A century of geomagnetic storms, CMEs and HSS/SIRs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalevi Mursula ◽  
Timo Qvick ◽  
Lauri Holappa
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Active Regions ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Dst Index ◽  
Intensity Category ◽  
Interaction Regions ◽  
Storm Index

<p>Geomagnetic storms are mainly driven by the two main solar wind transients: coronal mass ejections (CME) and high-speed solar wind streams with related (corotating) stream interaction regions (HSS/SIR). CMEs are produced by new magnetic flux emerging on solar surface as active regions, and their occurrence follows the occurrence of sunspots quite closely. HSSs are produced by coronal holes, whose occurrence at the ecliptic is maximized in the declining phase of the solar cycle.</p><p>Geomagnetic storms are defined and quantified by the Dst index that measures the intensity of the ring current and is available since 1957. We have corrected some early errors in the Dst index and extended its time interval from 1932 onwards using the same stations as the Dst index (CTO preceding HER). This extended storm index is called the Dxt index. We have also constructed Dxt3 and Dxt2 indices from three/two of the longest-operating Dst stations to extend the storm index back to 1903, covering more than a century of storms.</p><p>We divide the storms into four intensity categories (weak, moderate, intense and major), and use the classification of solar wind by Richardson et al. into CME, HSS/SIR and slow wind -related flows in order to study the drivers of storms of each intensity category since 1964. We also correct and use the list of sudden storm commencements (SSC) collected by Father P. Mayaud, and divide the storms of each category into SSC-related storms and non-SSC storms.</p><p>Studying geomagnetic storms of different intensity category and SSC relation allows us to study the occurrence of CMEs and HSS/SIR over the last century. We also use these results to derive new information on the centennial evolution of the structure of solar magnetic fields.</p>

Solar wind temperature–velocity relationship over the last five solar cycles and Forbush decreases associated with different types of interplanetary disturbance

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (3) ◽  
pp. 2786-2797
Author(s):  
A A Melkumyan ◽  
A V Belov ◽  
M A Abunina ◽  
A A Abunin ◽  
E A Eroshenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Solar Cycles ◽  
Forbush Decreases ◽  
Proton Temperature ◽  
Interaction Regions ◽  
Interplanetary Disturbance

ABSTRACT The behaviour of the solar wind (SW) proton temperature and velocity and their relationship during Forbush decreases (FDs) associated with various types of solar source – coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and coronal holes (CHs) – have been studied. Analysis of cosmic ray variations, SW temperature, velocity, density, plasma beta, and magnetic field (from 1965–2019) is carried out using three databases: the OMNI database, Variations of Cosmic Rays database (IZMIRAN) and Forbush Effects & Interplanetary Disturbances database (IZMIRAN). Comparison of the observed SW temperature (T) and velocity (V) for the undisturbed SW allows us to derive a formula for the expected SW temperature (Texp, the temperature given by a T–V formula, if V is the observed SW speed). The results reveal a power-law T–V dependence with a steeper slope for low speeds (V < 425 km s−1, exponent = 3.29 ± 0.02) and flatter slope for high speeds (V > 425 km s−1, exponent = 2.25 ± 0.02). A study of changes in the T–V dependence over the last five solar cycles finds that this dependence varies with solar activity. The calculated temperature index KT = T/Texp can be used as an indicator of interplanetary and solar sources of FDs. It usually has abnormally large values in interaction regions of different-speed SW streams and abnormally low values inside magnetic clouds (MCs). The results obtained help us to identify the different kinds of interplanetary disturbance: interplanetary CMEs, sheaths, MCs, corotating interaction regions, high-speed streams from CHs, and mixed events.

