| Title |
New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Science Advances, March 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1126/sciadv.aaq0030 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Elizabeth A. MacDonald, Eric Donovan, Yukitoshi Nishimura, Nathan A. Case, D. Megan Gillies, Bea Gallardo-Lacourt, William E. Archer, Emma L. Spanswick, Notanee Bourassa, Martin Connors, Matthew Heavner, Brian Jackel, Burcu Kosar, David J. Knudsen, Chris Ratzlaff, Ian Schofield |
| Abstract |
A glowing ribbon of purple light running east-west in the night sky has recently been observed by citizen scientists. This narrow, subauroral, visible structure, distinct from the traditional auroral oval, was largely undocumented in the scientific literature and little was known about its formation. Amateur photo sequences showed colors distinctly different from common types of aurora and occasionally indicated magnetic field-aligned substructures. Observations from the Swarm satellite as it crossed the arc have revealed an unusual level of electron temperature enhancement and density depletion, along with a strong westward ion flow, indicating that a pronounced subauroral ion drift (SAID) is associated with this structure. These early results suggest the arc is an optical manifestation of SAID, presenting new opportunities for investigation of the dynamic SAID signatures from the ground. On the basis of the measured ion properties and original citizen science name, we propose to identify this arc as a Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement (STEVE). |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 247 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 52 | 21% |
| Canada | 22 | 9% |
| United Kingdom | 9 | 4% |
| Spain | 8 | 3% |
| Japan | 6 | 2% |
| France | 4 | 2% |
| Italy | 3 | 1% |
| Germany | 3 | 1% |
| Australia | 2 | <1% |
| Other | 20 | 8% |
| Unknown | 118 | 48% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 194 | 79% |
| Scientists | 37 | 15% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 11 | 4% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 3 | 1% |
| Unknown | 2 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 62 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 62 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 14 | 23% |
| Student > Master | 10 | 16% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 8 | 13% |
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 8% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 5% |
| Other | 7 | 11% |
| Unknown | 15 | 24% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Physics and Astronomy | 17 | 27% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 9 | 15% |
| Engineering | 5 | 8% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 3% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 3% |
| Other | 7 | 11% |
| Unknown | 20 | 32% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1172. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 30 November 2023.
All research outputs
#11,843
of 24,962,233 outputs
Outputs from Science Advances
#162
of 11,767 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#232
of 337,221 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Science Advances
#3
of 227 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 24,962,233 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 11,767 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 119.7. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 337,221 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 227 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.