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.     

Global geomagnetic and auroral response to variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure on April 1, 1997

The geomagnetic and auroral response to the variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure (Pd) are investigated in the periods of positive values of the IMF B _z component. It is shown that the growth of Pd results in the intensification of luminosity along the auroral oval and in the poleward expansion of the poleward boundary of luminosity (PBL) in the nightside part of the oval by ～7° in latitude at a velocity of ～0.5 km/s and is accompanied by an enhancement of the DP2-type current system. A decrease in Pd, accompanied by an abrupt reversal of the IMF B _y polarity from positive to negative, results in an enhancement of the westward electrojet and in a poleward shift of PBL and electrojet center. The conclusion has been made that the available three types of auroral response to Pd variations differ in the azimuthal velocity of the luminosity region or particle precipitation along the auroral oval: V ₁ ～ 30–40 km/s, V ₂ ～ 10, and V ₃ ～ 1 km/s.     

Pc3 geomagnetic pulsations at near-equatorial latitudes at the initial phase of the magnetic storm of April 5, 2010

An analysis of sampled 1-s observational data on geomagnetic pulsations within the Pc3 range on the INTERMAGNET network of near-equatorial and low-latitude observatories spaced over longitude during the initial phase of a moderate magnetic storm (April 5–7, 2010) was carried out for the first time. The obtained results were compared with magnetic observations at the low-latitude Chambon-la-Foret (CLF) and subauroral Kerguelen (PAF) observatories, as well as with observations at six Australian observatories located at low and middle latitudes. Two time intervals were studied in detail: the sudden commencement (SC) of the storm and the onset of the great global substorm. In the first interval, maximal amplitudes of near-equatorial pulsations were observed in the near-noon sector; in the second interval, in the near-midnight sector. The dynamics of the spectral structure of Pc3 pulsations in the considered events was shown to be different in spite of the fact that in both cases an amplification of waves was observed in two close spectral bands of the Pc3 spectrum: ～20–30 and ～30–40 mHz. The considered Pc3 pulsations were characterized by very small azimuthal wavenumbers (0.5 and less). Possible generation mechanisms for the observed Pc3 pulsations are discussed.     

Daytime quasiperiodic geomagnetic pulsations during the recovery phase of the strong magnetic storm of May 15, 2005

Intense quasimonchromatic geomagnetic pulsations with a period of ～15 min, observed on the Earth’s surface in the near-noon sector at the beginning of the recovery phase of a very strong (Dst _min = ?260 nT) magnetic storm of May 15, 2005, are analyzed. The variations were registered at auroral latitudes only in the X field component, and wave activity shifted into the postnoon sector of the polar cap an hour later; in this case pulsations were observed in the X and Y field components. Within the magnetosphere the source of magnetic pulsations could be the surface waves on the magnetopause caused by the pulse of the solar wind magnetic pressure. Geomagnetic pulsations in the polar cap, observed in phase at different latitudes, could apparently reflect quasiperiodic variations in the NBZ system of field-aligned currents. Such variations can originate due to the series of pulsed reconnections in the postnoon outer cusp at large (～20 nT) positive B _z values and large (about ?40 nT) negative values of IMF B _x .     

Penetration of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations to unusually low latitudes during the recovery phase of a superstrong magnetic storm of October 31, 2003

Based on the data of the ground observations, the global distributions of the Pc5 geomagnetic pulsation amplitudes during the recovery phase of the superstorm of October 31, 2003, have been mapped, and an unusually deep penetration of these pulsations into the inner magnetosphere has been found out. Thus, two more zones with identical dynamic spectra and oscillation amplitudes from the polar to equatorial latitudes have been detected in the postnoon sector simultaneously with morning classical Pc5 pulsations in the narrow (～63°–68° CGM) latitudinal band extended along longitude. The higher-latitude zone as if continues the morning band, and the lower-latitude zone is characterized by the maximal intensity at latitudes of ～50°–57° CGM. The oscillation amplitudes are of the same order of magnitude in both zones. The zones are spatially separated by a very narrow latitudinal amplitude minimum and by a change in the phase and sense of rotation of the wave polarization vector. The pulsation spectra in the morning and daytime sectors are different, which indicates that the nature of the morning and postnoon oscillations is different.     