White-light solar corona structure observed by naked eye and processed images

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (2) ◽  
pp. 2170-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtech Rušin ◽  
Paul Prikryl ◽  
Emil A Prikryl
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
White Light ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Interplanetary Space ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Human Vision ◽  
Naked Eye ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
White Light Corona

ABSTRACT Light and dark adaptation and luminance contrast enhancement are well-known characteristics of human vision that allow us to observe a wide range of light intensity not fully captured in standard camera images. The naked-eye observations of total eclipses, some recorded with spectacular detail in artists’ paintings, reveal structure that is consistent with images obtained by telescopes equipped with recording media. The actual shape of the corona during a total eclipse depends not only on the phase of the solar cycle but, as can be simply demonstrated, also on the day-to-day variability and spatial distribution of coronal intensity that is determined by solar surface magnetic fields, including the locations of coronal holes that are the sources of high-speed solar wind causing geomagnetic storms. The latter were very similar for the eclipses in 1932, 1994, and 2017, which is the main reason why the naked-eye observations, as well as the processed images (1994 and 2017), of the white-light corona displayed very similar shapes. White-light corona image processing is a useful technique to enhance the contrast to observe fine-scale structure that is consistent with the physics of the solar atmosphere shaped by the magnetic field drawn out into the interplanetary space by solar wind.

Formation of current sheets and plasmoids within corotating/stream interaction regions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timofey Sagitov ◽  
Roman Kislov
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Coronal Hole ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Solar Rotation ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Rotation Period ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Current Sheets ◽  
Interaction Regions

<p>High speed streams originating from coronal holes are long-lived plasma structures that form corotating interaction regions (CIRs) or stream interface regions (SIRs) in the solar wind. The term CIR is used for streams existing for at least one solar rotation period, and the SIR stands for streams with a shorter lifetime. Since the plasma flows from coronal holes quasi-continuously, CIRs/SIRs simultaneously expand and rotate around the Sun, approximately following the Parker spiral shape up to the Earth’s orbit.</p><p>Coronal hole streams rotate not only around the Sun but also around their own axis of simmetry, resembling a screw. This effect may occur because of the following mechanisms: (1) the existence of a difference between the solar wind speed at different sides of the stream, (2) twisting of the magnetic field frozen into the plasma, and  (3) a vortex-like motion of the edge of the mothering coronal hole at the Sun. The screw type of the rotation of a CIR/SIR can lead to centrifugal instability if CIR/SIR inner layers have a larger angular velocity than the outer. Furthermore, the rotational plasma movement and the stream distortion can twist magnetic field lines. The latter contributes to the pinch effect in accordance with a well-known criterion of Suydam instability (Newcomb, 1960, doi: 10.1016/0003-4916(60)90023-3). Owing to the presence of a cylindrical current sheet at the boundary of a coronal hole, conditions for tearing instability can also appear at the CIR/SIR boundary. Regardless of their geometry, large scale current sheets are subject to various instabilities generating plasmoids. Altogether, these effects can lead to the formation of a turbulent region within CIRs/SIRs, making them filled with current sheets and plasmoids. </p><p>We study a substructure of CIRs/SIRs, characteristics of their rotation in the solar wind, and give qualitative estimations of possible mechanisms which lead to splitting of the leading edge a coronal hole flow and consequent formation of current sheets within CIRs/SIRs.</p>

Recurrent high-speed solar wind co-rotating interaction region imprint on the ionosphere and atmosphere: GPS TEC variations and atmospheric gravity waves

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Weygand ◽  
Paul Prikryl ◽  
Reza Ghoddousi-Fard ◽  
Lidia Nikitina ◽  
Bharat S. R. Kunduri
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Ionospheric Currents ◽  
Atmospheric Gravity Waves ◽  
Atmospheric Gravity

