Flow burst events with a flux transfer rate exceeding 2 mV/m and with a duration of less than 10 min observed by Geotail are compared with auroral signatures obtained from the Polar ultraviolet imager. It is shown that all the flow bursts correspond either to localized auroral intensifications associated with small poleward expansions and pseudobreakups or to an activation starting at the poleward edge of the expanded auroral oval that develop equatorward toward the foot point of the satellite, including auroral streamers. Earthward flow bursts related to pseudobreakups and small expansions are observed mainly in the region earthward of 15 RE, more inward than those flows related to high-latitude auroral activations and auroral streamers. Although most of these auroral activations precede the observations of the flow bursts by a few minutes, the activations that break up near the foot point of the satellite start typically within ±1 min of the onset of flow burst observation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2000JA000249
Pages (from-to)10777-10789
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Volume106
Issue numberA6
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2001

    Scopus subject areas

  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Geophysics
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Oceanography

ID: 18138826