The fate of the outer plasmasphere
- Space and Atmospheric Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico (United States)
Both the solar wind and the ionosphere contribute to Earth{close_quote}s magnetospheric plasma environment. However, it is not widely appreciated that the plasmasphere is a large reservoir of ionospheric ions that can be tapped to populate the plasma sheet. We employ empirical models of high-latitude ionospheric convection and the geomagnetic field to describe the transport of outer plasmasphere flux tubes from the dayside, over the polar cap and into the magnetotail during the early phases of a geomagnetic storm. We calculate that this process can give rise to high densities of cold plasma in the magnetotail lobes and in the near-Earth plasma sheet during times of enhanced geomagnetic activity, and especially during storms. This model can help explain both polar cap ionization patches and the presence of cold flowing ions downtail.{copyright} 1997 American Geophysical Union
- OSTI ID:
- 503583
- Journal Information:
- Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 24, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The superdense plasma sheet: Plasmaspheric origin, solar wind origin, or ionospheric origin?
The ionosphere as a fully adequate source of plasma for the earth's magnetosphere