Dependence of geomagnetic activity during magnetic storms on the solar wind parameters for different types of streams: 3. Development of storm

This paper is a continuation of (Nikolaeva et al., 2011, 2012) and it analyzes the development of the main phase of 190 magnetic storms with Dst ≤ −50 nT depending on the type of source in the solar wind (magnetic clouds, MC; corotating interaction regions, CIR; Ejecta; Sheath before them, Sh_E; Sheath before MC, Sh_MC; all Sheath regions before ICME, Sh_E + Sh_MC; all ICME, MC + Ejecta; and an indeterminate type of solar wind stream, IND).     

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.     

On the geomagnetic and ionospheric responses to an intense storm associated with weak IMF Bz and high solar wind dynamic pressure

A study of the geomagnetic storm of July 13–14, 1982, and its ionospheric response is presented using the low-latitude magnetic index, Dst, and interpreted using solar wind interplanetary data: proton number density, solar wind flow speed, interplanetary magnetic field southward component B _Z , and solar wind dynamic pressure. The F2 region structure response to the geomagnetic storm was studied using foF2 data obtained during the storm from a network of various ionosonde stations. Our results appear to show simultaneous abrupt depletion of foF2 that occurred at all latitudes in both the East Asian and African/European longitudinal zone during the period: 18:00–19:00 UT on July 13 and is as result of an abrupt increase in the dynamic pressure between 16:00 and 17:00 UT. The dynamic pressure increased from 3.21 to 28.07 nPa within an hour. The aforementioned abrupt depletion of foF2 simultaneously resulted in an intense negative storm with peak depletion of foF2 at about 19:00 at all the stations in the East Asian longitudinal zone. In the African/European longitudinal zone, this simultaneous abrupt depletion of foF2 resulted in intense negative storm that occurred simultaneously at the low latitude stations with peak depletion at about 20:00 UT on July 13, while the resulting negative storm at the mid latitude stations recorded peak depletion of foF2 simultaneously at about 2:00 UT on July 14. The present results indicate that most of the stations in the three longitudinal zones showed some level of simultaneity in the depletion of foF2 between 18:00 UT on July 13 and 2:00 UT on July 14. The depletion of foF2 during the main phase of the storm was especially strongly dependent on the solar wind dynamic pressure.     

Reflection of the solar wind parameters in the CR geomagnetic cutoff rigidity before a strong magnetic storm in November 2003

The time variations in the CR geomagnetic cutoff rigidity and their relation to the interplanetary parameters and the Dst index during a strong magnetic storm of November 18–24, 2003, have been analyzed. The Tsyganenko (Ts03) model of a strongly disturbed magnetosphere [Tsyganenko, 2002a, 2002b; Tsyganenko et al., 2003] have been used to calculate effective geomagnetic thresholds with the help of the method for tracing CR particle trajectories in the magnetospheric magnetic field. The geomagnetic thresholds have been calculated using the method of global spectrographic survey (GSS), based on the data from the global network of CR stations, and the results have been compared with the effective geomagnetic cutoff rigidities. The daily anisotropy of effective geomagnetic thresholds during the Dst variation minimum have been estimated. The relation of the theoretical and experimental geomagnetic thresholds, obtained using the GSS method, to the interplanetary parameters and Dst variation is analyzed. The Dst variations, IMF B _z , and solar wind density are most clearly defined in the geomagnetic thresholds during this storm. The correlation between B _y and experimental geomagnetic thresholds is higher than such a correlation between this parameter and theoretical thresholds by a factor 2–3, which suggests that a real dawn-dusk asymmetry during this storm was stronger than such an asymmetry represented by the Ts03 model.     

Variations in the geomagnetic field and auroras during the main phase of a large magnetic storm of November 20, 2003

The substorm characteristics during the main phase of a large magnetic storm of November 20, 2003, are studied based on the data of TV observations of auroras and auroral absorption at Tixie Bay station and at the global network of magnetic stations. The contribution of auroral particles, responsible for the emission of discrete auroras, has been estimated based on an analysis of the spatial-time variations in the auroral luminosity intensity. This contribution accounted for ～40% of the total luminous flux, which is approximately twice as large as was previously observed in substorm disturbances. Responses of the solar wind and IMF parameters in substorms and variations in the magnetic indices, characterizing geomagnetic activity in the northern polar cap and ring current (PCN, ASY-H and SYM-H), have been detected. The spatial-time distribution of the equivalent ionospheric currents has been constructed, and the total value of these currents along the meridian has been determined based on the [Popov et al., 2001] method and using the IMAGE magnetic data. It has been obtained that the maximal total equivalent ionospheric current in the premidnight sector (～2000 MLT) leads the minimal value of the SYM-H index by ～1.5 h.     

