JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017

Presentation information

[EE] Oral

P (Space and Planetary Sciences) » P-EM Solar-Terrestrial Sciences, Space Electromagnetism & Space Environment

[P-EM16] [EE] Physics of Inner Magnetosphere Coupling

Tue. May 23, 2017 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM A02 (Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall)

convener:Danny Summers(Memorial University of Newfoundland), Jichun Zhang(University of New Hampshire Main Campus), Yusuke Ebihara(Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University), Kunihiro Keika(Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo ), Aleksandr Y Ukhorskiy(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory), Dae-Young Lee(Chungbuk Natl Univ), Yiqun Yu(Beihang University), Yoshizumi Miyoshi(Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University), Chairperson:Danny Summers(Memorial University of Newfoundland)

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

[PEM16-11] One year comparison of lighting activity and variations in electron fluxes of the inner radiation belt

*Claudia Martinez Calderon1,2, Jacob Bortnik2, Wen Li3,2, Harlan Spence4, Emma Douma5, Craig Rodger5 (1.Department of Geophysics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, 2.University of California Los Angeles, California, USA , 3.Boston University, Massachusetts, USA, 4.University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire, USA, 5.University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand)

Keywords:Lightning, Inner radiation belt, whistler induced precipitation, electron loss

In the radiation belts, energetic electrons with energies above 100 keV undergo cyclotron resonant interactions with whistler-mode plasma waves. These wave-particle interactions lead to either acceleration or loss of particles by energy diffusion or pitch angle scattering. Lightning discharges are known to radiate electromagnetic energy over a wide range of latitudes around their source. Part of this energy propagates in the whistler-mode through the ionospheric plasma and can then interact with electrons in the radiation belts causing whistler-induced electron precipitation. There have been several studies that focus on the effects of these whistler-induced precipitation and their immediate relationship to lightning strikes [Rodger et al. (2004), Clilverd et al. (2004)]. However, there is little research that concentrates on the long-term effects of these electron losses on the population of the inner radiation belts. In this study, we use data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN), continuously monitoring global lightning since 2004, to examine one year of lightning data (January to December 2013) and locate the L-shells with strong lighting activity. Then we use the Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite (ECT) from both Van Allen Probes (RBSP–A and –B) to measure electron fluxes in the inner radiation belt at the L-shells of strong lightning activity. We examine the influence that lightning activity has on long-term electron precipitation using RBSP trapped omnidirectional fluxes, as well as pitch angle distributions, dayside/nightside differences and geomagnetic activity. We use several case studies in order to quantify the loss effects to the radiation belts due to lightning activity.