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Unsolved problems: Mesoscale polar cap flow channels' structure, propagation, and effects on space weather disturbances
Author(s) -
Lyons L. R.,
Nishimura Y.,
Zou Y.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2016ja022437
Subject(s) - mesoscale meteorology , polar cap , ionosphere , magnetosphere , polar , plasma sheet , space weather , flow (mathematics) , physics , geophysics , plasma , geology , meteorology , mechanics , astronomy , quantum mechanics
Recent evidence indicates that the magnetosphere‐ionosphere system is frequently driven by dynamic mesoscale flow structures that are first seen near the dayside cusps, move across the open field line regions of the polar caps, and then enter the plasma sheet where they lead to a large variety of space weather disturbances. It will be important to uncover the features of these flow enhancements, including their structure, how they propagate across the polar cap, and what controls their dynamic effects after reaching the nightside plasma sheet.