Wave structure of magnetic substorms at high latitudes

A new type of high-latitude magnetic bays is revealed at geomagnetic latitudes higher than 71°, called ??polar substorms.?? It is shown that polar substorms differ from both classical substorms and high-latitude geomagnetic disturbances of the type of polar boundary intensifications (PBIs). While classical substorms start at latitudes below 67° and then expand poleward, polar substorms start almost simultaneously in the evening-night polar region of the oval. In contrast to PBIs, accompanied by auroral streamers expanding southward, polar substorms are accompanied by auroral arcs quickly traveling northward. It is shown that polar substorms are observed before midnight (20?C22 MLT) under weak geomagnetic activity (Kp ?? 2) during the late recovery phase of a magnetic storm. It is shown that a typical feature of polar substorms is the simultaneous excitation of highly intensive Pi2 and Pi3 geomagnetic pulsations at high latitudes, which exceed the typical amplitude of these pulsations at auroral latitudes by more than an order of magnitude. The duration of pulsations is determined by the substorm duration, and their amplitude decreases sharply at geomagnetic latitudes below ??71°. It is suggested that pulsations reflect fluctuations in ionospheric currents connected with polar substorms.     

Poleward expansion of the westward electrojet depending on the solar wind and IMF parameters

The effect of the interplanetary parameters on the latitudinal position of the substorm westward electrojet is studied in the work. The data from the IMAGE chain of magnetic stations and POLAR and WIND satellites for the period close to the solar activity minimum (1995–1996) and for the period of the solar activity maximum (2000) have been used for this purpose. It has been indicated that the electrojet poleward edge reaches, on average, higher latitudes at a higher solar wind velocity and at a larger (B _s ) IMF southward component. It has been indicated that the average latitude of the westward electrojet center increases with increasing solar wind velocity and decreases with increasing IMF southward component, as a result of which the electrojet center is, specifically, not observed at high geomagnetic latitudes at large values of the IMF southward component.     

Geomagnetic pulsations and magnetic disturbances during the initial phase of a strong magnetic storm of May 15, 2005

A very strong magnetic storm of May 15, 2005, was caused by an interplanetary magnetic cloud that approached the Earths’ orbit. The sheath region of this cloud was characterized by a high solar wind density (～25–30 cm^?3) and velocity (～850 km/s) and strong variations (to ～20 nT) in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). It has been indicated that an atypical bay-like geomagnetic disturbance was observed during the initial phase of this storm in a large longitudinal region at high latitudes: from the morning to evening sectors of the geomagnetic local time. Increasing in amplitude, the magnetic bay rapidly propagated to the polar cap latitudes up to the geomagnetic pole. An analysis of the global space-temporal dynamics of geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency band 1–6 mHz indicated that most intense oscillations were observed in the morning sector in the region of the equivalent ionospheric current at latitudes of about 72°–76°. The wavelet structure of magnetic pulsations in the polar cap and fluctuations in IMF was generally similar to the maximum at frequencies lower than 4 mHz. This can indicate that waves directly penetrated into the polar cap from the solar wind.     

Daytime geomagnetic disturbances at high latitudes during a strong magnetic storm of June 21–23, 2015: The storm initial phase

The high-latitude geomagnetic effects of an unusually long initial phase of the largest magnetic storm (SymH ~–220 nT) in cycle 24 of the solar activity are considered. Three interplanetary shocks characterized by considerable solar wind density jumps (up to 50–60 cm^–3) at a low solar wind velocity (350–400 km/s) approached the Earth’s magnetosphere during the storm initial phase. The first two dynamic impacts did not result in the development of a magnetic storm, since the IMF Bz remained positive for a long time after these shocks, but they caused daytime polar substorms (magnetic bays) near the boundary between the closed and open magnetosphere. The magnetic field vector diagrams at high latitudes and the behaviour of high-latitude long-period geomagnetic pulsations (ipcl and vlp) made it possible to specify the dynamics of this boundary position. The spatiotemporal features of daytime polar substorms (the dayside polar electrojet, PE) caused by sudden changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure are discussed in detail, and the singularities of ionospheric convection in the polar cap are considered. It has been shown that the main phase of this two-stage storm started rapidly developing only when the third most intense shock approached the Earth against a background of large negative IMF Bz values (to–39 nT). It was concluded that the dynamics of convective vortices and the related restructing of the field-aligned currents can result in spatiotemporal fluctuations in the closing ionospheric currents that are registered on the Earth’s surface as bay-like magnetic disturbances.     

Long-period geomagnetic pulsations in the quasi-conjugate arctic and antarctic regions during the magnetic storm of April 16–17, 1999

Based on the observations in six pairs of almost conjugate high-latitude stations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the spectral and spatial-temporal structures of long-period geomagnetic pulsations (f = 2–5 mHz) during the magnetic storm of April 16–17, 1999, which is characterized by a high (up to 20 nPa) solar wind dynamic pressure, have been studied. It has been indicated that the magnetic storm sudden commencement is accompanied by a symmetrical excitation of np pulsations near the dayside polar cusps with close amplitudes. Under the conditions when IMF B _z > 0 and B _y < 0, strong magnetic field variations with the periods longer than 15–20 min were observed only in the northern polar cap. When IMF B _z and B _y became close to zero, geomagnetic pulsation bursts in both hemispheres were registered simultaneously but differed in the spectral composition and spatial distribution. In the Northern Hemisphere, pulsations were as a rule observed in a more extensive latitude region than in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the oscillation amplitude maximum was observed at higher latitudes than in the Southern Hemisphere. The pulsation amplitude at geomagnetic latitude lower than 74° was larger in the Arctic Regions than in the Antarctic Regions. This can be explained by sharply different geographic longitudes in the polar cap and latitudes in the auroral zone, which results in a different ionospheric conductivity affecting the amplitude of geomagnetic pulsations.     

Pc3 pulsations during variable IMF conditions

Pc3 geomagnetic field fluctuations detected at low latitude (L’Aquila, Italy) during the passage of a high velocity solar wind stream, characterized by variable interplanetary magnetic field conditions, are analyzed. Higher frequency resonant fluctuations and lower frequency phenomena are simultaneously observed; the intermittent appearance and the variable frequency of the longer period modes can be well interpreted in terms of the variable IMF elements; moreover their polarization characteristics are consistent with an origin related to external waves propagating in antisunward direction. A comparison with simultaneous observations performed at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica) provides additional evidence for a clear relationship between the IMF and Pc3 pulsations also at very high latitudes.     

The recovery phase of the superstrong magnetic storm of July 15–17, 2000: Substorms and ULF pulsations

The geomagnetic observations, performed at the global network of ground-based observatories during the recovery phase of the superstrong magnetic storm of July 15–17, 2000 (Bastille Day Event, Dst = ?301 nT), have been analyzed. It has been indicated that magnetic activity did not cease at the beginning of the storm recovery phase but abruptly shifted to polar latitudes. Polar cap substorms were accompanied by the development of intense geomagnetic pulsations in the morning sector of auroral latitudes. In this case oscillations at frequencies of 1–2 and 3–4 mHz were observed at geomagnetic latitudes higher and lower than ～62°, respectively. It has been detected that the spectra of variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure and the amplitude spectra of geomagnetic pulsations on the Earth’s surface were similar. Wave activity unexpectedly appeared in the evening sector of auroral latitudes after the development of near-midnight polar substorms. It has been established that the generation of Pc5 pulsations (in this case at frequencies of 3–4 mHz) was spatially asymmetric about noon during the late stage of the recovery phase of the discussed storm as took place during the recovery phase of the superstrong storms of October and November 2003. Intense oscillations were generated in the morning sector at the auroral latitudes and in the postnoon sector at the subauroral and middle latitudes. The cause of such an asymmetry, typical of the recovery phase of superstrong magnetic storms, remains unknown.     

