After a brief review of magnetospheric and interplanetary phenomena for intervals with enhanced solar wind-magnetosphere interaction, an attempt is made to define a geomagnetic storm as an interval of time when a sufficiently intense and long-lasting interplanetary convection electric field leads, through a substantial energization in the magnetosphere-ionosphere system, to an intensified ring current sufficiently strong to exceed some key threshold of the quantifying storm time Dst index. The associated storm/substorm relationship problem is also reviewed. Although the physics of this relationship does not seem to be fully understood at this time, basic and fairly well established mechanisms of this relationship are presented and discussed. Finally, toward the advancement of geomagnetic storm research, some recommendations are given concerning future improvements in monitoring existing geomagnetic indices as well as the solar wind near Earth. knowledge of magnetospheric physics using spacecraft, as compared to older epochs when most of that knowledge had to come from ground observations. In addition, past attempts to formulate definitions for storms were restricted only to the near-Earth environment, the ionosphere and magnetosphere. However, with the subsequent accumulation of information obtained in the interplanetary medium, critical aspects of these definitions now involve diverse findings related to the solar wind dynamics [e.g., Burton et al., 1975; Gonzalez and Tsurutani, 1987; Tsurutani and Gonzalez, 1987]. Motivated by an interest in trying to find unifying concepts about the geomagnetic storm and the longstanding problem of storm/substorm relationship, the authors of this review paper met at the National Institute for Space Research of Brazil (INPE), at Sho Jos6 dos Campos, Sho Paulo, during the interval of November 5-8, 1991. The results obtained in this meeting, together with further elaboration, are presented in this paper in the following sequence.Section 2 is devoted to historical aspects of geomagnetic storm research, as based on ionospheric and magnetospheric parameters. In section 3 the interplanetary origin of storms is addressed. A brief review follows on solar wind-magnetosphere coupling, particularly applied to storm intervals. Then, for completeness, the seasonal and solar cycle distribution of storms is briefly considered. Section 4 reviews basic aspects of the storm/substorm relationship problem. In section 5, a discussion about additional mechanisms that contribute to ring current intensification as well as about basic mechanisms for ring current decay is given. A brief review on the relationship of Dst to other geomagnetic indices follows. Section 6 gives summary concepts on geomagnetic storms and on their relationship to substorms. A definition for a geomagnetic storm is suggested. Finally, in section 7 recommendations con-5771 5772 GONZALEZ ET AL.: REVIEW PAPER cerning future improvements in monitoring existing geomagnetic indices as well as the solar wind near the Earth are provided...

Observations of electrons of energy 125 ev to ∼2 kev with the OGO 1 satellite and of electrons of energy 40 ev to ∼2 kev with OGO 3 (by means of modulated Faraday cup detectors) are used to investigate the low‐energy electron population in the magnetosphere within the local‐time range ∼17 to ∼22 hours. Intense fluxes of these electrons are confined to a spatial region, termed the plasma sheet, which is an extension of the magnetotail plasma sheet discovered by the Vela satellites and is identified with the soft electron band first detected by Gringauz. The plasma sheet extends over the entire local‐time range studied in this investigation, from the magnetospheric tail past the dusk meridian toward the dayside magnetosphere. In latitude it is confined to within 4–6 RE of the geomagnetic and/or solar magnetospheric equatorial plane, in agreement with observations already reported from the Vela satellites; no electron fluxes are detected high above the equator, not even very near the magnetopause. In radial distance the plasma sheet is terminated by the magnetopause on the outside and by a well‐defined sharp inner boundary on the inside. The inner boundary has been traced from the equatorial region to the highest latitudes investigated, ∼40°; during geomagnetically quiet periods, it is observed at an equatorial distance of 11 ± 1 RE and appears to extend to higher latitudes along magnetic field lines. Weak or no electron fluxes are found between the inner boundary of the plasma sheet and the outer boundary of the plasmasphere. Detection (by an indirect process) of the very high ion densities within the plasmasphere gives positions for its boundary in good agreement with other determinations. During periods of magnetic bay activity, the plasma sheet extends closer to the earth; the inner boundary of the plasma sheet is then found at equatorial distances of 6–8 RE. This is most simply interpreted as the result of an actual inward motion of the plasma during a bay. In one case, it was possible to associate the beginning of this motion with the onset of the bay and to estimate an average radial speed of ∼12 km/sec, from which an electric field corresponding to ∼48 kilovolts across the magnetospheric tail was inferred. Within the plasma sheet, the electron population is characterized by number densities from 0.3 to 30 cm−3 and mean energies from 50 to 1600 ev and higher, with a strong anticorrelation between density and mean energy, so that the electron energy density (∼1 kev cm−3) and energy flux (∼3 ergs cm−2 sec−1) show relatively little variation. The lower energies and higher densities tend to occur during periods of geomagnetic disturbance. The nonobservation of electrons in regions above the plasma sheet implies an upper limit on the electron number density of 5 × 10−2 cm−3 if their mean energy is assumed to be ∼50 ev (typical of the magnetosheath) and 10−2 cm−3 if the energy is ∼1 kev (typical of the plasma sheet). At the inner boundary of the plasma sheet there is a sharp softening of the electron spectrum with ...

