ULF Geomagnetic Activity Signatures in the Atmospheric Parameters in Antarctica

Abstract

The study of the solar wind-Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere interaction is a topic of great interest. The solar wind energy is transferred to the Earth’s environment also through ultralow frequency (ULF, 1 mHz–5 Hz) waves of the geomagnetic field, with higher efficiency at high latitudes where magnetic reconnection processes occur, making the polar cap an important laboratory for these investigations. Several studies suggest that the atmosphere responds to the geomagnetic activity driven by the solar wind, although the interaction processes are not yet completely understood. In this context, the results of recent investigations, showing the coupling on timescales of 1–2 days between geomagnetic ULF activity and the middle-low (h < 50 km) atmosphere in the polar cap, are summarized, based on geomagnetic measurements at Terra Nova Bay, in Antarctica (λ ~ 80°S) and atmospheric parameters from the reanalysis dataset.