How are cold plasma plumes coupled between Magnetosphere-Plasmasphere-Ionosphere?
Abstract
In this presentation, we show some results from the coupled Whole Atmosphere Model (WAM)-Ionosphere-Plasmasphere-Electrodynamics (IPE) model to identify formation mechanisms that control drainage plume coupling between Magnetosphere-Plasmasphere-Ionosphere. Drainage plumes have been observed to occur on the outer region of the plasmasphere and extend sunward toward the dayside magnetopause. They are created by erosion due to the enhanced convection electric field. Plumes can reach the dayside magnetopause, and simultaneous in-situ and GPS TEC observations have shown that Tongue of Ionizations (TOIs), plumes of enhanced F-region density, convecting into the noontime cusp ionosphere correspond to the drainage plumes observed at the magnetopause. When interpreting individual plume observations, however, it is not understood how plasmaspheric and ionospheric plumes are physically related. In particular, while they result from the same convection flows, they may not necessarily come from identical field line regions. Ionospheric plumes are expected to come only from dayside ionosphere field lines, while plasmaspheric plumes can come from the nightside. Furthermore, it is possible that plumes from the dayside ionospheric could have their origin extending to higher latitudes than does the dayside plasmasphere. These cold, dense plasmaspheric plumes are expected to substantially impact the dayside magnetic reconnection along the region of their magnetopause impact. However, why do observations often tend to show a considerable degree of hemispheric asymmetry in TOIs? Magnetic reconnection is the primary process through which energy couples from the solar wind into Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. What are the most likely conditions under which plasmaspheric plumes can reach the dayside magnetopause and thus potentially impact dayside reconnection?
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMSA32A..02M
- Keywords:
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- 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions;
- IONOSPHEREDE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics;
- IONOSPHEREDE: 2704 Auroral phenomena;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICSDE: 2788 Magnetic storms and substorms;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS