Abstract
An accurate description of the state of the ionosphere is crucial for
understanding the physics of Earth’s coupling to space, including many
potentially hazardous space weather phenomena. To support this effort,
ground networks of magnetometer stations, optical instruments, and
radars have been deployed. However, the spatial coverage of such
networks is naturally restricted by the distribution of land mass and
access to necessary infrastructure. We present a new technique for local
mapping of polar ionospheric electrodynamics, for use in regions with
high data density, such as Fennoscandia and North America. The technique
is based on spherical elementary current systems (SECS), which were
originally developed to map ionospheric currents. We expand their use by
linking magnetic field perturbations in space and on ground, convection
measurements from space and ground, and conductance measurements, via
the ionospheric Ohm’s law. The result is a technique that is similar to
the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE)
technique, but tailored for regional analyses of arbitrary spatial
extent and resolution. We demonstrate our technique on synthetic data,
and with real data from three different regions. We also discuss
limitations of the technique, and potential areas for improvement.