Solar-wind–magnetosphere coupling,including relativistic electron energization,during high-speed streams

High geomagnetic activity occurs continuously during high-speed solar wind streams, and fluxes of relativistic electrons observed at geosynchronous orbit enhance significantly. High-speed streams are preceded by solar wind compression regions, during which time there are large losses of relativistic electrons from geosynchronous orbit. Weak to moderate geomagnetic storms often occur during the passage of these compression regions; however, we find that the phenomena that occur during the ensuing high-speed streams do not depend on whether or not a preceding storm develops. Large-amplitude Alfvén waves occur within the high-speed solar wind streams, which are expected to lead to intermittent intervals of significantly enhanced magnetospheric convection and to thus also lead to repetitive substorms due to repetitively occurring reductions in the strength of convection. We find that such repetitive substorms are clearly discernible in the LANL geosynchronous energetic particle data during high-speed stream intervals. Global auroral images are found to show unambiguously that these events are indeed classical substorms, leading us to conclude that substorms are an important contributor to the enhanced geomagnetic activity during high-speed streams. We used the onsets of these substorms as indicators of preceding periods of enhanced convection and of reductions in convection, and we have used ground-based chorus observations from the VELOX instrument at Halley station as an indicator of magnetospheric chorus intensities. These data show evidence that it is the periods of enhanced convection that precede substorm expansions, and not the expansions themselves, that lead to the enhanced dawn-side chorus wave intensity that has been postulated to cause the energization of relativistic electrons. If this inference is correct, and if it is chorus that energizes the relativistic electrons, then high-speed solar wind streams lead to relativistic electron flux enhancements because the embedded large-amplitude Alfvén waves give multi-day periods of intermittent significantly enhanced convection.     

Dynamics of the ionospheric electric currents and auroral luminosity boundaries during strong magnetic storms

The regularities in the southward drift of the ionospheric current centers and luminosity boundaries during strong magnetic storms of November 2003 and 2004 (with Dst ≈ ?400 and ?470 nT, respectively) are studied based on the global geomagnetic observations and TV measurements of auroras. It has been indicated that the eastward and westward electrojets in the dayside and nightside sectors simultaneously shift equatorward to minimal latitudes of Φ _min ^° ～53°–55°. It has been obtained that the Φ _min ^° latitude decreases with increasing negative values of Dst, IMF B _z component, and westward electric field strength in the solar wind. The dependence of the electrojet equatorward shift velocity (V _av) on the rate of IMF B _z variations (ΔB _z /Δt) has been determined. It is assumed that the electrojet dynamics along the meridian is caused by a change in the structure of the magnetosphere and electric fields in the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere.     

Mean thermospheric winds observed from Halley,Antarctica

Thermospheric winds on a total of 237 nights have been studied for the effects due to geomagnetic activity, solar flux, and season. The observations have been made from 1988 to 1992 by a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) operating at Halley (75.5^°S, 26.6^°W), Antarctica. This is the first statistical study of thermospheric winds near the southern auroral zone. The main factor affecting the wind velocities is the geomagnetic activity. Increases in activity cause an increase in the maximum equatorward wind, and cause the zonal wind in the evening to become more westward. Smaller changes in the mean wind occur with variations in season and solar flux. The small variation with solar flux is more akin to the situation found at mid-latitudes than at high latitudes. Since the geomagnetic latitude of Halley is only 61^°, it suggests that the variability of the wind with solar flux may depend more on geomagnetic than geographic latitude. These observations are in good agreement with the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM90). However, comparisons with predictions of the Vector Spherical Harmonic Model (VSH) show that for low geomagnetic activity the predicted phases of the two components of the wind closely resemble the observations but the modelled amplitudes are too small by a factor of two. At high geomagnetic activity the major differences are that modelled zonal velocity is too westward in the evening and too eastward after 04 UT. The modelled ion densities at the F-region peak are a factor of up to 9 too large, whilst the predicted mean value and diurnal variation of the altitude of the peak are significantly lower than those observed. It is suggested that these differences result from the ion loss rate being too low, and an inaccurate model of the magnetic field.     

Solar Wind Streams of Different Types and High-Latitude Substorms

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - The effects of different large-scale solar wind structures on magnetospheric substorms at high geomagnetic latitudes are studied. Two types of high-latitude substorm...     