<p>High-speed streams (HSS) from coronal holes dominate solar wind structure in the absence of coronal mass ejections during solar minimum and the descending branch of solar cycle. Prominent and long-lasting coronal holes produce intense co-rotating interaction regions (CIR) on the leading edge of high-speed plasma streams that cause recurrent ionospheric disturbances and geomagnetic storms. Through solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (MIA) system they affect the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere at high latitudes, and, at mid to low latitudes, by the transmission of the electric fields [1] and propagation of atmospheric gravity waves from the high-latitude lower thermosphere [2].</p><p>The high-latitude ionospheric structure, caused by precipitation of energetic particles, strong ionospheric currents and convection, results in changes of the GPS total electron content (TEC) and rapid variations of GPS signal amplitude and phase, called scintillation [3]. The GPS phase scintillation is observed in the ionospheric cusp, polar cap and auroral zone, and is particularly intense during geomagnetic storms, substorms and auroral breakups. Phase scintillation index is computed for a sampling rate of 50 Hz by specialized GPS scintillation receivers from the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN). A proxy index of phase variation is obtained from dual frequency measurements of geodetic-quality GPS receivers sampling at 1 Hz, which include globally distributed receivers of the RT-IGS network that are monitored by the Canadian Geodetic Survey in near-real-time [4]. Temporal and spatial changes of TEC and phase variations following the arrivals of HSS/CIRs [5] are investigated in the context of ionospheric convection and equivalent ionospheric currents derived from  a ground magnetometer network using the spherical elementary current system method [6,7].</p><p>The Joule heating and Lorentz forcing in the high-latitude lower thermosphere have long been recognized as sources of internal atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) [2] that propagate both upward and downward, thus providing vertical coupling between atmospheric layers. In the ionosphere, they are observed as traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) using various techniques, e.g., de-trended GPS TEC maps [8].</p><p>In this paper we examine the influence on the Earth’s ionosphere and atmosphere of a long-lasting HSS/CIRs from recurrent coronal holes at the end of solar cycles 23 and 24. The solar wind MIA coupling, as represented by the coupling function [9], was strongly increased during the arrivals of these HSS/CIRs.</p><p> </p><p>[1] Kikuchi, T. and K. K. Hashimoto, Geosci. Lett. , 3:4, 2016.</p><p>[2] Hocke, K. and K. Schlegel, Ann. Geophys., 14, 917–940, 1996.</p><p>[3] Prikryl, P., et al., J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 121, 10448–10465, 2016.</p><p>[4] Ghoddousi-Fard et al., Advances in Space Research, 52(8), 1397-1405, 2013.</p><p>[5] Prikryl et al. Earth, Planets and Space, 66:62, 2014.</p><p>[6] Amm O., and A. Viljanen, Earth Planets Space, 51, 431–440, 1999.</p><p>[7] Weygand J.M., et al., J. Geophys. Res., 116, A03305, 2011.</p><p>[8] Tsugawa T., et al., Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22101, 2007.</p><p>[9] Newell P. T., et al., J. Geophys. Res., 112, A01206, 2007.</p>

Spatial evolution of turbulent regions associated with stream interaction regions in the solar wind

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Kislov ◽  
Timothy Sagitov ◽  
Helmi Malova
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Plasma Flow ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Spatial Evolution ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Current Sheets ◽  
Interaction Regions ◽  
High Speed Flows

<p>High-speed flows from coronal holes are separated from the surrounding solar wind by stream or corotating interaction regions (SIRs/CIRs). The latter have a complex dynamic structure, which is determined by turbulence, the presence of current sheets and magnetic islands/flux ropes/blobs/plasmoids. As the Sun rotates, SIRs along with high-speed flows propagate in the heliosphere. A SIR can be considered as a single large-scale object resembling a magnetic tube with walls of varying thickness. In this case, one can think not only about the speed of the plasma flow inside and near the given object, but also about its movement around the Sun as a whole. Because of this rotation, SIRs can cross the orbits of two separated spacecraft, which may allow one to study the spatial evolution of their structure. We have chosen the events when SIRs were sequentially detected by ACE and one of the STEREO spacecraft. In each case, a position of the Stream Interface (SI) was found, relative to which the position of other structures within the SIR was determined. Using a newly developed method for identifying current sheets [Khabarova et al. 2021], the SIR fine structure and the properties of turbulent plasma flow were studied. The estimates of the angular velocity of rotation SIR around the Sun are given. A model is constructed that describes the motion of SIRs in the heliosphere and their main large-scale properties.</p><p>Khabarova O., Sagitov T., Kislov R., Li G. (2021), http://arxiv.org/abs/2101.02804</p>

