Statistical maps of geomagnetic perturbations as a function of the interplanetary magnetic field

Abstract

Mappings of geomagnetic perturbations are shown for different combinations of the solar wind velocity, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and dipole tilt angle (season). Average maps were derived separately for the northward, eastward, and vertical (downward) components of the geomagnetic disturbances, using spherical cap harmonics in least error fits of sorted measurements. The source data are obtained from 104 ground‐based magnetometer stations in the Northern Hemisphere at geomagnetic latitudes over 40° during the years 1998 through 2001. Contour maps of statistical fits are shown along‐side scatter plots of individual measurements in corrected geomagnetic apex coordinates. The patterns are consistent with previous mappings of ionospheric electric potential. Interestingly, the vertical component of the magnetic perturbations closely resembles maps of the overhead, field‐aligned currents, including the Northward IMF configuration. The maximum and minimum values from the statistical mappings are graphed to show their changes as a function of southward IMF magnitude, solar wind velocity, and seasons. It is expected that this work will lead to better advance predictions of the geomagnetic perturbations that are based on real‐time IMF measurements.