Searching for STEVE in Incoherent Scatter Radar Data

STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is a type of optical phenomenon that appears as a mauve emission in the night sky, equatorward of the auroral oval and is associated with strong plasma flow. It is speculated that STEVE associated flows are a source of intense frictional heating in the subauroral region. This research encompasses a specific approach to finding STEVE events, specifically, by searching for evidence of strong frictional heating generated by STEVE’s narrow, fast flows. First, a wide range of ion temperatures are sourced from the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) in Alaska, then data is analyzed for ion temperature spikes and compared to in situ electron temperature measurements by the Swarm spacecraft. Preliminary results show that the occurrence of ion temperature spikes are most common in the post-dusk and pre-midnight sectors. This presentation will provide results on both the location and timely precedence of plasma signatures that exhibit STEVE-like properties, as well as future work of this research.