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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

The substorm as an internal magnetospheric instability Substorms and their characteristic time scales during intervals of steady interplanetary magnetic field

In a study of the dynamics of dayside aurora, Horwitz and Akasofu (1977) adopted the basic methodology of examining substorms which occurred during intervals when the interplanetary magnetic field was steady. By using this approach, it was possible to remove the obvious ambiguity in the interpretation of dayside auroral dynamics which arises if interplanetary medium variations are not excluded. It is believed that for an understanding of the natural, internal instability behavior of the magnetosphere it will be necessary to employ the same methodology in many 'substorm' studies. The present investigation has the objective to present some examples of substorms occurring during intervals of steady interplanetary magnetic field. Subsequently, the approximate time scales of expansion and recovery for such substorms are determined. The obtained results are compared with a substorm model proposed by Hill and Reiff (1980).

Horwitz, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Multiple-satellite studies of magnetospheric substorms - Distinction between polar magnetic substorms and convection-driven negative bays

Two types of prolonged auroral zone magnetic bay activity are studied. The first manifests frequent substorm expansions and the second (a convection bay) shows weak and infrequent substorm onset signatures during intense auroral zone bays. Data are obtained by multiple satellite recordings during a 5-hour interval of persistent auroral zone activity. The results are discussed in terms of: magnetic activity on the ground, solar wind and tail lobe conditions, onset and recovery of the 1122 UT substorm, plasma sheet variations during the convection bay, reappearance of substorm signatures in the tail of about 1613 UT, and magnetic field observations at synchronous orbit.

Pytte, T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Satellite studies of magnetospheric substorms on August 15, 1968. IX - Phenomenological model for substorms.

Observations made during three substorms on August 15, 1968, are shown to be consistent with current theoretical ideas about the cause of substorms. The phenomenological model described in several preceding papers is further expanded. This model follows closely the theoretical ideas presented more quantitatively in recent papers by Coronti and Kennel (1972 and 1973).

Mcpherron, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Field-aligned currents associated with substorms in the vicinity of synchronous orbit. I - The July 5, 1979, substorm observed by SCATHA, GOES 3, and GOES 2

Magnetic field topology and field-aligned current signatures in the vicinity of synchronous orbit are examined for a substorm on July 5, 1979. Changes from taillike to dipolar field geometry propagate earthward near the midnight meridian during the substorm. The major field-aligned currents producing a negative D perturbation at and around synchronous orbit are downward currents flowing into the auroral ionosphere on L shells greater than the synchronous spacecraft L shell. Although these currents are located initially on higher L shells, they shift toward the lower L shells as the change from taillike to dipolar fields propagates earthward. There may exist upward field-aligned currents located on smaller L shells in the limited longitudinal region near the meridian where mid-latitude D perturbations change their sign.

Nagai, T.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Radial expansion of the tail current disruption during substorms - A new approach to the substorm onset region

A new method is used to examine the radial expansion of the tail current disruption and the substorm onset region. The expansion of the disruption region is specified by examining the time sequence (phase relationship) between the north-south component and the sun-earth component. This method is tested by applying it to the March 6, 1979, event. The phase relationship indicates that the current disruption started on the earthward side of the spacecraft, and expanded tailward past the spacecraft. The method was used for 13 events selected from the ISEE magnetometer data. The results indicate that the current disruption usually starts in the near-earth magnetotail and often within 15 RE from the earth.

Ohtani, S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Force Balance and Substorm Effects in the Magnetotail and Nonguiding Center Motion and Substorm Effects in the Magnetotail

Most of the work carried out to date on this project is summarized in the enclosed reprints of two papers that were just published. The earlier paper that is also enclosed, Structure of the Magnetotail, by D. L. Larson and R. L. Kaufmann, was primarily intended to describe our Consistent Orbit Tracing (COT) technique and to show that the resulting magnetotail models were in good agreement with published experimental observations. The following are the most important results from the two new papers.

