Equivalent ionospheric current systems representing IMF sector effects on the polar geomagnetic field

Equivalent ionospheric current systems representing IMF sector effects on the geomagnetic field in high latitudes are examined for each of the twelve calendar months by spherical harmonic analyses of geomagnetic hourly data at 13 northern polar stations for seven years. The main feature of obtained equivalent current systems includes circular currents at about 80° invariant latitude mostly in the daytime in summer and reversed circular currents at about 70° invariant latitude mainly at night in winter. Field-aligned current distributions responsible for equivalent currents, as well as vector distributions of electric fields and ionospheric currents, are approximated numerically from current functions of equivalent current systems by taking assumed distributions of the ionospheric conductivity. Two sets of upward and downward field-aligned current pairs in the auroral region, and also a field-aligned current region near the pole show seasonal variations. Also, ionospheric electric-field propagation along geomagnetic field lines from the summer hemisphere to the winter hemisphere with auroral Hall-conductivity effects may provide an explanation for the winter reversal of sector effects.