The dayside open/closed field line boundary as seen from space-and ground-based instrumentation

Abstract

In this paper we validate the method of Johnsen et al. (2012) for obtaining the cusp open/closed field line boundary (OCB) by the means of a single meridian scanning photometer (MSP). Three cases of conjugate measurements between the Longyearbyen MSP and the NOAA-16 satellite are presented. The satellite OCB as obtained by the energetic particle detectors carried onboard the NOAA-16 satellite is well co-located with the OCB as obtained by the ground-based MSP and well within the calculated uncertainties. We conclude that the method presented by Johnsen et al. (2012) for deriving the cusp OCB using a single MSP produces conscientious results. Copyright 2012 by the American Geophysical Union.