Parameterization of Ionosphere/Inner-Magnetosphere Electrodynamic Interactions for Ionospheric Wind Dynamo Modeling

Electrodynamic interaction of hot plasma in the inner magnetosphere with the conducting ionosphere produces the phenomenon of steady-state shielding, which reduces the transmission of electric fields across the latitudes of region-2 field-aligned currents. This affects the penetration of magnetospheric electric fields to the low-latitude ionosphere, and influences the distribution of ionospheric electric fields generated by the ionospheric wind dynamo. These effects can be simulated by representing the magnetosphere as a combination of equivalent magnetospheric Hall and east-west Pedersen conductances. In this study we examine how the equivalent magnetospheric conductances might be expected to vary with different magnetospheric and ionospheric parameters, and we investigate the response of modeled ionospheric electric fields and region-2 currents to the equivalent magnetospheric conductances.