Field-aligned current distribution and response to interplanetary conditions during a superstorm—CHAMP observation

Abstract

With geomagnetic measurements on board of CHAMP satellite, the characteristics of global large-scale field-aligned currents (FACs) in the topside ionosphere are investigated along with their responses to interplanetary conditions for the superstorm of November, 2003. It is found that (1) The storm-time FAC densities enhanced greatly in comparison with quiet period and the enhancements show hemispheric asymmetry of both summer-winter and sunlit-dark. (2) For the first time, it is revealed that the latitude-integrated FAC density is controlled mainly by solar wind dynamic pressure rather than IMF. (3) FACs expanded equatorward dramatically, with the lowest latitude being 45° ML at or more; on the day-side this expansion was controlled directly by IMF B z , showing an interaction time scale of about 25 min in the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system, and a nonlinear saturation of the equatorward expansion when IMF B z < −30 nT; while on the nightside, the expansion and recovery lagged about 3 h behind the IMF changes but nearly in phase with changes of SYM-H index. (4) During the storm main phase, the nightside FAC latitude coverage extended to 25° or wider, appearing multi-sheet current structure with more than 10 sheets.