资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Although airglow patches are traditionally regarded as high-density ionospheric plasma unrelated to local precipitation, past observations were limited to disturbed conditions. Recent nonstorm time observations show patches to be associated with ionospheric flow channels and localized field-aligned currents. We examine whether nonstorm time patches are related also to polar cap precipitation using Fast Auroral Snapshot-imager conjunctions. We have identified localized precipitation that is enhanced within patches in comparison to the weak polar rain outside patches. The precipitation consists of structured or diffuse soft electron fluxes. While the latter resembles polar rain only with higher fluxes, the former consists of discrete fluxes enhanced by 1-2 orders of magnitude from several to several hundred eV. Therefore, patches should be regarded as part of a localized magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system along open magnetic field lines and their transpolar evolution as a reflection of mesoscale magnetotail lobe processes. The precipitation a minor contributor to patch ionization.