Summary
The observational features of the arc are fairly well established. At present, the thermal conduction model appears to explain the red arc features most consistently, but it must be noted that a soft electron flux would give very similar results. Ion temperature measurements in the vicinity of an arc, which should be forthcoming in the very near future, can establish conclusively whether transverse electric fields play any important role in the formation of the arcs. Accepting the assumption that the arcs are the result of energy flowing down from the plasmasphere, the major remaining question is: where does the energy come from and how does it get into the plasmasphere? The various proposed mechanisms discussed in the previous chapter appear feasible, but much work needs to be done before this problem is completely resolved.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Banks, P.: 1967a, ‘Ion Temperature in the Upper Atmosphere’, J. Geophys. Res. 72, 3365.
Banks, P.: 1967b, ‘The Temperature Coupling of Ions in the Ionosphere’, Planetary Space Sci. 15, 77.
Barbier, D.: 1958, ‘L'activité aurorale aux basses latitudes’, Ann. Geophys. 14, 334.
Barbier, D.: 1960, ‘L'arc auroral stable’, Ann. Geophys. 16, 544.
Bowman, G. G.: 1969, ‘lonization Troughs below the F2-Layer Maximum’, Planetary Space Sci. 17, 777.
Burnell, J. and Rycroft, M. J.: 1970, ‘Statistical Analysis of Movements of the Ionospheric Trough and the Plasmapause’, J. Geophys. Res. 75, 5600.
Carpenter, D. L.: 1966, ‘Whistler Studies of the Plasmapause in the Magnetosphere-1; Temporal Variations in the Position of the Knee and some Evidence on Plasma Motions near the Knee’, J. Geophys. Res. 71, 693.
Carpenter, D. L.: 1970, ‘Plasmapause Observations from OGO VLF Data near the Time of Red-Arc Events’, paper presented at the 1970 National A.G.U. Meeting, Washington, D.C., April.
Chappell, C. R., Harris, K. K., and Sharp, G. W.: 1970a, ‘A Study of the Influence of Magnetic Activity on the Location of the Plasmapause as Measured by OGO 5’, J. Geophys. Res. 75, 50.
Chappell, C. R., Harris, K. K., and Sharp, G. W.: 1970b, ‘The Reaction of the Plasmasphere to the Magnetic Storm of October 29 to November 4, 1968’, paper presented at the National A.G.U. Meeting, Washington, D.C., April.
Clark, W. L., McAfee, J. R., Norton, R. B., and Warnoch, J. M.: 1969, ‘Radio Wave Reflections from Large Horizontal Gradients in the Topside Ionosphere’, Proc. IEEE, 57, 493.
Cole, K. D.: 1965, ‘Stable Auroral Red Arcs, Sinks for Energy of D st Main Phase’, J. Geophys. Res. 70, 1689.
Cole, K. D.: 1967, ‘The D st Main Phase and Certain Associated Phenomena’, in Physics of Geomagnetic Phenomena, Vol. II, Academic Press, New York.
Cole, K. D.: 1969, ‘Magnetospheric Processes Leading to Mid-Latitude Auroras’, paper presented at the IAGA Symposium, Madrid, September, 1969.
Cornwall, J. M., Coroniti, F. V., and Thorne, R. M.: 1970, ‘Turbulent Loss of Ring Current Protons’, J. Geophys. Res. 75, 4699.
Cruz, J. E., Davies, R., Droppleman, L. K., Marovich, E., Megill, L. R., Rees, M. H., Reisbeck, L., and Roach, F. E.: 1965, ‘Data Reduction for Stable Auroral Red Arcs Observed at Rapid City, South Dakota’, NBS Tech. Note No. 308.
Dalgarno, A.: 1964, ‘Corpuscular Radiation in the Upper Atmosphere’, Ann. Geophys. 20, 65.
Dalgarno, A., McElroy, M. B., and Walker, J. C. G.: 1967, ‘The Diurnal Variation of Ionospheric Temperatures’, Planetary Space Sci. 15, 331.
