Study the storm-enhanced density and plasmasphere in response to the electric fields in a magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupled system

Abstract:

The storm-enhanced density (SED) and the total electron content (TEC) plume are believed to be the ionospheric response to geomagnetic activity. During the March 31, 2001 storm, radar observations on SED plume and IMAGE EUV image of the plasmasphere indicate a spatial overlap between the SED plume and plasmaspheric plume when both are mapped to the equatorial plane. DMSP F13 measurements show that the SED plume and the outer plasmasphere are located at the equatorward edge of the subauroral polarization stream (SAPS), which indicates that the SAPS electric field may play an important role driving the plumes. To systematically study the evolution and structure of SED and plasmaspheric plumes in response to the ionospheric electric field, we employ a newly-developed magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere (MIT) coupled model as a part of the Multiscale Atmosphere Geospace Environment (MAGE) framework. The high-resolution global magnetohydrodynamic model, GAMERA, is two-way coupled to the ring current model, RCM, that self-consistently evolves the inner magnetospheric plasma with a dynamic plasmasphere, and, to the global thermosphere and ionosphere model, TIEGCM, which calculates the storm-time TEC. We present results of our simulation of geomagnetic storms such as the March 31, 2001, with the goal of gaining a comprehensive understanding of how the driving electric field influences the formation of the plumes in the MIT system.