NJIT eTD: The New Jersey Institute of Technology's electronic Theses & Dissertations
Title:
Synoptic variability of a CIR-driven open-closed boundary during solar minimum
Author:
Urban, Kevin
Document Type:
Thesis
Department:
Department of Physics
Degree:
Master of Science
Major:
Applied Physics
Advisory Committee:
Gerrard, Andrew
Lanzerotti, Louis J.
Gary, Dale E.
Thesis Date:
2010, August
Keywords:
Corotating interaction region (CIR)
Open-closed boundary (OCB)
Magnetosphere
Spectral signature
Availability:
Unrestricted
Abstract:

The year 2008 marked a historically quiet period of solar activity during the declining phase of solar cycle 23. Such quiet time has permitted researchers to clearly distinguish the spectral signature of a corotating interaction region’s (CIR) impact on the open-closed boundary (OCB) of the magnetosphere in the southern hemisphere’s auroral zone. By using the PENGUIn AGOs network of ground-based magnetometers on the Antarctic continent, the synoptic behavior of the OCB during a CIR-driven magnetic storm has been studied. Observations were compared with results provided by the BATSRUS space weather model. It is shown that such synoptic magnetometer data sets of the OCB during these storms allows for a careful test of current space weather models.

Complete Thesis:
njit-etd2010-108 (90 pages ~ 8,934 KB pdf)
Feedback:
Please complete this Feedback Form to inform us about your experience using this website. It will assist us in better serving your information needs in the future. Thank You!
Created May 11, 2011
To view these documents you will need the Acrobat Reader Plug-in. If you do not have it you can download it free from