Characteristics of the storm-induced big bubbles (SIBBs)

Large equatorial plasma depletions, referred to as storm-induced big bubbles (SIBBs), are detected from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F15 and from the first Republic of China Satellite during the large magnetic storms of 31 March 2001, 29 October 2003, and 20 November 2003. They occur in the equatorial region at night, are elongated in the north-south direction, have steep walls, and always coexist with plasma bubbles. These observations are consistent with the SIBB characteristics described in the companion paper by Kil and Paxton [2006] and corroborate that the SIBBs are associated with bubbles. We discuss the common characteristics of the SIBBs and the role of the E \texttimes B drift for the formation of the SIBBs.