Global Pi3 geomagnetic pulsations as a response of large variations in the solar wind and IMF during the magnetic storm of August 5, 2011

Spatial-temporal and spectral features of ground geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency range of 1–5 mHz at the initial phase of a strong magnetic storm of the 24th cycle of solar activity (August 5–6, 2011, with a Dst-variation in the storm maximum of ?110 nT) are analyzed. Large opposite in sign amplitudes of variations in IMF parameters (from ?20 to +20 nT) at a high velocity of the solar wind (～650 km/s) accompanied by intense bursts in solar-wind density (up to ～50 cm^?3) were distinctive feature of interplanetary medium conditions causing the storm. Geomagnetic Pi3 pulsations global in longitude and latitude and in-phase in the middle and equatorial latitudes were found. The onset of pulsation generation was caused by a pulse of dynamic pressure of the solar wind (～20 nPa), i.e., by a considerable compression of the magnetosphere. The maximum (2–3 mHz) in the amplitude spectrum of near-equatorial pulsations coincided with the maximum of pulsations in the daytime polar cap. After the next jump of the dynamic pressure of the solar wind (～35 nPa), an additional maximum appeared in the pulsation spectrum in the frequency band of ～3.5–4.5 mHz. Global pulsations suddenly stopped after a sharp decrease in the solar-wind dynamic pressure and corresponding extension of the magnetosphere. The obtained results are compared with the time dynamics of the position and shape of the plasmapause.     

南向行星际磁场事件与磁暴关系的研究

利用172-182年IMP-8飞船的太阳风观测资料和相应地磁活动性指数Dst和AE,研究了43个南向行星际磁场事件期间太阳风和磁层的耦合问题. 与这43个事件对应的地磁暴是中等的和强的磁暴(Dst＜-50nT). 结果表明:(1) 在43个事件中有11个(约占25.6髎)紧随激波之后,18个处于激波下游流场中(占42髎),其余14个(占33髎)和激波没有关连. 绝大多数事件都伴有太阳风动压和总磁场强度的增加;(2) 当行星际晨昏向电场强度EI＞-4mV/m时,只引起磁亚暴,对Dst指数没有明显影响. 仅当EI＜-5mV/m时,磁亚暴和磁暴才会同时出现;(3) 太阳风动压的增加会增强能量向环电流的输入,但不是密度和速度单独起作用,而是以PK=ρV2的组合形式影响能量的输入;(4) 虽然行星际磁场(IMF)南向分量BZ对太阳风和磁层的耦合起着关键作用,但IMF的BX和BY分量相对于BZ的大小对太阳风向磁层的能量传输也有一定影响. 当BX、BY相对BZ较大时能量耦合加强.     

Planetary distribution of geomagnetic pulsations during a geomagnetic storm at solar minimum

We investigate the features of the planetary distribution of wave phenomena (geomagnetic pulsations) in the Earth’s magnetic shell (the magnetosphere) during a strong geomagnetic storm on December 14–15, 2006, which is untypical of the minimum phase of solar activity. The storm was caused by the approach of the interplanetary magnetic cloud towards the Earth’s magnetosphere. The study is based on the analysis of 1-min data of global digital geomagnetic observations at a few latitudinal profiles of the global network of ground-based magnetic stations. The analysis is focused on the Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations, whose frequencies fall in the band of 1.5–7 mHz (T ～ 2–10 min), on the fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and in the solar wind density in this frequency band. It is shown that during the initial phase of the storm with positive IMF Bz, most intense geomagnetic pulsations were recorded in the dayside polar regions. It was supposed that these pulsations could probably be caused by the injection of the fluctuating streams of solar wind into the Earth’s ionosphere in the dayside polar cusp region. The fluctuations arising in the ionospheric electric currents due to this process are recorded as the geomagnetic pulsations by the ground-based magnetometers. Under negative IMF Bz, substorms develop in the nightside magnetosphere, and the enhancement of geomagnetic pulsations was observed in this latitudinal region on the Earth’s surface. The generation of these pulsations is probably caused by the fluctuations in the field-aligned magnetospheric electric currents flowing along the geomagnetic field lines from the substorm source region. These geomagnetic pulsations are not related to the fluctuations in the interplanetary medium. During the main phase of the magnetic storm, when fluctuations in the interplanetary medium are almost absent, the most intense geomagnetic pulsations were observed in the dawn sector in the region corresponding to the closed magnetosphere. The generation of these pulsations is likely to be associated with the resonance of the geomagnetic field lines. Thus, it is shown that the Pc5 pulsations observed on the ground during the magnetic storm have a different origin and a different planetary distribution.     

Recovery of data on interplanetary medium parameters based on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">aa</Emphasis> index of geomagnetic activity

The average annual values of the electric field and parameters of the solar wind and IMF from our time to 1868 have been estimated based on the statistical relation between the aa index of geomagnetic activity and the interplanetary medium parameters. This estimation indicates that the relative variations during the 20th century were observed in the electric field (25 ± 3%), the IMF vector component transverse with respect to the velocity (16 ± 3%), and the solar wind plasma velocity (9 ± 1%, 37 ± 4 km/s). The modulus of the IMF vector radial component increased by 9.0 ± 2.5% during this period.     

High Latitude Magnetic Impulse Events (MIEs): Polarization Peculiarities and Excitation Conditions

Polarization characteristics (polarization type, ellipticity ε, tilt angle τ of the polarization ellipse’s major axis) of high-latitude magnetic impulse events (MIEs) observed at the latitude of the dayside polar cusp are studied. It is established that all impulses are elliptically polarized, being right-polarized in 43% of cases (R-type) and left-polarized in 57% of cases (L-type). The right-polarized MIEs on the ground are more pronounced in the azimuthal direction, whereas the left-polarized events are more clearly marked in the meridional direction. The MIEs of both polarization types have the properties of intermittent processes. It is shown that diurnal and seasonal variations in the occurrence frequency and amplitudes of the events depend significantly on the type of their polarization. The R- and L-type impulse events are predominantly observed during the descending and ascending phase of the solar cycle, respectively. Solar wind high-speed streams (HSSs) are more favorable for exciting right-polarized impulses, whereas left-polarized impulse events are more efficiently excited by coronal mass ejection (CME). It is established that R-type impulses emerge in the conditions when the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field vector is close to the radial direction against the development of moderate magnetospheric substorms whereas the L-type impulses appear when IMF is perpendicular to the Sun–Earth line in the absence of substorms. The behavior of the characteristics of impulse events significantly depends on the value of the IMF Bz-component and on the angle θ_xB = arccos(Bx/B). It is conjectured that excitation of the two groups of impulses is caused by the IMF structures in the solar wind stream with the characteristic configuration in the ecliptic plane, which determine the polarization type and properties of MIEs.     

基于地磁台站数据对磁暴期间环电流和场向电流的分布特征研究

磁暴的发生与环电流的变化密切相关.除了对称环电流外,部分环电流在磁暴的发展过程中也起到了重要的作用,同时部分环电流通过场向电流与极区电离层中的电流形成回路.本文应用INTERMAGNET地磁台网北半球中低纬区域地磁台站数据,对不同强度4个磁暴事件主相和恢复相期间部分环电流和场向电流的磁地方时分布进行了分析和讨论.对于每一个磁暴事件,在低纬地区（地磁纬度约0°—40°N）选用地磁经度上大致均匀的8个台站,通过坐标转换计算平行于磁偶极轴的地磁场水平分量H来分析磁暴期间环电流所引起的磁场扰动;在低纬地区8个台站的基础上增加中纬地区（地磁纬度约40°N—60°N）地磁经度上大致均匀的6个台站,计算地磁坐标系下地磁场东西分量Y来分析磁暴期间场向电流在中低纬地区引起的磁场扰动.结果表明,磁暴主相期间的部分环电流主要作用于磁地方时昏侧和夜侧扇区,并且主相和恢复相期间部分环电流引起的磁场变化随着磁暴级别的增大而增大;磁暴主相期间向下的场向电流多出现在夜侧至晨侧扇区,向上的场向电流多出现在昏侧至午后扇区,且中纬地区向下和向上场向电流的展布范围明显大于低纬地区;恢复相期间弱、中磁暴事件的场向电流呈现与部分环电流相同的减弱趋势,而强、大磁暴事件在恢复相末期场向电流引起的磁场变化明显不同于恢复相的其他时刻,这可能与高纬较强的亚暴活动有关.     

