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Ann. Geophys., 26, 1127-1140, 2008
www.ann-geophys.net/26/1127/2008/
© European Geosciences Union 2008
Comparison and significance of auroral studies during the Swedish and Russian bilateral expedition to Spitsbergen in 1899–1900
S. Chernouss1 and I. Sandahl2
1Polar Geophysical Institute of the Kola Science Centre RAS, Apatity, Murmansk region, 184209 Russia
2Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden
Abstract. Results of measurements and visual observations of aurora at
Spitsbergen, carried out by the joint Swedish-Russian expedition
during 1899–1900, are described. Auroral observations took place
during the great bilateral Arc-of-Meridian expedition, which was
patronized by the Swedish Royal Family and the Russian Imperial
Family. The Russian-Swedish Arc-of-Meridian measurements were
closely coordinated but auroral measurements from the two sites in the
Spitsbergen Archipelago were almost independent of each other. The
basic auroral data for our presentation are reports of the Russian
astronomer Josef Sykora and the Swedish geophysicist Jonas Westman.
Both scientists used similar types of photo cameras and
spectrographs, which were the best at that time and were made in
Potsdam by Toepfer. Detailed descriptions of the optical devices and
the system of spectral calibration are presented. A Toepfer
spectrograph, possibly the one used by Westman, is still kept at IRF
in Kiruna. We present a comparative analysis of auroral data from
the Russian and Swedish stations on three themes: visual
observations of aurora, describing features of auroral forms and
giving us statistical data on aurora occurrence and the heights of
aurora, photos of aurora, and auroral spectra. It is shown that the
observations contain enough data to construct an auroral oval and
to determine the heights of aurora. The expedition obtained the first
photographic observations of the aurora in the Arctic. The auroral
spectra demonstrate a high spectral resolution and show not only the
main auroral emissions in the blue-green spectral range but also
some weak emissions in the violet and ultraviolet region. All data
are interpreted from a modern point of view. The Russian-Swedish
1899–1900 expedition carried out the first complex auroral
investigations in the Arctic using optical instruments and presented
well documented data and new results.
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