Variations in the ULF index of geomagnetic pulsations during strong magnetic storms

The level of wave geomagnetic activity in the morning, afternoon, and nighttime sectors during strong magnetic storms with Dst varying from ?100 to ?150 nT has been statistically studied based on a new ULF wave index. It has been found out that the intensity of geomagnetic pulsations at frequencies of 2–7 mHz during the magnetic storm initial phase is maximal in the morning and nighttime sectors at polar and auroral latitudes, respectively. During the magnetic storm main phase, wave activity is maximal in the morning sector of the auroral zone, and the pulsation intensity in the nighttime sector is twice as low as in the morning sector. It has been indicated that geomagnetic pulsations excited after substorms mainly contribute to a morning wave disturbance during the magnetic storm main phase. During the storm recovery phase, wave activity develops in the morning and nighttime sectors of the auroral zone; in this case nighttime activity is also observed in the subauroral zone.     

Generation of magnetic field Pc5 pulsations and particle fluxes during the recovery phase of a magnetic storm on October 31, 2003

The spatial structure of intensive Pc5 pulsations of the geomagnetic field and riometer absorption during the recovery phase of a strong magnetic storm that occurred on October 31, 2003, have been considered in detail. The global structure of disturbances has been analyzed based on a global network of magnetometers and riometers supplemented by the data of magnotometers and particle detectors on geostationary satellites GOES and LANL. The local spatial structure was studied by the data of a regional network of Finland vertical riometers and the stations at the IMAGE magnetic network. Quasiperiodic variations in the magnetic field and riometer absorption are generally similar and have a close frequency composition; nevertheless, their local spatial structures are different, as a result of which the concept that riometer absorption pulsations represent a purely modulation process is doubtful. It is assumed that the observed variations are oscillations of two related systems: the magnetospheric MHD waveguide/resonator and systems including cyclotron noise and electrons. Geomagnetic Pc5 oscillations during the recovery phase of a strong magnetic storm supposedly result from the generation of the magnetospheric waveguide on magnetospheric flanks. An analysis of azimuthal propagation phase velocities indicates that these oscillations depend on intramagnetospheric parameters rather than on the solar wind velocity. The magnetospheric waveguide is in a metastable state when solar wind velocities are high, and the quasiperiodic fluctuations of the solar wind pressure stimulate the excitation of the waveguide.     

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.     

Variations in the ULF index of daytime geomagnetic pulsations during recurrent magnetic storms

A new index of wave activity (ULF index) is applied to analyze daytime magnetic pulsations in the Pc5 range (f = 2–7 mHz) during ten successive recurrent magnetic storms (CIR (corotating interaction region) storms) of 2006. The most intense daytime geomagnetic Pc5 pulsations on the Earth’s surface in all phases of CIR storms are predominantly observed in the pre-noon sector at latitudes higher than 70°, while those in CME storms (storms initiated by coronal mass ejection (CME)) are observed at latitudes lower than 70°. A comparison of wave activity during CIR and CME storms has shown that the amplitude of Pc5 pulsations in CIR storms is much smaller than that in CME storms and the spectrum maximum is observed at lower frequencies and higher latitudes. At the same time, the mechanism of ULF wave generation during both types of magnetic storms seems to be similar, namely, resonance of magnetic field lines due to the development of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability caused by an approach of a high-velocity solar wind stream to the Earth’s magnetosphere. Since resonance oscillations are excited only in the closed magnetosphere, the higher-latitude position of the Pc5 pulsation intensity maximum in CIR storms points to larger dimensions of the daytime magnetosphere during CIR storms as compared to CME storms.     

Dependence of geomagnetic activity during magnetic storms on the solar wind parameters for different types of streams: 2. Main phase of storm

The paper analyses the development of the main phase of magnetic storms with Dst ≤ −50 nT, the interplanetary source of which consists of eight types of solar wind streams: magnetic clouds (MC, 17 storms); corotating interaction regions (CIR, 49 storms); Ejecta (50 storms); compressed region (Sheath) before Ejecta Sh_E (34 storms); the Sheath before a magnetic cloud Sh_MC (6 storms); all Sheath before all ICME, Sh_E + Sh_MC (40 storms); all ICME, MC + Ejecta (67 storms); and an indeterminate type of stream IND (34 storms).     

