Interpretation of Magnetic Field Variations During Substorms

Abstract

Over the last decade there has been considerable interest in the problem of how energy is transferred from the interplanetary medium to the interior of the earth’s magneto-sphere. The most spectacular result of this interaction is the so-called magnetospheric substorm. During this period of intense disturbance, regions of the nighttime magneto-sphere become violently distorted and large amounts of energy are dissipated in various fashions, vis. ionospheric current systems, visual radiation or auroras, wave-particle interactions, etc. The most dominant magnetic field perturbation associated with the magnetospheric substorm is termed the polar magnetic substorm, although other types of magnetic perturbations may be generated during periods of large scale magnetospheric activity.