Development of criteria on magnetospheric energization during geomagnetic storms

• Grant number: 18/05260-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: June 14, 2018
• End date: June 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Walter Demetrio Gonzalez Alarcon
• Grantee: Walter Demetrio Gonzalez Alarcon
• Visiting researcher: Ramon Edgardo Lopez
• Visiting researcher institution: University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington) , United States
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São José dos Campos

Abstract

The project "Development of criteria on magnetospheric energization during geomagnetic storms" will be carried out during a two-week (June 14-30, 2018) visit of Prof Ramon Lopez, from Texas University, to the research Group of Dr. Walter Gonzalez of INPE, in Sao Jose dos Campos, SP. The main objective of this Project is the development of a new criteria to measure the intensity of geomagnetic storms by measuring the total energy dissipation in the magnetosphere. This project will involve the re-analysis of the exiting list of super intense geomagnetic storms using the new criteria, in addition to the analysis of other intense geomagnetic storms that share similar characteristics of very intense magnetospheric energy dissipation (auroral Joule heating for example) as that observed during superstorms, but that do not necessarily involve very large values of the ring current index Dst. Thus, we expect that the present project will mark a new start toward the goal of classifying geomagnetic storms by using a more representative measure of the associated magnetospheric energy dissipation. This project follows a pioneer project on geomagnetic storms discussed at the "Brazil 1" Workshop of INPE in 1991, funded by FAPESP, which led to subsequent important Workshops in the Topic of Geomagnetic Storms. Thus, this project will also serve to prepare the research material that will be discussed at the "Brazil 10" Workshop in Beijing in May of 2019, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (AU)