No abstract

Compressional oscillations of nearly constant frequency (period ≲ 8 min) were observed from L ≃ 5 to L ≃ 10 near local noon over an interval of almost 3 hours during a dayside radial pass of the ISEE 1 spacecraft on August 12, 1982. The density fluctuations, measured by the electron density experiment, were in phase with the compressional magnetic oscillations measured by the magnetometer. We relate the observations to an analytical model of a global compressional wave reflected at the gradient of the magnetic field and plasma density near the plasmapause and standing in the outer magnetosphere. Qualitative arguments based on the model lead one to expect that conditions in the outer magnetosphere are not normally compatible with the standing wave solution, that when such a solution can be found, only the lowest eigenfrequencies will be present, and that some variation in period with local time may occur.

A detailed study of electron plasma waves observed upstream of the earth’s bow shock and of their relationships to the position of the satellite in the foreshock and to the electron measurements has been carried out. The wave characteristics depend on the position in the electron foreshock: a narrow‐band (a few percent) and intense (a few millivolts per meter) noise is observed at the plasma frequency at the edge of the foreshock while the spectrum widens (Δf/f ≃ 0.3) at the same time as the power decreases (hundreds of microvolts per meter) deeper (a few earth radii) inside the foreshock. Signals below the plasma frequency are also observed. These waves are polarized along the magnetic field, with long wavelengths below and at the plasma frequency and short wavelengths above it. They appear as short bursts, the duration of which depends on the frequency: longer close to the plasma frequency (50 ms), they shorten with increasing separation from the plasma frequency, the usual duration being 15 ms. While the correlation of the wave characteristics with the reflected electrons is good as the satellite moves inside the foreshock, no evolution is found with the distance to the bow shock, neither for the noise nor for the particles. These results are discussed in the frame of various mechanisms which have been proposed to explain these upstream waves but no satisfactory agreement is found with any of them.

Plasma waves associated with the magnetopause, from the magnetosheath to the outer magnetosphere, are examined with an emphasis on high time resolution data and the comparison between measurements by using different antenna systems. An early ISEE crossing of the magnetopause region, including passage through two well‐defined flux transfer events, the magnetopause current layer, and boundary layer plasma, is studied in detail. The waves in these regions are compared and contrasted with the waves in the adjoining magnetosheath and outer magnetosphere. Four types of plasma wave emissions are characteristic of the nominal magnetosheath: (1) a very low frequency continuum, (2) short wavelength spikes, (3) ‘festoon‐shaped’ emissions below about 2 kHz, and (4) ‘lion roars.’ The latter two emissions are well correlated with ultra‐low frequency magnetic field fluctuations. The dominant plasma wave features during flux transfer events are (1) an intense low‐frequency continuum, which includes a substantial electromagnetic component, (2) a dramatic increase in the frequency of occurrence of the spikes, (3) quasi‐periodic electron cyclotron harmonics correlated with ∼1‐Hz magnetic field fluctuations, and (4) enhanced electron plasma oscillations. The plasma wave characteristics in the current layer and in the boundary layer are quite similar to the features in the flux transfer events. Upon entry into the outer magnetosphere, the plasma wave spectra are dominated by intense electromagnetic chorus bursts and electrostatic (n + 1/2)fg− emissions. Wavelength determinations made by comparing the various antenna responses and polarization measurements for the different waves are also presented.

Abstract-Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is an Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission from the European SpaceAgency with a launch date in 2007. Its goal is to produce global maps of soil moisture and ocean salinity variables for climatic studies using a new dual-polarization L-band (1400-1427 MHz) radiometer Microwave Imaging Radiometer by Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS). SMOS will have multiangular observation capability and can be optionally operated in full-polarimetric mode. At this frequency the sensitivity of the brightness temperature ( ) to the sea surface salinity (SSS) is low: 0.5 K/psu for a sea surface temperature (SST) of 20 C, decreasing to 0.25 K/psu for a SST of 0 C. Since other variables than SSS influence the signal (sea surface temperature, surface roughness and foam), the accuracy of the SSS measurement will degrade unless these effects are properly accounted for. The main objective of the ESA-sponsored Wind and Salinity Experiment (WISE) field experiments has been the improvement of our understanding of the sea state effects on at different incidence angles and polarizations. This understanding will help to develop and improve sea surface emissivity models to be used in the SMOS SSS retrieval algorithms. This paper summarizes the main results of the WISE field experiments on sea surface emissivity at L-band and its application to a performance study of multiangular sea surface salinity retrieval algorithms. The processing of the data reveals a sensitivity of to wind speed extrapolated at nadir of 0.23-0.25 K/(m/s), increasing at ( ) is found to be correlated with the measured sea surface slope spectra. Peaks in ( ) are due to foam, which has allowed estimates of the foam brightness temperature and, taking into account the fractional foam coverage, the foam impact on the sea surface brightness temperature. It is suspected that a small azimuthal modulation 0.2-0.3 K exists for low to moderate wind speeds. However, much larger values (4-5 K peak-to-peak) were registered during a strong storm, which could be due to increased foam. These sensitivities are satisfactorily compared to numerical models, and multiangular data have been successfully used to retrieve sea surface salinity.