), 338-346. V. N. Pham, D. Boyer, T. K. T. Nguyen, and V. G. Nguyen, 1994. Deep ground-water investigation by combined VES/MTS methods near Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, Ground water, 32, 4, 675-682. P. Tapponier et al., 1990. The Ailao Shan/Red River metamorphic belt: Tertiary left-lateral shear between Indochina and South China, Nature, 343, 431-437. Nguyễn Ngọc Thu, 2004. Xử lý tổng hợp tài liệu địa vật lý vùng thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Luận án Tiến sĩ vật lý, Đại học Quốc Gia Tp. Hồ Chí Minh, 146tr. Cao Đình Triều, 2005. Trường địa vật lý và cấu trúc thạch quyển lãnh thổ Việt Nam. Nxb. KHKT, Hà Nội, 330tr. Cao Đình Triều, Phạm Huy Long, Đỗ Văn Lĩnh, Lê Văn Dũng, Cao Đình Trọng, 2013. Địa động lực hiện đại lãnh thổ Việt Nam. Nxb. Khoa học Tự nhiên và Công nghệ, 242tr.J. T. Weaver and A. K. Agarwal, 1993. Automatic 1-D inversion of magnetotelluric data by the method of modeling, Geophys. J. Int, 112, 115-123. This  paper  presents the magnetotelluric  sounding  results  of  Cu  Chi  -  Ben  Cat  profile  acrossing  the  Saigon  River fault. Results obtained by one-dimensional inversion of the data of a typical station located near the middle of the profile show that the geoelectric structure of the study area consists of three layers, in which the resistivities of the superficial and the underlying layers are relatively low compared with that of the intermediate layer. This geoelectric structure is then used to estimate the influence of the equatorial electrojet on the magnetotelluric measurements carried out in the region. Magnetotelluric forward problems were calculated and compared for cases of the present and the absent of the equatorial electrojet model. Results show that in the range of periods less than 0.7s, the apparent resistivity measured are not affected by the equatorial electrojet. Therefore, the apparent resistivity data measured in the period range less than 0.7s of all stations on the profile have been used for two-dimensional inversion to obtain geoelectric cross-section acrossing the Saigon River fault. The geoelectric cross-section down to a depth of 10km obtained by two-dimensional inversion shows a geoelectric structure consist of 3 layers: a low resistivity superficial layer, a resistive intermediate layer and a low resistivity underlying layer. The superficial layer is clearly related to the sedimentary series. The intermediate layer may relate to the intrusive and consolidated rocks. The underlying layer may reflect conductive materials causing by high temperature condition at depth. The interface between the intermediate and the underlying layers at around 3km depth corresponds probably to the crystalline basement. The low resistivity regions under the C4 and C2 stations may be related to the Duong Minh Chau - Dau Tieng - Can Gio and the Saigon River faults, correspondingly

International equatorial electrojet year : the African sector

International audienceThis paper presents the IEEY project in the African sector. The amount of our interpreted data is presently too short to allow proper scientific conclusions. Nevertheless, fist typical results illustrate our network possibilities. Some preliminary observations are briefly pre- , sented for their interest towards immediate research goals

Stressors and resources mediate the association of socioeconomic position with health behaviours

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