Quantitative Simulation of a Magnetospheric Substorm. 2. Comparison with Observations,
Abstract
Several results of the computer simulation of the behavior of the inner magnetosphere during the substorm-type event of 19 September 1976 are discussed. The model predicts a modest ring-current injection, in to about L=6, with total strength that is approximately equal to the strength estimated from the observed decrease in Dst. For the geosynchronous-orbit region on the dusk side, the model predicts a characteristic energy dispersion often observed by McIlwain and collaborators. The computed electric fields compare satisfactorily with electric fields measured from S3-2, although there are detailed differences. The predicted east-west magnetic perturbations due to region-2 Birkeland currents agree satisfactorily with S3-2 observations with regard to direction, total magnitude and general location, but there is an important general discrepancy: in most cases, the actual Birkeland currents were distributed over a wider range of latitude than the model would predict. The model Birkeland currents agree satisfactorily with the averaged observations of Iijima and Potemra, in terms of direction, strength and overall pattern. The model provides a useful picture of the overall magnetosphere-ionosphere current system. The model indicates that the total Joule heating during the event is about 2-3 times the increase in ring-current energy, a result that is in apparent contradiction to some previous estimates.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 23, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA087700
Entities
People
- C.-k. Chen
- M. Harel
- P. H. Reiff
- R. W. Spiro
- R. Wolf
Organizations
- Rice University