Dalgarno, A., McElroy, M. B., Rees, M. H., and Walker, J. C. G.: 1968, ‘The Effect of Oxygen Cooling on Ionospheric Electron Temperatures’, Planetary Space Sci. 16, 1371.
Dalgarno, A.and Walker, J. C. G.: 1964, ‘The Red Line of Atomic Oxygen in the Day Airglow’, J. Atmospheric Sci. 21, 463.
Da Rosa, A. V.: 1966, ‘The Theoretical Time-Dependent Thermal Behavior of the Ionospheric Electron Gas’, J. Geophys. Res. 71, 4107.
Frank, L. A.: 1967, ‘On the Extraterrestrial Ring Current During Geomagnetic Storms’, J. Geophys. Res. 72, 3753.
Geisler, J. E. and Bowhill, S. A.: 1965, ‘Exchange of Energy Between the Ionosphere and the Protonosphere’, J. Atmospheric Terrest. Phys. 27, 119.
Glass, N. W., Wolcott, J. H., Miller, L. W., and Robertson, M. M.: 1970, ‘Local Time Behavior of the Alignment and Position of a SAR Arc’, J. Geophys. Res. 75, 2579.
Hanson, W. B., Sanatani, S., Brace, L. H., and Findlay, J. A.: 1969, ‘Thermal Structure of an Alouette 2 Topside Profile as Deduced from Rocket Measurements’, J. Geophys. Res. 74, 2229.
Hays, P. B., Nagy, A. F., and Roble, R. G.: 1969, ‘Interferometric Measurements of the 6300 Å Doppler Temperature During a Magnetic Storm’, J. Geophys. Res. 74, 4162.
Hoch, R. J., Marovich, E., and Clark, K. C.: 1968, ‘Reappearance of a Stable Auroral Red Arc at Midlatitudes’, J. Geophys. Res. 73, 4213.
Hoch, R. J. and Clark, K. C.: 1970, ‘Recent Occurrences of Stable Auroral Red Arcs’, J. Geophys. Res. 75, 2511.
Ichakawa, T. and Kim, J. S.: 1969, ‘Observations of M Arc at Moscow, Idaho, U.S.A.’, J. Atmospheric Terrest. Phys. 31, 547.
Jacchia, L. G.: 1965, ‘Static Diffusion Models of the Upper Atmosphere with Empirical Temperature Profiles’, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys. 8, (9).
King, G. A. M. and Roach, F. E.: 1961, ‘Relationship Between Red Auroral Arcs and Ionospheric Recombination’, J. Res. NBS 65D 129.
Marovich, E. and Roach, F. E.: 1963, ‘Distribution of Latitude of Red Arcs’, J. Geophys. Res. 68, 1885.
Marovich, E.: 1966 ‘Fritz Peak Observations of Stable Auroral Red Arcs, Summary 1955–1965’, ESSA Tech. Report, IER 16-ITSA 16, 68 pp.
Megill, L. R. and Carleton, N. P.: 1964, ‘Excitation by Local Electric Fields in the Aurora and Airglow’, J. Geophys. Res. 69, 101.
Megill, L. R., Rees, M. H., and Droppleman, L. K.: 1963, ‘Electric Fields in the Ionosphere and the Excitation of the Red Lines of Atomic Oxygen’, Planetary Space Sci. 11, 45.
Moore, J. G. and Odencrantz, F. K.: 1961, ‘The Height and Geographical Position of the Red Auroral Arc of April 1–2, 1960’, J. Geophys. Res. 66, 2101.
Nagy, A. F. and Walker, J. C. G.: 1967, ‘Direct Measurements Bearing on the Question of Nighttime Heating Mechanism in the Ionosphere’, Planetary Space Sci. 15, 95.
Nagy, A. F., Fontheim, E. G., Stolarski, R. S., and Beutler, A. E.: 1969, ‘Ionospheric Electron Temperature Calculations Including Protonospheric and Conjugate Effects’, J. Geophys. Res. 74, 4667.
Norton, R. B. and Findlay, J. A.: 1969, ‘Electron Density and Temperature in the Vicinity of the 29 September 1967 Middle Latitude Red Arc’, Planetary Space Sci. 17, 1867.
