Pc3-Pc4 pulsations at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica): seasonal dependence of the power and its relationship with solar wind parameters

Abstract

We conducted a statistical analysis of the pulsation activity detected during 1998 at the Antarctic Italian geomagnetic observatory at Terra Nova Bay (corrected geomagnetic latitude: -80°). In particular, the availability of high resolution (1 Hz) data for an entire year allowed us to extend also to the local winter, for the first time, the analysis of the daily variation of the Pc3-Pc4 pulsation power and of its relationship with the solar wind parameters and to investigate possible seasonal dependences. Our results suggest that the location of the station with respect to the polar cusp (which strongly depends on local time and season) plays an important role in determining the local Pc3-Pc4 power level and its dependence on the global magnetospheric activity and interplanetary parameters.