[Boyle et. al., J. Geophys. Res., 102, 111, 1997] (Courtesy: NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission)
The Boyle Index (BI),
[Boyle et. al., J. Geophys. Res., 102, 111, 1997]
where v is the solar wind velocity in km/sec and B is the magnitude of the IMF, is a good predictor of the Polar Cap Potential drop for times when the solar wind is steady and the index is 160 kV or less. For the rare events where the Boyle index exceeds 160 kV, the polar cap potential generally saturates, only exceeding 200 kV in rare occasions, thus in those cases the Boyle Index is an overestimate of the Polar Cap Potential. A Boyle index of 200 averaged over three hours will often yield a Kp index of 6 or higher; for 250 or more, the Kp index is often 7 or higher.
For real-time plots of auroral power created by NOAA go to: OVATION Aurora
These data are derived from measurements taken by the ACE spacecraft, a component of the International Solar Terrestrial Program (ISTP) and SWPC/NOAA for the planetary K index. For realtime solar wind plots created by NOAA/SWPC go to: ACE solar wind plots.
Click on the link KpDstAE for a draft of the paper published in AGU Space Weather.
5 days estimated Boyle Index and Pressure
72 hours 1-hour predictions
72 hours 3-hour predictions
Graphs of other solar wind parameters over the last 24 hours can be viewed at the NOAA site.
Other links of interest:
- Latest Solar Wind DialsYou can now receive e-mail notification whenever the stoplight sets to red! The default is that you get alerts when it changes to yellow or changes to red. Just go to the Rice University Lists and subscribe to the SPACALRT Mailing List or send an e-mail to this address. To specify getting red alerts only, after getting your subscription notice, go back to mailman and set your topics to "red_only". To unsubscribe follow the instructions on the SPACALRT Mailing List page, or send an e-mail to this address.
Page last updated 08/16/2012.