Kaufmann, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Comment on Decay of the Dst Field of Geomagnetic Disturbance After Substorm Onset and its Implication to Storm-Substorm Relation

Over the past few years, there has been a considerable revival in the study of geomagnetic storms stimulated by an increasing knowledge of the energetic particles which comprise the ring current. It is only in recent years that the composition of the ring current has been thouroughly explored and the important role of the oxygen component of the near Earth plasma sheet has become recognized.

geomagnetic storms near Earth plasma sheet ring cu↗
NASA NTRS2011

From Space Weather Toward Space Climate Time Scales: Substorm Analysis from 1993 to 2008

Magnetic activity in the Northern Hemisphere auroral region was examined during solar cycles 22 and 23 (1993- 2008). Substorms were identified from ground-based magnetic field measurements by an automated search engine. On average, 550 substorms were observed per year, which gives in total about 9000 substorms. The interannual, seasonal and solar cycle-to-cycle variations of the substorm number (R(sub ss)), substorm duration (T(sub ss)), and peak amplitude (A(sub ss)) were examined. The declining phases of both solar cycles 22 and 23 were more active than the other solar cycle phases due to the enhanced solar wind speed. The spring substorms during the declining solar cycle phase (absolute value of A(sub ss,decl)) - 500 nT) were 25% larger than the spring substorms during the ascending solar cycle years ((absolute value of A(sub ss,asc) = 400 nT). The following seasonal variation was found: the most intense substorms occurred during spring and fall, the largest substorm frequency in the Northern Hemisphere winter, and the longest-duration substorms in summer. Furthermore, we found a winter-summer asymmetry in the substorm number and duration. which is speculated to be due to the variations in the ionospheric conductivity. The solar cycle-Io-cycle variation was found in the yearly substorm number and peak amplitude. The decline from the peak substorm activity in 1994 and 2003 to the following minima took 3 years during solar cycle 22, while it took 6 years during solar cycle 23.

Tanskanen, E. I.↗
NASA NTRS2021

The Temporal and Spatial Development of dB/dt for Substorms

Ground induced currents (GICs) due to space weather are a threat to high voltage power transmission systems. However, knowledge of ground conductivity is the largest source of errors in the determination of GICs. A good proxy for GICs is dB/dt obtained from the Bx and By components of the magnetic field fluctuations. It is known that dB/dt values associated with magnetic storms can reach dangerous levels for power transmission systems. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for dB/dt values associated with substorms to exceed prior Pulkkinen and Molinski critical thresholds of 1.5 nT/s and 5 nT/s, respectively, and the temporal and spatial changes of the dB/dt associated with substorms, unlike storms, are not well understood. Using two dimensional maps of dB/dt over North America and Greenland derived from the spherical elementary currents, we investigate the temporal and spatial change of dB/dt for both a single substorm event and a two dimensional superposed epoch analysis of many substorms. Both the single event and the statistical analysis shows a sudden increase of dB/dt at substorm onset followed by an expansion poleward, westward, and eastward after the onset during the expansion phase. The area of dB/dt values exceeding the two critical thresholds from the initial onset dB/dt values showed little to no expansion equatorward. The temporal and spatial development of the dB/dt resembles the temporal and spatial change of the auroral emissions. Substorm values of dB/dt peak shortly after the auroral onset time and in at least one event exceeded 35 nT/s for a non-storm time substorm. In many of our 81 cases the area that exceeds the threshold of 1.5 nT/s is over several million square kilometers and after about 30 minutes the dB/dt values fall below the threshold level. These results address one of goals of the Space Weather Action Plan, which are to establish benchmarks for space weather events and improve modeling and prediction of their impacts on infrastructure. Plain language: The change in the ground magnetic field with respect to time (dB/dt) associated with magnetic storms (a large disturbance of the magnetic field of the earth) can reach dangerous levels for power transmission systems. On the other hand, substorms, which are a smaller more localized disturbance of the Earth’s magnetic field, are more common. It is not uncommon for substorm dB/dt values to also exceed dangerous levels and the temporal and spatial changes of the dB/dt associated with substorms, unlike storms, are not well understood. Our analysis shows a sudden increase of dB/dt at substorm onset, which peaks shortly after the start of the substorm, followed shortly after by an expansion northward, westward, and eastward after the onset.

ionospheric currents↗