Latitudinally propagating on–off switching aurorae and associated geomagnetic pulsations: A case study of an event of February 20, 1980

Abstract

Poleward propagating on–off switching aurorae and equatorward propagating aurorae, otherwise similar, were observed simultaneously at Rabbit Lake and La Ronge, respectively, for about 40 min before dawn of Feb. 20, 1980. Rabbit Lake is a high auroral latitude site, at the northern end of the Saskatchewan chain of stations for the Pulsating Aurora Campaign, whereas La Ronge, due south of Rabbit, is almost at the southern edge of the auroral zone. The repetition periods of the on–off switching aurorae are about 6 to 13 s. The poleward propagating aurorae had well defined fronts of light which extended a few hundred kilometres or more in the east–west direction. The light fronts of the equatorward propagating aurorae, though comparable in extent, were less well defined: they were thicker and fuzzier. The poleward propagating aurorae moved with a speed ~10 km/s whereas the equatorward ones did so with a slightly greater velocity. Geomagnetic field fluctuations were concurrent with the aurorae at both sites. At Rabbit Lake, northward (southward) field changes were associated with upward (downward) changes whereas the trend is reversed at La Ronge, viz., northward (southward) changes with downward (upward) changes. These trends are consistent with a model of a periodic occurrence of two line currents, westward and eastward, the former moving poleward north of Rabbit Lake and the latter approaching La Ronge from the north.