Superposed epoch analyses of HILDCAAs and their interplanetary drivers: Solar cycle and seasonal dependences

Abstract

We study the solar cycle and seasonal dependences of high-intensity, long-duration, continuous AE activity (HILDCAA) events and associated solar wind/interplanetary external drivers for ~312 solar cycle period, from 1975 to 2011. 99 HILDCAAs which had simultaneous solar wind/interplanetary data are considered in the present analyses. The peak occurrence frequency of HILDCAAs was found to be in the descending phase of the solar cycle. These events had the strongest time-integrated AE intensities and were coincident with peak occurrences of high-speed solar wind streams. The event initiations were statistically coincident with high-to-slow speed stream interactions, compressions in the solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The latter were corotating interaction regions (CIRs). The signatures of related CIRs were most prominent for the events occurring during the descending and solar minimum phases of the solar cycles. For these events, the solar wind speed increased by ~41% and ~57% across the CIRs, respectively. There was weak or no stream–stream interaction or CIR structure during the ascending and solar maximum phases. HILDCAAs occurring during spring and fall seasons were found to occur preferentially in negative and positive IMF sector regions (toward and away from the Sun), respectively.