This project will undertake analysis of data to increase our understanding of the possible signatures of magnetopause and magnetospheric boundary layer processes that are observed in the ionosphere and on the ground. The study will focus specifically on a search for simultaneous observations of two different geomagnetic perturbation phenomena whose possible sources may be either the magnetopause or the upstream solar wind. The phenomena that will be studied are Pc 3 micropulsations and high latitude magnetic impulse events known as traveling convection vortices (TCVs). Pc 3 micropulsations are quasi-periodic pertubations of the Earth's magnetic field with periods between 10 and 45 seconds. One sources of these pulsations is believed to be the upstream solarwind. High latitude magnetic impulse events are large amplitude (100nt), often monopolar pulsations of the geomagnetic field with periods of 10 - 20 minute duration. Interest in these pulsations was stimulated by the hypothesis that they consituted the ionospheric signature of sporatic reconnection -- though this speculation has become very controversial. Recent work suggests that these may occur on closed field lines. The possible connection between Pc 3 and TCVs has not been undertaken. There have, however, been some observations to indicate that Pc 3 events can occur simultaneously with TCV events and propagate with the same horizontal speed. This suggests that they may occur on the same field lines and share a common source. A detailed study is needed to develop a conclusive determination of a possible relationship between the two phenomena. This will be accomplished using data from the MACCS magnetometer array in northern Canada.
