Abstract
Space weather affects life on Earth in a variety of different ways. One of the arguably most well-known and recognizable space weather effects are the auroras (aurora borealis and aurora australis for the northern and for the southern hemisphere, respectively). Auroras can be seen when the solar wind reaches the Earth which allows for energy transfer from the solar wind directly into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This source of free energy can lead to the formation of structures of a variety of different scales in the ionosphere, a layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Space weather also affects positioning systems, such as GPS systems, which use radio waves for communication between the satellite and the receiver on the ground. The path of these electromagnetic signals depends on plasma structures in the ionosphere. Understanding the formation and evolution of these plasma structures is thus of importance for, amongst others, the further development and improvement of positioning systems.
In order to quantify plasma structures of different scales, this thesis examines the energy that is contained in plasma structures of different sizes, and how this energy is being redistributed, by means of in-situ measurements from rockets and satellites. Additional analysis of for example the velocity of the plasma and the Earth's magnetic field variations give further insights on the formation of plasma structures in the high-latitude ionosphere.