Models of magnetic field line merging that consider processes in a limited region around the magnetic X line, within which the external magnetic fields are roughly uniform and antiparallel, are reviewed. Part 1 describes the concept of magnetic merging and then considers the models based on a hydromagnetic approach. The models developed by Sweet and Parker, by Petschek, and by Sonnerup and Yeh and Axford are shown to be fundamentally consistent, representing different aspects of the same problem. The model of Sweet and Parker describes the small region around the neutral line where magnetic field diffusion is the dominant process. The inclusion of inertial as well as finite resistivity effects allows an extension of their model to collisionless plasmas. Petschek's model represents a system with a boundary condition of uniform field at the sides; it has been extended and formulated in a mathematically precise manner. The nonsingular model of Sonnerup and of Yeh and Axford has special boundary conditions at the sides producing localized slow mode MHD expansion fans in the external flow; the singular models and the compressible similarity models are physically unrealizable. The maximum merging rate corresponds to flow into the diffusion region at the local Alfvén speed, which, however, can be made arbitrarily large by slow mode MHD expansion if suitable boundary conditions are present.

Abstract. On board the four Cluster spacecraft, the Cluster Ion Spectrometry (CIS) experiment measures the full, threedimensional ion distribution of the major magnetospheric ions (H + , He + , He ++ , and O + ) from the thermal energies to about 40 keV/e. The experiment consists of two different instruments: a COmposition and DIstribution Function analyser (CIS1/CODIF), giving the mass per charge composition with medium (22.5 • ) angular resolution, and a Hot Ion AnalCorrespondence to: H. Rème (Henri.Reme@cesr.fr) yser (CIS2/HIA), which does not offer mass resolution but has a better angular resolution (5.6 • ) that is adequate for ion beam and solar wind measurements. Each analyser has two different sensitivities in order to increase the dynamic range.

[1] Solar wind fast streams emanating from solar coronal holes cause recurrent, moderate intensity geomagnetic activity at Earth. Intense magnetic field regions called Corotating Interaction Regions or CIRs are created by the interaction of fast streams with upstream slow streams. Because of the highly oscillatory nature of the GSM magnetic field z component within CIRs, the resultant magnetic storms are typically only weak to moderate in intensity. CIR-generated magnetic storm main phases of intensity Dst < À100 nT (major storms) are rare. The elongated storm ''recovery'' phases which are characterized by continuous AE activity that can last for up to 27 days (a solar rotation) are caused by nonlinear Alfven waves within the high streams proper. Magnetic reconnection associated with the southward (GSM) components of the Alfvén waves is the solar wind energy transfer mechanism. The acceleration of relativistic electrons occurs during these magnetic storm ''recovery'' phases. The magnetic reconnection associated with the Alfvén waves cause continuous, shallow injections of plasma sheet plasma into the magnetosphere. The asymmetric plasma is unstable to wave (chorus and other modes) growth, a feature central to many theories of electron acceleration. It is noted that the continuous AE activity is not a series of substorm expansion phases. Arguments are also presented why these AE activity intervals are not convection bays. The auroras during these continuous AE activity intervals are less intense than substorm auroras and are global (both dayside and nightside) in nature. Owing to the continuous nature of this activity, it is possible that there is greater average energy input into the magnetosphere/ ionosphere system during far declining phases of the solar cycle compared with those during solar maximum. The discontinuities and magnetic decreases (MDs) associated with interplanetary Alfven waves may be important for geomagnetic activity. In conclusion, it will be shown that geomagnetic storms associated with high-speed streams/CIRs will have the same initial, main, and ''recovery'' phases as those associated with ICME-related magnetic storms but that the interplanetary causes are considerably different.