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Meridional flow in the solar wind

1996; American Geophysical Union; Volume: 101; Issue: A9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1029/96ja01715

2156-2202

J. D. Richardson, K. I. Paularena,

Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies

We look for evidence of meridional flow in the solar wind using data from IMP 8 and Voyager 2. Magnetic field data are used to separate the plasma data according to whether the spacecraft is above or below the heliospheric current sheet. IMP 8 meridional velocities are predominately poleward, with an average poleward flow of 1 km/s in each hemisphere. Voyager 2 velocities are also generally poleward, but regions of equatorward flow are also observed; the largest poleward speeds (4 km/s) occur near solar minimum. The magnitude of the poleward flow is not large enough to account for the magnetic flux deficits inferred from Pioneer 10 observations.