Empirical evidence for two nightside current wedges during substorms

We present results from a comprehensive statistical study of the ionospheric current system and its coupling to the magnetosphere during classical bulge type substorms. We identified 116 substorms and determined the global ionospheric current system before and during the substorm using the SuperMAG initiative and global auroral images obtained by the Polar VIS Earth camera. The westward electrojet (WEJ) display a distinct latitudinal shift between the pre- and post-midnight region and we find evidence that the two WEJ regions are disconnected. This, and other observational facts, led us to propose a new 3D current system configuration that consists of 2 wedge type systems: a current wedge in the pre-midnight region (substorm current wedge), and another current wedge system in the post-midnight region (oval current wedge). There is some local time overlap between the two systems. The former maps to the region inside the near Earth neutral line and is associated with structured BPS type electron precipitation. The latter maps to the inner magnetosphere and is associated with diffuse electron precipitation. We present results of the statistical study, show typical events, results from Biot-Savart simulations, and discuss the implications for our understanding of the 3D current system associated with substorms.