HR: 08:50h
AN: SA11A-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Bimodal Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling
AU: * Siscoe, G
EM: siscoe@bu.edu
AB: Regarding its coupling to the solar wind, the magnetosphere-ionosphere system appears to be schizophrenic. That is, it seems to manifest two modes with contradictory qualities, modes that alternate depending on solar wind conditions. Normal conditions elicit the normal mode (aka the solar wind-dominated mode). But extreme conditions bring out the un-normal mode (aka the ionosphere-dominated mode). This talk emphasizes the un-normal, ionosphere-dominated mode, which makes its presence during great magnetic storms. Then the magnetosphere-confining Chapman-Ferraro current system fades away to be replaced by the region 1 currents system which links the now dominant ionosphere to the whole of geospace out to and including the bow shock. Dst no longer responds to the ram pressure of the solar wind. The electrical potential across the polar cap stops growing as solar wind driving strengthens. Instead, it becomes bound to ionospheric conductance, which as the storm intensifies transforms under local instability. The ionosphere appears to lose its grip on magnetospheric convection, although this is not certain. The plasmasphere is stripped away, most likely to feed (by global circulation) an intensifying ring current. The outer magnetosphere begins a series of slow, macroscale convulsions. Huge parallel potentials possibly develop in the magnetosphere's outer regions, reacting against the ionosphere's domination. Compared to the solar wind-dominated magnetosphere, the ionosphere-dominated magnetosphere is comparatively unknown and, so, provides opportunities for significantly advancing our understanding of the coupled solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere system.
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
DE: 2788 Storms and substorms
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly