Open AccessHigh‐Speed Solar Wind Streams: A Call for Key Research
Author(s) -
Denton Michael H.,
Borovsky Joseph E.,
Horne Richard B.,
McPherson Robert L.,
Morley Steven K.,
Tsurutani Bruce T.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2008eo070002
Subject(s) - magnetopause , magnetosphere , solar wind , coronal mass ejection , physics , ring current , interplanetary spaceflight , geomagnetic storm , geophysics , coronal hole , van allen probes , atmospheric sciences , van allen radiation belt , plasma , nuclear physics
The arrival of high‐speed solar wind streams (HSSs) at the Earth's magnetopause drives particle and wave phenomena that are distinct from the phenomena caused by other solar wind structures. Although HSS events do not generally produce a particularly strong ring current (the current caused by ions and electrons drifting around the Earth), they do produce storm levels of other magnetospheric phenomena (enhanced convection, heating, precipitation, relativistic electron energization, and so forth) that can persist for an extended time period (e.g., many days). These events contrast with interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) events, where more transient driving (e.g., 1 day) is the norm. As such, the energy input to the magnetosphere during HSS events is comparable to, or may exceed, the energy input to the magnetosphere during ICME events.