Longitudinal profile of equatorial electrojet derived from ground and satellite based magnetometers

The intense current that flowing eastward in the dayside in the E layer of ionosphere at dip equator region is known as equatorial electrojet (EEJ). In this work, we attempt to compare the longitudinal profile of EEJ current estimated from the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and European Space Agency satellite (SWARM) with the ground-based magnetometer network from six equatorial observatory pairs across the globe. Ground magnetometer were obtained from the network such as MAGDAS, INTERMAGNET and IIG. We process our data using the EUEL index during quiet days for ground measurement. Then, correlation coefficient were obtained after applying appropriate normalization techniques for both measurements. Analysis showed the longitudinal variations of EEJ current from ground indicates that this current was strongest at South American (77 °W) and Southeast Asian (99.78°E). Meanwhile, satellite measurement shows four peaks of EEJ current at −100°W, 0°E, 100°E and 180° E which are at North America, Atlantic ocean, Southeast Asian and Pacific ocean respectively.