Statistical Analysis of SAR Arc Detachment From the Main Oval Based on 11-Year, All-Sky Imaging Observation at Athabasca, Canada

We report the first statistical analysis of stable auroral red (SAR) arc detachments from the main auroral oval, using 630-nm all-sky cooled-Charge Coupled Device images obtained at Athabasca (magnetic latitude = 61.7°N), Canada. SAR arc detachments from the main oval can be an important way of monitoring the characteristics of ring current particle injection in the inner magnetosphere. We analyzed all-sky images obtained for 11 years from 2006 to 2016 and found 163 SAR arc detachment events. The SAR arc detachments tend to occur in the premidnight sector, indicating the ring current ion drift to the dusk sector. The SAR arc detachments also tend to occur at the beginning of the substorm recovery phase, suggesting that the SAR arcs detach from the main oval as the main auroral oval returns to higher latitudes. The equatorward velocities of detached SAR arcs are from −100 m/s (poleward) to +200 m/s (equatorward), corresponding to magnetospheric electric fields from −1 to +2 mV/m.