Global Ionospheric Response to CIR/HSS Induced Geomagnetic Storms

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalin Negrea ◽  
Costel Munteanu ◽  
Marius Echim
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Solar Wind Speed ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Diurnal Variability ◽  
Ionospheric Response ◽  
Spectral Peaks ◽  
Speed Solar Wind ◽  
Interaction Regions

<p>The solar wind is one of the main drivers for the thermosphere-ionosphere, affecting both long-term trends and short-term variability. In this study, we investigate the global ionospheric impact of high-speed solar wind streams/corotating interaction regions (HSS/CIR). Ten such events are identified between December 1<sup>st</sup> 2007 and April 16<sup>th</sup> 2008, based on solar wind speed, density and magnetic field measurements. Each event triggered a geomagnetic storm, highlighted by the temporal evolution of the SYM-H and AE geomagnetic indices. The ionospheric response to these storms is investigated using 28 globally distributed ionosonde stations, providing NmF2 and hmF2 measurements. Spectral peaks associated with 27-, 13- and 9-day periodicities are identified at most locations, highlighting the global nature of the ionospheric response. The amplitude of the ionospheric diurnal variability is also shown to vary, to a large extent correlated with the HSS/CIR induced geomagnetic storms.</p>

Impact of Solar Wind High Speed Streams on Ionospheric Current Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Pedersen ◽  
Heikki Vanhamäki ◽  
Anita Aikio ◽  
Sebastian Käki ◽  
Ari Viljanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Current System ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Ionospheric Current ◽  
Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽  
Interaction Regions ◽  
Current Systems ◽  
Dusk Sector

<p>High speed streams (HSS) and associated co-rotating interaction regions (CIR) in the solar wind are one of the major drivers of geomagnetic activity, especially during declining phases of sunspot cycles and near sunspot minima. We have identified 51 HSS/CIR driven geomagnetic storms that coincide with a Dst drop to less than -50nT during the period 2009-2018 and we investigate their impact on ionospheric current systems. Our approach is to study the evolution of the global scale current systems, i.e. the auroral electrojets and Region-1/2 field-aligned currents (FAC), with the SuperMAG magnetometers and AMPERE satellite data, respectively. The events are studied with a superposed epoch analysis centered at the storm onset to see the general behavior of the current system globally and in four different MLT sectors: noon, dusk, midnight and dawn. A minor enhancement of the integrated FAC was observed in the midnight, dawn and dusk sector 3 hours before the storm onset. The largest FAC and variability was observed in the dusk sector, and the integrated FAC maximum occurred in the middle of the storm main phase, 4 hours before the Dst minimum. This result will be compared to the evolution and behavior of the electrojet currents from superMAG. In the future a similar study will be conducted for ICME geomagnetic storms and compared to the HSS/CIR-related storms.</p>

scholarly journals The influence of solar wind on extratropical cyclones – Part 1: Wilcox effect revisited

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Prikryl ◽  
V. Rušin ◽  
M. Rybanský
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Coronal Holes ◽  
Extratropical Cyclones ◽  
Sector Boundary ◽  
Speed Solar Wind ◽  
The Mean ◽  
High Speed Solar Wind