Norton, R. B. and Marovich, E.: 1969, ‘Alouette Observations Taken During a Middle-Latitude Red Arc’, Proc. IEEE 57, 1158.
Parker, E. N.: 1962, ‘Dynamics of the Geomagnetic Storm’, Space Sci. Rev. 1, 62.
Reed, E. I. and Blamont, J. E.: 1968, ‘OGO-4 Observations of the September 1967 M-Arc’, Trans. A.G.U. 49, 641.
Rees, M. H.: 1961, ‘Excitation of High Altitude Red Auroral Arcs’, Planetary Space Sci. 8, 59.
Rees, M. H.: 1963, ‘A method for Determining the Height and Geographical Position of an Auroral Arc from one Observing Station’, J. Geophys. Res. 68, 175.
Rees, M. H. and Akasofu, S. J.: 1963, ‘On the Association between Subvisual Red Arc and the D st (H) Decrease’, Planetary Space Sci. 11, 105.
Roach, F. E., Barbier, D., and Duncan, R. A.: 1962, ‘Observation of a 6300 Å Arc in France, the United States, and Australia’, Ann. Geophys. 18, 390.
Roach, F. E., Moore, J. G., Bruner, E. C., Cronin, H., and Silverman, S. M.: 1960, ‘The Height of Maximum Luminosity in an Auroral Arc’, J. Geophys. Res. 65, 3575.
Roach, F. E. and Roach, J. R.: 1963, ‘Stable 6300 Å Auroral Arcs in Mid-Latitudes’, Planetary Space Sci. 11, 532.
Roble, R. G.: 1969, ‘A Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Stable Mid-Latitude Red Arc (SAR-Arc)’, Ph.D. thesis, The University of Michigan.
Roble, R. G. and Dickinson, R. E.: 1970, ‘Atmospheric Response to Heating Withing a Stable Mid-Latitude Red Arc’, submitted to Planetary Space Sci.
Roble, R. G., Hays, P. B., and Nagy, A. F.: 1970, ‘Photometric and Interferometric Observations of a Mid-Latitude Stable Auroral Red Arc’, Planetary Space Sci. 18, 431.
Roble, R. G., Hays, P. B., and Nagy, A. F.: ‘Comparison of Calculated and Observed Features of a Stable Mid-Latitude Red Arc’, J. Geophys. Res. 75, 4261.
Schmeltekopf, A. L., Fehsenfeld, F. C., Gilman, G. I., and Ferguson, E. E.: 1967, ‘Reaction of Atomic Oxygen Ions with Vibrationally Excited Nitrogen Molecules’, Planetary Space Sci. 15, 401.
Schmeltekopf, A. L., Ferguson, E. E., and Fehsenfeld, F. C.: 1968, ‘Afterglow Studies of the Reactions He+, He(23S), and O with Vibrationally Excited N2’, J. Chem. Phys. 48, 2966.
Serbu, G. P.: 1964, ‘Results from the IMP-1 Retarding Potential Analyzer’, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Publ. X-615-64-109.
Tohmatsu, T. and Roach, F. E.: 1962, ‘The Morphology of Mid-Latitude 6300 Å Arcs’, J. Geophys. Res. 67, 1817.
Walker, J. C. G.: 1968, ‘Electron and Vibrational Temperature in the E-region of the Ionosphere’, Planetary Space Sci. 16, 321.
Walker, J. C. G. and Rees, M. H.,: 1968 ‘Excitation of Stable Auroral Red Arcs at Sub-Auroral Latitudes’, Planetary Space Sci. 16, 915.
Walker, J. C. G., Stolarski, R. S., and Nagy, A. F.: 1969, ‘The Vibrational Temperature of Molecular Nitrogen in the Thermosphere’, Ann. Geophys. 25, 831.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
On leave from the Department of Electrical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nagy, A.F., Roble, R.G. & Hays, P.B. Stable mid-latitude red arcs: Observations and theory. Space Sci Rev 11, 709–727 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177029
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177029