The Joule heat production rate and the particle energy injection rate as a function of the geomagnetic indices AE and AL

As a part of the joint efforts of operating six meridian chains of magnetometers during the IMS, magnetic records from 71 stations are used to deduce the distribution of electric fields and currents in the polar ionosphere for March 17, 18, and 19, 1978. As a continuation of this project, we have constructed hourly distribution maps of the Joule heat production rate and their sum over the entire polar region on the three days. For this purpose the conductivity distribution is inferred at each instant partially on the basis of an empirical method devised by Ahn et al. (1982). The particle energy injection rate is estimated similarly by using an empirical method. The data set thus obtained allows us to estimate also the global Joule heat production rate U/sub J/, the global particle energy injection rate U/sub A/ and the sum U/sub Gamma/ of the two quantities. It is found that three global quantities (watt) are related almost linearly to the AE(nT) and AL(nT) indices. Our present estimates give the following relationships: U/sub J/ = 2.3 times 10/sup 8/ x AE/sub 8/ U/sub A/ = 0.6 times 10/sup 8/ x AE/sub 8/ and U/sub I/ = 2.9 times 10/sup 8/more » x AE: U/sub J/ = 3.0 times 10/sup 8/ x AL/sub 8/ U/sub A/ = 0.8 times 10/sup 8/ x AL, and U/sub I/ = 3.8 times 10/sup 8/ x AL.« less

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