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The Substorm Cycle as Reproduced by Global MHD ModelsRecently, Gordeev et al. (2015) suggested a method to test global MHD models against statistical empirical data. They showed that four community-available global MHD models supported by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) produce a reasonable agreement with reality for those key parameters (the magnetospheric size, magnetic field, and pressure) that are directly related to the large-scale equilibria in the outer magnetosphere. Based on the same set of simulation runs, here we investigate how the models reproduce the global loading-unloading cycle. We found that in terms of global magnetic flux transport, three examined CCMC models display systematically different response to idealized2 h north then 2 h south interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz variation. The LFM model shows a depressed return convection and high loading rate during the growth phase as well as enhanced return convection and high unloading rate during the expansion phase, with the amount of loaded unloaded magnetotail flux and the growth phase duration being the closest to their observed empirical values during isolated substorms. Two other models exhibit drastically different behavior. In the BATS-R-US model the plasma sheet convection shows a smooth transition to the steady convection regime after the IMF southward turning. In the Open GGCM a weak plasma sheet convection has comparable intensities during both the growth phase and the following slow unloading phase. We also demonstrate potential technical problem in the publicly available simulations which is related to post processing interpolation and could affect the accuracy of magnetic field tracing and of other related procedures.
Document ID
20170008032
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Gordeev, E.
(Saint Petersburg State Univ. Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation)
Sergee, V.
(Saint Petersburg State Univ. Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation)
Tsyganenko, N.
(Saint Petersburg State Univ. Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation)
Kuznetsova, M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Rastaetter, Lutz
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Raeder, J.
(New Hampshire Univ. Durham, NH, United States)
Toth, G.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Lyon, J.
(Dartmouth Coll. Hanover, NH, United States)
Merkin, V.
(Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Wiltberger, M.
(National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
August 30, 2017
Publication Date
January 20, 2017
Publication Information
Publication: Space Weather
Publisher: AGU
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
ISSN: 1542-7390
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN45807
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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