IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v12y2021i1d10.1038_s41467-021-21459-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A space hurricane over the Earth’s polar ionosphere

Author

Listed:
  • Qing-He Zhang

    (Shandong University)

  • Yong-Liang Zhang

    (The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

  • Chi Wang

    (State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Kjellmar Oksavik

    (University of Bergen
    The University Centre in Svalbard)

  • Larry R. Lyons

    (University of California)

  • Michael Lockwood

    (University of Reading)

  • Hui-Gen Yang

    (Polar Research Institute of China)

  • Bin-Bin Tang

    (State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jøran Idar Moen

    (The University Centre in Svalbard
    University of Oslo, Blindern)

  • Zan-Yang Xing

    (Shandong University)

  • Yu-Zhang Ma

    (Shandong University)

  • Xiang-Yu Wang

    (Shandong University)

  • Ya-Fei Ning

    (Shandong University)

  • Li-Dong Xia

    (Shandong University)

Abstract

In Earth’s low atmosphere, hurricanes are destructive due to their great size, strong spiral winds with shears, and intense rain/precipitation. However, disturbances resembling hurricanes have not been detected in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Here, we report a long-lasting space hurricane in the polar ionosphere and magnetosphere during low solar and otherwise low geomagnetic activity. This hurricane shows strong circular horizontal plasma flow with shears, a nearly zero-flow center, and a coincident cyclone-shaped aurora caused by strong electron precipitation associated with intense upward magnetic field-aligned currents. Near the center, precipitating electrons were substantially accelerated to ~10 keV. The hurricane imparted large energy and momentum deposition into the ionosphere despite otherwise extremely quiet conditions. The observations and simulations reveal that the space hurricane is generated by steady high-latitude lobe magnetic reconnection and current continuity during a several hour period of northward interplanetary magnetic field and very low solar wind density and speed.

Suggested Citation

  • Qing-He Zhang & Yong-Liang Zhang & Chi Wang & Kjellmar Oksavik & Larry R. Lyons & Michael Lockwood & Hui-Gen Yang & Bin-Bin Tang & Jøran Idar Moen & Zan-Yang Xing & Yu-Zhang Ma & Xiang-Yu Wang & Ya-Fe, 2021. "A space hurricane over the Earth’s polar ionosphere," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21459-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21459-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21459-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-021-21459-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21459-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.