Van Allen probes, NOAA, GOES, and ground observations of an intense EMIC wave event extending over 12 h in magnetic local time

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Abstract
Although most studies of the effects of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves on Earth's outer radiation belt have focused on events in the afternoon sector in the outer plasmasphere or plume region, strong magnetospheric compressions provide an additional stimulus for EMIC wave generation across a large range of local times and L shells. We present here observations of the effects of a wave event on 23 February 2014 that extended over 8 h in UT and over 12 h in local time, stimulated by a gradual 4 h rise and subsequent sharp increases in solar wind pressure. Large‐amplitude linearly polarized hydrogen band EMIC waves (up to 25 nT p‐p) appeared for over 4 h at both Van Allen Probes, from late morning through local noon, when these spacecraft were outside the plasmapause, with densities ~5–20 cm−3. Waves were also observed by ground‐based induction magnetometers in Antarctica (near dawn), Finland (near local noon), Russia (in the afternoon), and in Canada (from dusk to midnight). Ten passes of NOAA‐POES and METOP satellites near the northern foot point of the Van Allen Probes observed 30–80 keV subauroral proton precipitation, often over extended L shell ranges; other passes identified a narrow L shell region of precipitation over Canada. Observations of relativistic electrons by the Van Allen Probes showed that the fluxes of more field‐aligned and more energetic radiation belt electrons were reduced in response to both the emission over Canada and the more spatially extended emission associated with the compression, confirming the effectiveness of EMIC‐induced loss processes for this event.
Funding Information
  • NSF (ANT-1142045, PLR-1341493)
  • Augsburg College and NSF (ANT-1141987, PLR-1341677)
  • NASA (NAS5-01072)
  • Research Council of Norway (223252, 212014)

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