Long-term variations in geomagnetic and solar activities and secular variations of the geomagnetic field components

Summary After the removal of the eleven-year periodicity, long-term patterns of the aa indices of geomagnetic activity and of Wolf's sunspot numbers are defined. The positions of maxima and minima exhibit the same regularities as the secular variations of the geomagnetic filed components. This result is associated with the motion of the Sun round the barycentre of the solar system.Presented at symposium Planet 88, Tihany, September 1988.     

Relation between sudden increases in the solar wind dynamic pressure,auroral proton flashes,and geomagnetic pulsations in the Pc1 range

The interrelation between sudden increases in the solar wind dynamic pressure, auroral proton flashes on the dayside equatorward of the oval, and geomagnetic pulsations in the Pc1 range is considered on the basis of simultaneous observations of the solar wind plasma parameters, proton auroras on the IMAGE satellite, and geomagnetic pulsations at the Lovozero Observatory. It is indicated that proton luminosity flashes were observed in 70% of cases equatorward of the auroral oval during sudden changes in the solar wind pressure. In this case, flashes of proton auroras were observed in 85% of cases during sudden changes in the pressure, which were related to interplanetary shocks. Increases in pressure during tangential discontinuities were accompanied by flashes of proton auroras only in 45% of cases. When the ground station was conjugate to the region occupied by a proton aurora flash, the appearance or intensification of existent pulsations in the Pc1 range was observed in 96% of cases. When the ground station was not conjugate to the region of a proton luminosity flash, the response in geomagnetic pulsations was observed in 32% of events. When a sudden change in the solar wind pressure was not accompanied by a proton luminosity flash, the response in pulsations in the Pc1 range was hardly observed.     

Dependence of geomagnetic activity during magnetic storms on the solar wind parameters for different types of streams

The dependence of the maximal values of the |Dst| and AE geomagnetic indices observed during magnetic storms on the value of the interplanetary electric field (E _y ) was studied based on the catalog of the large-scale solar wind types created using the OMNI database for 1976–2000 [Yermolaev et al., 2009]. An analysis was performed for eight categories of magnetic storms caused by different types of solar wind streams: corotating interaction regions (CIR, 86 storms); magnetic clouds (MC, 43); Sheath before MCs (Sh_MC, 8); Ejecta (95); Sheath (Sh_E, 56); all ICME events (MC + Ejecta, 138); all compression regions Sheaths before MCs and Ejecta (Sh_MC + Sh_E, 64); and an indeterminate type of storm (IND, 75). It was shown that the |Dst| index value increases with increasing electric field E _y for all eight types of streams. When electric fields are strong (E _y > 11 mV m⁻¹), the |Dst| index value becomes saturated within magnetic clouds MCs and possibly within all ICMEs (MC + Ejecta). The AE index value during magnetic storms is independent of the electric field value E _y for almost all streams except magnetic clouds MCs and possibly the compressed (Sheath) region before them (Sh_MC). The AE index linearly increases within MC at small values of the electric field (E _y < 11 mV m⁻¹) and decrease when these fields are strong (E _y > 11 mV m⁻¹). Since the dynamic pressure (Pd) and IMF fluctuations (σB) correlate with the E _y value in all solar wind types, both geomagnetic indices (|Dst| and AE) do not show an additional dependence on Pd and IMF δB. The nonlinear relationship between the intensities of the |Dst| and AE indices and the electric field E _y component, observed within MCs and possibly all ICMEs during strong electric fields E _y , agrees with modeling the magnetospheric-ionospheric current system of zone 1 under the conditions of the polar cap potential saturation.     

Response of the inner and outer magnetosphere to solar wind density fluctuations during the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm

We examine the geomagnetic field and space plasma disturbances developing simultaneously in the solar wind, in the inner and outer magnetosphere, and on the ground from 0730 to 2030 UT on April 11, 1997 during the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm. The fluctuations of the solar wind density, H-component of the geomagnetic field, and power of Pc1–2 (0.1–5 Hz) waves at middle and low latitudes evolve nearly simultaneously. These fluctuations also match very well with variations of density and flux of the magnetospheric plasma at the geosynchronous orbit, and of the geomagnetic field at the geosynchronous orbit and northern polar cap. The time delay between the occurrence of disturbances in different magnetosphere regions matches the time of fast mode propagation. These disturbances are accompanied by the generation of Pc1–2 waves at mid- and high-latitude observatories in nearly the same frequency range. A scenario of the evolution of wave phenomena in different magnetospheric domains is proposed.