The Response of the Large Scale Ionospheric Convection Pattern to Changes in the IMF and Substorms: Results from the SUNDIAL 1987 Campaign

The Response of the Large Scale Ionospheric Convection Pattern to Changes in the IMF and Substorms: Results from the SUNDIAL 1987 Campaign
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 18
Release: 1993
Genre:
ISBN:

This paper reports multi-point observations of ionospheric convection made during the SUNDIAL 1987 campaign. Two specific intervals of varying interplanetary magnetic field, which also include several substorms, have been identified for detailed study. The two intervals differed considerably in both the input of energy from the solar wind to the magnetosphere prior to the substorm expansion phase onset and the response during the expansion phase. One substorm can be represented by the classical picture of growth phase, expansion phase and recovery phase. The other, which occurred during an interval of weak energy input from the solar wind to the magnetosphere, was more complex, in particular during the expansion phase. Observations of the earth's magnetic field in the midnight sector provide the timing of the expansion phase onset of substorms which allow the separation of ionospheric effects due to changes in IMF and substorms. The primary ionospheric effect of a change in IMF from positive Bsubz to negative Bsubz is an enhancement in plasma flow magnitude. Response time of the ionospheric convection to each southward turning varies from 15 minutes near 1800 MLT to 30 minutes near 2100 MLT and closer to an hour near midnight. In both instances, a growth phase can be identified as an increase in ionospheric convection following a southward turning of the IMF. The overall length of each growth phase was similar, about 90 minutes, despite the different prevailing solar wind and IMF conditions. Furthermore this time is somewhat longer than previous observations.

Convection and Substorms

Convection and Substorms
Author: Charles F. Kennel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 429
Release: 1996-02-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0195359070

The magnetosphere is the region where cosmic rays and the solar wind interact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating such phenomena as the northern lights and other aurorae. The configuration and dynamics of the magnetosphere are of interest to planetary physicists, geophysicists, plasma astrophysicists, and to scientists planning space missions. The circulation of solar wind plasma in the magnetosphere and substorms have long been used as the principle paradigms for studying this vital region. Charles F. Kennel, a leading scientist in the field, here presents a synthesis of the convection and substorm literatures, and an analysis of convection and substorm interactions; he also suggests that the currently accepted steady reconnection model may be advantageously replaced by a model of multiple tail reconnection events, in which many mutually interdependent reconnections occur. Written in an accessible, non-mathematical style, this book introduces the reader to the exciting discoveries in this fast-growing field.

Physics of Magnetospheric Substorms

Physics of Magnetospheric Substorms
Author: Syun-Ichi Akasofu
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 620
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401011648

Man, through intensive observations of natural phenomena, has learned about some of the basic principles which govern nature. The aurora is one of the most fascinating of these natural phenomena, and by studying it, man has just begun to comprehend auroral phenomena in terms of basic cosmic electrodynamic processes. The systematic and extensive observation of the aurora during and after the great international enterprise, the International Geophysical Year (lGY), led to the concept of the auroral substorm. Like many other geophysical phenomena, auroral displays have a dual time (universal- and local-time) dependence when seen by a ground-based observer. Thus, it was a difficult task for single observers, rotating with the Earth once a day, to grasp a transient feature of a large-scale auroral display. Such a complexity is inevitable in studying many geophysical features, in particular the polar upper atmospheric phenomena. However, it was found that their complexity began to unfold when the concept of the auroral substorm was introduced. In a book entitled Polar and Magnetospheric Substorms, the predeces sor to this book, I tried to describe the auroral phenomena as completely as possible in terms of the concept of the auroral substorm. At that time, the first satellite observations of particles and magnetic fields during substorms were just becoming available, and it was suggested that the auroral sub storm is a manifestation of a magnetospheric phenomenon called the magnetospheric substorm.

Report for ...

Report for ...
Author: British Antarctic Survey
Publisher:
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1997
Genre: Antarctica
ISBN:

Disturbances in Geospace

Disturbances in Geospace
Author: A. Surjalal Sharma
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2003
Genre: Science
ISBN:

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 142. Advancing our knowledge of the Sun-Earth connection and our capabilities to predict conditions in near-Earth geospace has captured the attention of geospace, solar and other scientists, prompting initiatives in many countries. These advances rely heavily on our understanding of the coupling processes between the solar wind and magnetosphere, such as geomagnetic storms and substorms. In this regard, the science of the storm-substorm relationship is not an end in itself, but a critical step in unveiling the Sun-Earth connection. Sidney Chapman (1889–1970) was a pioneer in the study of the influence of the Sun on geospace. In fact, it was he who first coined the term “substorms” to describe the many intense disturbances that occur during a magnetic storm. Chapman also provided us with a comprehensive view of the relationship between storms and substorms. Since Chapman's initial work, our understanding has undergone vast changes. The classical notion of substorms as building blocks of storms has evolved, allowing us to note complex synergies between storms, substorms, and convection enhancements in the magnetosphere.