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Characteristics of the Equatorial Electrojet determined from an array of magnetometers in N-NE Brazil

Earth, Planets and Space volume 51, pages 115–128 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

An array of 29 vector magnetometers was operated in N-NE Brazil from November 1990 until March 1991. We present the analysis of 16 selected quiet days, for which a simple model of an equivalent current distribution for the Sq and EEJ, fits the observed maximum amplitude of the daily variation at midday.

In equatorial regions the precise latitude profile of the Sq field is masked by the EEJ. This uncertainty is resolved by assuming that the EEJ, obtained after subtracting the Sq from the daily ranges, should present a ratio of 0.3 for the westward to eastward current. With this constraint, a combined non-linear least squares inversion of Sq and EEJ was used to estimate the parameters of Onwumechili’s model of the EEJ current distribution. The H and Z components of the EEJ are jointly inverted and good agreement obtained between the calculated and observed data for all 16 days.

The EEJ’s main parameters averaged for 16 quiet days were: A total positive current intensity equal to 67 ± 20 (103 A) for diurnal range M4 (or 80 ± 20 (103 A) for M3) and a half-width of 403 ± 67 km. The EEJ centre was located at 21 ± 16 km south of the dip equator. The Sq was estimated from several permanent observatories and found to be centred at a mean latitude of 5.5 ± 2 degrees south.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, G.P.O. Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    A. Rigoti & F. H. Chamalaun

  2. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais - INPE, C.P. 515, 12201-970, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil

    N. B. Trivedi & A. L. Padilha

  3. Now at Dep. Geologia, Universidade Federal do Parana, C.P. 19011, Curitiba, PR, CEP81531-990, Brazil

    A. Rigoti

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  1. A. Rigoti
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  2. F. H. Chamalaun
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  3. N. B. Trivedi
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  4. A. L. Padilha
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Correspondence to A. Rigoti.

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Rigoti, A., Chamalaun, F.H., Trivedi, N.B. et al. Characteristics of the Equatorial Electrojet determined from an array of magnetometers in N-NE Brazil. Earth Planet Sp 51, 115–128 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352216

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