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Title: The Earth's magnetosphere under continued forcing: Substorm activity during the passage of an interplanetary magnetic cloud

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JA02351· OSTI ID:6426849
; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (United States)
  2. Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)
  3. Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (United States)

This is the third of three papers dealing with the interaction of an interplanetary magnetic field with the earth's magnetosphere in Jan 1988. Here the authors report on substorm observations made during this time period. They sampled information from six spacecraft and a larger number of ground based systems to serve as signals for the initiation of substorm behavior. They relate the interplanetary magnetic field and plasma conditions to the time of observation of substorm initiation. Current models tie substorm occurrence to magnetic reconnection in the magnetosphere. The IMF B[sub y] and B[sub z] components varied slowly over a range of 20 nT on both sides of zero during this observation period. During the period of northward IMF the magnetosphere was quiescent, but during the period of southward IMF a large magnetic storm was initiated. During this interval substorms were observed roughly every 50 minutes.

OSTI ID:
6426849
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 98:A5; ISSN 0148-0227
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English