EarthRef.org Reference Database (ERR)
Development and Maintenance by the EarthRef.org Database Team

Detailed Reference Information
Nakata et al. 2004
Nakata, H., Shinohara, M., Kamide, Y. and Ogino, T. (2004). Ionospheric electric potentials for substorms calculated from a solar wind-magnetosphere MHD simulation and a magnetogram inversion technique. Journal of Geophysical Research 109. doi: 10.1029/2002JA009743. issn: 0148-0227.

The electric potentials for substorms are calculated from the three-dimensional MHD simulation for solar wind-magnetosphere coupling developed by Ogino <1986>, combined with the average conductivity maps in the ionosphere used in the work of Kamide et al. <1996>. For this combination, an electrostatic model of the ionospheric electric potentials is utilized, i.e., j = ∇ ¿ (Σ ¿ ∇Φ), where j is field-aligned current, Σ is ionospheric conductivity tensor, and Φ is ionospheric electric potential. The ionospheric potentials for the different phases of substorms are calculated through mapping field-aligned currents from the global MHD simulation onto the polar ionosphere. Comparing the present results with Kamide et al. <1996>, it is found that the realistic potential patterns for the growth and expansion phases of substorms can be obtained by the present electrostatic model. Owing to the lack of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling mechanism in the present study, however, the simulated ionospheric potential appears to be unrealistic for the peak of substorms. Although substorms are generated by north-to-south turnings of IMF in this model, the electric potentials for substorms are found to be affected only by southward IMF. It is also shown that the cross-polar cap potential drops are highly correlated with the interplanetary electric field for the growth and expansion phases of substorms. While the potential drops are also found to correlate well with the solar wind density, this positive correlation is opposite to what theoretical studies indicate. This is because the intensity of the field-aligned currents originating from the magnetopause, which is proportional to the electric potential, increases with the solar wind density in the simulation.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions, Magnetospheric Physics, Numerical modeling, Magnetospheric Physics, Storms and substorms, Magnetospheric Physics, Electric fields, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions, global MHD simulation, substorms, ionospheric electric potentials, magnetogram inversion technique, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-1277
USA
1-202-462-6900
1-202-328-0566
service@agu.org
Click to clear formClick to return to previous pageClick to submit