Storm-scale ring current morphology inferred from high-resolution empirical magnetic field modeling: storms driven by CMEs, CIRs, and those containing sawtooth and SMC events

In spite of several decades of intense investigations, the detailed structure and dynamics of the magnetospheric currents remains unclear especially during disturbed periods associated with magnetic storms and substorms. Until recently, empirical magnetic field models were strongly limited because they were built using predefined, hand-made current structures. New capabilities in the empirical reconstruction of the storm-scale current morphology and its evolution have become possible in the new-generation empirical model, TS07D, where the distribution of storm-scale equatorial currents is determined by regular basis function expansions and is largely dictated by data. We discuss the results of TS07D-based empirical reconstruction of the magnetospheric currents for differing global conditions. Firstly, we examine storms produced by two different drivers, Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and Corotating Interaction Regions (CIR), and secondly, we examine storms containing two different magnetospheric convection states, those containing quasi-periodic sawtooth events and Steady Magnetospheric Convection (SMC) intervals. A distinctive feature of CME-driven storms is the hook-shaped current developing in the main phase, which combines features of ring and tail currents, while CIR-driven storms are featured by the belt-shaped current and strong reduction of the strength of field-aligned currents. Storms containing sawtooth injections are characterized by the formation of the equatorial storm-time current with an unusually broad radial extension, far beyond geosynchronous orbit across all local times. SMC periods are distinguished by a higher total pressure in the inner magnetosphere extending to larger distances with the appropriate changes in the equatorial currents and their closure paths. New data analysis opportunities offered by the APL-hosted model interface, including run-on-request case studies, the database of pre-processed model coefficients and radiation belt studies are also discussed.