HR: 1340h
AN: SH23A-0332    [Abstracts]
TI: Effects of the January 16th-20th Solar Flares on the Fair Weather Global Electric Circuit.
AU: * Kokorowski, M
EM: mkoko@u.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Dept. of Earth & Space Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Holzworth, R H
EM: bobholz@ess.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Dept. of Earth & Space Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Bering, E A
EM: eabering@uh.edu
AF: University of Houston, Department of Physics, Houston, TX 77204-5506 United States
AU: Reddell, B D
EM: brandon.d.reddell@boeing.com
AF: University of Houston, Department of Physics, Houston, TX 77204-5506 United States
AU: McCarthy, M P
EM: mccarthy@geophys.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Dept. of Earth & Space Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Bale, S
EM: bale@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Blake, J B
EM: JBernard.Blake@aero.org
AF: Aerospace Corporation, Box 92957, Los Angeles, CA 90009-2957 United States
AU: Collier, A B
EM: colliera@nu.ac.za
AF: University of Natal, Physics Dept., Durban, WA 4001 South Africa
AU: Hughes, A R
EM: hughes@nu.ac.za
AF: University of Natal, Physics Dept., Durban, WA 4001 South Africa
AU: Lay, E
EM: erinlay@ess.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington, Dept. of Earth & Space Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AU: Lin, R P
EM: rlin@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Millan, R M
EM: Robyn.Millan@dartmouth.edu
AF: Dartmouth College, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Hanover, NH 03755 United States
AU: Moraal, H
EM: fskhm@puk.ac.za
AF: North-West University, School of Physics, Potschefstroom, WA 2520 South Africa
AU: O'Brien, T P
EM: Paul.OBrien@aero.org
AF: Aerospace Corporation, Box 92957, Los Angeles, CA 90009-2957 United States
AU: Parks, G K
EM: parks@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Pulupa, M
EM: pulupa@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Sample, J G
EM: jsample@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Smith, D
EM: dsmith@scipp.ucsc.edu
AF: University of California at Santa Cruz, SCIPP, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 United States
AU: Stoker, P
EM: fskphs@puk.ac.za
AF: North-West University, School of Physics, Potschefstroom, WA 2520 South Africa
AU: Woodger, L
EM: Leslie.Woodger@dartmouth.edu
AF: Dartmouth College, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Hanover, NH 03755 United States
AB: During the extremely active solar period from January 16th - 22nd, 2005, when several large X-class solar flares occurred, the MINIS (MINIature Spectrometer) balloon campaign had multiple payloads aloft in the stratosphere above Antarctica. Four MINIS balloons were launched from SANAE (South African National Antarctic Expedition) IV and measured DC electric fields, conductivity and x-ray flux. Increases in the conductivity and decreases in the vertical electric field magnitude were observed in conjunction with increases in particle flux seen by the balloon instruments as well as geospace satellites, reaffirming a direct connection between the solar activity and atmospheric electrodynamics. Additionally, a sustained (several hour) vertical field reversal was observed by one of the balloon instruments implying that a significant amount of positive charge was deposited below the balloon. This suggests that significant charge redistribution resulted from the solar flare and should be accounted for when describing the global electric circuit during active solar periods. By including rigidity cut-off estimates for the solar energetic particle (SEP) events based on ground based monitors we show that the reversal could have occurred over a significant portion of the globe.
DE: 7514 Energetic particles (2114)
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7807 Charged particle motion and acceleration
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005