Abstract. A sun-weather correlation, namely the link between solar magnetic sector boundary passage (SBP) by the Earth and upper-level tropospheric vorticity area index (VAI), that was found by Wilcox et al. (1974) and shown to be statistically significant by Hines and Halevy (1977) is revisited. A minimum in the VAI one day after SBP followed by an increase a few days later was observed. Using the ECMWF ERA-40 re-analysis dataset for the original period from 1963 to 1973 and extending it to 2002, we have verified what has become known as the "Wilcox effect" for the Northern as well as the Southern Hemisphere winters. The effect persists through years of high and low volcanic aerosol loading except for the Northern Hemisphere at 500 mb, when the VAI minimum is weak during the low aerosol years after 1973, particularly for sector boundaries associated with south-to-north reversals of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) BZ component. The "disappearance" of the Wilcox effect was found previously by Tinsley et al. (1994) who suggested that enhanced stratospheric volcanic aerosols and changes in air-earth current density are necessary conditions for the effect. The present results indicate that the Wilcox effect does not require high aerosol loading to be detected. The results are corroborated by a correlation with coronal holes where the fast solar wind originates. Ground-based measurements of the green coronal emission line (Fe XIV, 530.3 nm) are used in the superposed epoch analysis keyed by the times of sector boundary passage to show a one-to-one correspondence between the mean VAI variations and coronal holes. The VAI is modulated by high-speed solar wind streams with a delay of 1–2 days. The Fourier spectra of VAI time series show peaks at periods similar to those found in the solar corona and solar wind time series. In the modulation of VAI by solar wind the IMF BZ seems to control the phase of the Wilcox effect and the depth of the VAI minimum. The mean VAI response to SBP associated with the north-to-south reversal of BZ is leading by up to 2 days the mean VAI response to SBP associated with the south-to-north reversal of BZ. For the latter, less geoeffective events, the VAI minimum deepens (with the above exception of the Northern Hemisphere low-aerosol 500-mb VAI) and the VAI maximum is delayed. The phase shift between the mean VAI responses obtained for these two subsets of SBP events may explain the reduced amplitude of the overall Wilcox effect. In a companion paper, Prikryl et al. (2009) propose a new mechanism to explain the Wilcox effect, namely that solar-wind-generated auroral atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) influence the growth of extratropical cyclones. It is also observed that severe extratropical storms, explosive cyclogenesis and significant sea level pressure deepenings of extratropical storms tend to occur within a few days of the arrival of high-speed solar wind. These observations are discussed in the context of the proposed AGW mechanism as well as the previously suggested atmospheric electrical current (AEC) model (Tinsley et al., 1994), which requires the presence of stratospheric aerosols for a significant (Wilcox) effect.

scholarly journals Data derived NARMAX Dst model

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 965-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Boynton ◽  
M. A. Balikhin ◽  
S. A. Billings ◽  
A. S. Sharma ◽  
O. A. Amariutei
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
System Identification ◽  
Nonlinear Systems ◽  
Wide Class ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Output Data ◽  
Dst Index ◽  
Geomagnetic Indices ◽  
Input And Output

Abstract. The NARMAX OLS-ERR methodology is applied to identify a mathematical model for the dynamics of the Dst index. The NARMAX OLS-ERR algorithm, which is widely used in the field of system identification, is able to identify a mathematical model for a wide class of nonlinear systems using input and output data. Solar wind-magnetosphere coupling functions, derived from analytical or data based methods, are employed as the inputs to such models and the outputs are geomagnetic indices. The newly deduced coupling function, p1/2V4/3BTsin6(θ/2), has been implemented as an input to model the Dst dynamics. It was shown that the identified model has a very good forecasting ability, especially with the geomagnetic storms.

A neural network-based mid-term prognosis of geomagnetic storms that uses pre-storm effects related to current sheets and magnetic islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail Fridman
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar Minimum ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Magnetic Islands ◽  
Solar Wind Density ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Storm Effects ◽  
Term Forecast ◽  
Advance Time

<p>Mid-term prognoses of geomagnetic storms require an improvement since theу are known to have rather low accuracy which does not exceed 40% in solar minimum. We claim that the problem lies in the approach. Current mid-term forecasts are typically built using the same paradigm as short-term ones and suggest an analysis of the solar wind conditions typical for geomagnetic storms. According to this approach, there is a 20-60 minute delay between the arrival of a geoeffective flow/stream to L1 and the arrival of the signal from the spacecraft to Earth, which gives a necessary advance time for a short-term prognosis. For the mid-term forecast with an advance time from 3 hours to 3 days, this is not enough. Therefore, we have suggested finding precursors of geomagnetic storms observed in the solar wind. Such precursors are variations in the solar wind density and the interplanetary magnetic field in the ULF range associated with crossings of magnetic cavities in front of the arriving geoeffective high-speed streams and flows (Khabarova et al., 2015, 2016, 2018; Adhikari et al., 2019). Despite some preliminary studies have shown that this might be a perspective way to create a mid-term prognosis (Khabarova 2007; Khabarova & Yermolaev, 2007), the problem of automatization of the prognosis remained unsolved.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document