Abstract
Three ways of the energy transfer in the Earth's magnetosphere are studied. The solar wind MHD generator is an unique energy source for all magnetospheric processes. Field-aligned currents directly transport the energy and momentum of the solar wind plasma to the Earth's ionosphere. The magnetospheric lobe and plasma sheet convection generated by the solar wind is another magnetospheric energy source. Plasma sheet particles and cold ionospheric polar wind ions are accelerated by convection electric field. After energetic particle precipitation into the upper atmosphere the solar wind energy is transferred into the ionosphere and atmosphere. This way of the energy transfer can include the tail lobe magnetic field energy storage connected with the increase of the tail current during the southward IMF. After that the magnetospheric substorm occurs. The model calculations of the magnetospheric energy give possibility to determine the ground state of the magnetosphere, and to calculate relative contributions of the tail current, ring current and field-aligned currents to the magnetospheric energy. The magnetospheric substorms and storms manifest that the permanent solar wind energy transfer ways are not enough for the covering of the solar wind energy input into the magnetosphere. Nonlinear explosive processes are necessary for the energy transmission into the ionosphere and atmosphere. For understanding a relation between substorm and storm it is necessary to take into account that they are the concurrent energy transferring ways.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexeev, I. I. et al.: 1996, ‘Magnetic Storms and Magnetotail Currents’, J.Geophys.Res. 101, 7737-7748.
Alexeev, I. I. et al.: 2000, ‘A Model of Region 1 Field-aligned Currents dependent on Ionospheric Conductivity and Solar Wind Parameters’, J.Geophys.Res. 103, 21, 119-21, 130.
Alexeev, I. I. and Y. I. Feldstein: 2001, ‘Modeling of Geomagnetic Field during Magnetic Storms and Comparison with Observations’, J.Atmos.Sol.Terr.Phys. 63, 331-340.
Baker, D. N. et al.: 1997a, ‘A Quantitative Assessment of Energy Storage and Release in the Earth's Magnetotail’, J.Geophys.Res. 102, 7169-7178.
Baker, D. N. et al.: 1997b, ‘Reexamination of Driven and Unloading Aspects of Magnetospheric Substorms’, J.Geophys.Res. 102, 7159-7168.
Carovillano, R. L. and G. L. Siscoe: 1973, ‘Energy and Momentum Theorems in Magnetospheric Processes’, Rev.Geophys.Space Phys. 11, 289-353.
Hamilon, D. C. et al.: 1988, ‘Ring Current Development during the Great Magnetic Storm of February 1986’, J.Geophys.Res. 93, 14, 343-14, 356.
Iyemory, T. and D. R. K. Rao: 1996, ‘Decay of the Dst Field of Geomagnetic Disturbance after Substorm Onset and its Implication to Storm-substorm relation’, Ann.Geophysicae 14, 608-618.
Maguire, J. J. and R. L. Carovillano: 1966, ‘Energy Principles for the Confinement of a Magnetic Field, J.Geophys.Res. 71, 5533-5539.
Siscoe, G. L. and H. E. Petschek: 1997, ‘On Storm Weakening during Substorm Expansion Phase’, Ann.Geophysicae 15, 211-216.
Vassiliadis, D. et al.: 1995, ‘A Description of Solar Wind-magnetosphere Coupling based on Nonlinear Filters’, J.Geophys.Res. 100, 3495-3506.
Weiss, L. A. et al.: 1992, ‘Energy Dissipation in Substorms’, in Substorms 1, ESA SP-335, pp. 309-317.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alexeev, I.I. Energy flux in the Earth's magnetosphere: Storm – substorm relationship. Space Science Reviews 107, 141–148 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025519622160
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025519622160