Interplay Between Ionospheric Outflow and the Ring Current During Magnetospheric Storms

Details Interplay Between Ionospheric Outflow and the Ring Current During Magnetospheric Storms Interplay Between Ionospheric Outflow and the Ring Current During Magnetospheric Storms

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm52a..06w&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM52A-06

Physics

[2736] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions, [2778] Magnetospheric Physics / Ring Current

Scientific paper

It is now well established that ionospheric outflow is an important source of plasma, especially heavy ions, for the terrestrial magnetosphere. During active magnetospheric conditions, outflow is enhanced as additional energy is supplied to the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Much of the outflowing plasma traverses through the plasma sheet to populate and energize the ring current. As the ring current builds up, it can feed back to the ionosphere alter outflow dynamics. For example, region 2 Field-Aligned Currents (FACs) driven by ring current pressure gradients change electron precipitation patterns and the ionospheric potential pattern, which alters joule and topside heating, horizontal transport and centrifugal acceleration, and other outflow mechanics. This two-way dependence between the ring current and the ionosphere creates a highly non-linear system that is not well understood. This work uses first-principles based numerical modeling to examine the relationship between the ring current and ionospheric outflow. Four models are used: the well known BATS-R-US magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model, a height integrated ionospheric electrodynamics solver, the Polar Wind Outflow Model (PWOM), and the Ring current Atmosphere interactions Model with Self Consistent Magnetic field (RAM-SCB). All four models are coupled through the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF). A magnetospheric storm is first simulated with RAM-SCB in one way coupled mode so that the ring current is fed by the other codes but cannot feed back into the whole system. The storm is then re-simulated with RAM-SCB in two-way coupled mode so that feedback between the ring current and the ionospheric outflow model is properly included. This simulation is compared against the baseline simulation to assess the importance of this feedback and identify key processes. Outflow fluxes for H+, O+, and He+ are examined to understand how outflow is changed when the ring current can feed back into the ionosphere. Ring current dynamics are examined to determine the dependence on outflow. This approach is a first-of-its-kind experiment to understand the interplay between ionospheric outflow and the ring current.

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