The Coupled Response of the Inner Magnetosphere to Substorms and Magnetic Storms
as Seen by IMAGE and Other Magnetospheric Spacecraft

J.L. Burch Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX


Imaging of plasmas and energetic particles throughout the inner magnetosphere
along with auroral imaging has revealed new aspects of magnetosphere-ionosphere
coupling as well as coupling among different magnetospheric plasma populations.
Plasmasphere plumes have been shown to map to the ionosphere where they produce
unexpectedly strong space weather effects. Where the plumes intersect the ring
current, they have been shown to produce ion precipitation that produces
detached proton auroral arcs in the afternoon sector. A significant lag in
plasmasphere corotations has been shown to result from auroral heating of the
upper atmosphere and the resulting ionospheric disturbance dynamo. These and
other strong coupling phenomena, most of which depended uniquely upon
magnetospheric imaging for their identification, will be discussed.

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Presentation, Fall A.G.U. Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 13-17 December 2004