Elements of M-I Coupling in Repetitive Substorm Activity Driven by Interplanetary CMEs

Abstract:

By means of case studies we explore key elements of the magnetosphere-ionosphere current system associated with repetitive substorm activity during persistent strong forcing by ICMEs. Our approach consists of a combination of the magnetospheric and ionospheric perspectives on the substorm activity. The first aspect is the near-Earth plasma sheet with its repetitive excitations of the substorm current wedge, as monitored by spacecraft GOES-10 when it traversed the 2100-0300 MLT sector, and its coupling to the westward auroral electrojet (WEJ) centered near midnight during the stable interplanetary (IP) conditions. The second aspect is the excitation of Bostrom type II currents maximizing at dusk and dawn and their associated ionospheric Pedersen current closure giving rise to EEJ (WEJ) events at dusk (dawn). As documented in our study, this aspect is related to the braking phase of Earthward-moving dipolarization fronts-bursty bulk flows. We follow the magnetospheric flow/field events from spacecraft Geotail in the midtail (X = - 11 Re) lobe to geostationary altitude at pre-dawn MLTs (GOES 10). The associated M-I coupling is obtained from ground-satellite conjunctions across the double auroral oval configuration along the meridian at dusk. By this technique we distinguish between ionospheric manifestations in three latitude regimes: (i) auroral oval south, (ii) auroral oval north, and (iii) polar cap. Regime (iii) is characterized by events of enhanced antisunward convection near the polar cap boundary (flow channel events) and in the central polar cap (PCN-index events). The repetitive substorm activity is discussed in the context of the level of IP driving as given by the geoeffective IP electric field (E_KL), magnetotail reconnection (inferred from the PCN-index and spacecraft Wind at X = - 77 Re) and the storm SYM-H index. We distinguish between different variants of the repetitive substorm activity, giving rise to electrojet (AL)-plasma convection (PCN) events recurring at (i) 2 - 2.5 hrs (''sawtooth events''), and (ii) 20 - 40 min. intervals, respectively.