Nowcasting convection velocity in the high-latitude ionosphere using statistical models

The Weimer and IZMEM statistical convection models are driven with a time series of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) measurements made onboard the Wind spacecraft. The model outputs are used to infer the ionospheric convection velocity at Casey, Antarctica (80.8°S geomagnetic latitude), and then compared with measurements of Doppler velocity made using a Digisonde, and measurements of F-region convection implied by a collocated magnetometer. During a single, representative campaign interval, 13–17 February 1996, the Weimer model explained 19% (42%) of the variation in Doppler speed (direction) observed by the Digisonde, and 21% (14%) of the equivalent convection components observed by the magnetometer. This compares with IZMEM which explained 16% (46%) of the variation in Doppler speed (direction) observed by the Digisonde, and 34% (32%) of the equivalent convection components observed by the magnetometer. In general, there was better agreement between convection direction than convection speed. Some of the disagreement was probably due to differences between the IMF measured by Wind located ∼170 R_E upstream in the solar wind and the IMF actually arriving at the magnetopause. However, the results of this study do show that measurements of ionospheric velocity using different experimental techniques need heavy averaging to identify a common component of velocity controlled by the IMF vector. The present time series approach was also used to estimate 16±5 min as the time required for the ionospheric convection to reconfigure in response to IMF changes occurring at the magnetopause.     

Properties of daytime long-period pulsations during magnetospheric storm commencement

Long-period geomagnetic pulsations during the SSC of July 14, 2012, are studied. The prenoon longitudinal sector (09:20–11:30) MLT, from the boundaries of which pulsations propagate azimuthally onto the dawn and dusk sides with an opposite polarization direction and increased amplitude, has been distinguished. The position of this sector relative to noon (a shift to the dawn side) depends on the front azimuthal inclination. It has been found that the polarization direction reverses in going from low (<30°) to middle/subauroral (≥50°) latitudes on the entire dayside. The geomagnetic pulsations mainly fluctuate near the f₁ = 2.9 and f₂ = 4.4 mHz frequencies. Fluctuations with frequency f₁, which coincide with the fluctuation frequency of the IMF х component, predominate at the polar cap latitudes (the open field line region) in the form of rapidly attenuating impulses and at low latitudes with a much smaller amplitude. Fluctuations with frequency f₂ are globally registered at all latitudes in the dayside sector below the magnetopause projection as a train of several fluctuations. It is assumed that fluctuations with frequency f₁ penetrate from the solar wind, and fluctuations with frequency f₂ are radial magnetopause oscillations.     

Studies on the latitudinal distribution of ground-based geomagnetic pulsations and fluctuations in the interplanetary medium using discrete mathematical analysis methods

Ground-based geomagnetic Pc5 (2–7 mHz) pulsations, caused by the passage of dense transients (density disturbances) in the solar wind, were analyzed. It was shown that intensive bursts can appear in the density of the solar wind and its fluctuations, up to Np ～ 30–50 cm³, even during the most magnetically calm year in the past decades (2009). The analysis, performed using one of the latest methods of discrete mathematical analysis (DMA), is presented. The energy functional of a time-series fragment (called “anomaly rectification” in DMA terms) of two such events was calculated. It was established that fluctuations in the dynamic pressure (density) of the solar wind (SW) cause the global excitation of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations in the daytime sector of the Earth’s magnetosphere, i.e., from polar to equatorial latitudes. Such pulsations started and ended suddenly and simultaneously at all latitudes. Fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) have turned up to be less geoeffective in exciting geomagnetic pulsations than fluctuations in the SW density. The pulsation generation mechanisms in various structural regions of the magnetosphere were probably different. It was therefore concluded that the most probable source of ground-based pulsations are fluctuations of the corresponding periods in the SW density.