2012 07 layers solar affect earth magnetosphere

Shear layers in solar winds affect Earth's magnetosphere 31 July 2012 Human society is increasingly reliant on technology that can be disrupted by space weather. For instance, geomagnetic storms can cause high- latitude air flights to be rerouted, costing as much as $100,000 per flight; induce errors of up to 46 meters (151 feet) in GPS systems; and affect satellites and the International Space Station. Space weather is determined by how the solar wind, a stream of hot plasma from the Sun, interacts with Earth's magnetic field. In studying space weather, scientists have largely neglected the fact that the solar wind contains layers of very strong velocity shear. Scientists understand very little about how these wind shears affect space weather. Combining statistical analysis of solar wind data from the Advanced Composition Explorersatellite, which measures solar particles approaching Earth, with a series of magnetohydrodynamic simulations, used to model the behavior of the Earth's magnetosphere, Borovsky characterizes the properties of the shear layers that travel past the Earth and the reaction of the Earth to those passing layers. The author finds that as many as 60 of these shear zones can pass by Earth each day at velocities above 50 kilometers per second (31 miles per second). Passage of a shear layer perturbs the entire magnetosphere and ionosphere, which could produce a comet-like disconnection of the Earth's magnetotail (the tail-like extension of Earth's magnetic field on the side facing away from the Sun). Although the velocity shears will not cause a geomagnetic storm, they may determine how such a storm works. Hence, the author recommends several follow-up studies of the reaction of Earth to sudden wind shear. More information: The effect of sudden wind shear on the Earth's magnetosphere: Statistics of wind shear events and CCMC simulations of magnetotail disconnections Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, doi:10.1029/2012JA017623 , 2012 Provided by American Geophysical Union 1 / 2

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Shear layers in solar winds affect Earth'smagnetosphere31 July 2012

Human society is increasingly reliant on technologythat can be disrupted by space weather. Forinstance, geomagnetic storms can cause high-latitude air flights to be rerouted, costing as muchas $100,000 per flight; induce errors of up to 46meters (151 feet) in GPS systems; and affectsatellites and the International Space Station.Space weather is determined by how the solarwind, a stream of hot plasma from the Sun,interacts with Earth's magnetic field. In studyingspace weather, scientists have largely neglectedthe fact that the solar wind contains layers of verystrong velocity shear. Scientists understand verylittle about how these wind shears affect spaceweather.

Combining statistical analysis of solar wind datafrom the Advanced Composition Explorersatellite,which measures solar particles approaching Earth,with a series of magnetohydrodynamic simulations,used to model the behavior of the Earth'smagnetosphere, Borovsky characterizes theproperties of the shear layers that travel past theEarth and the reaction of the Earth to thosepassing layers.

The author finds that as many as 60 of these shearzones can pass by Earth each day at velocitiesabove 50 kilometers per second (31 miles persecond). Passage of a shear layer perturbs theentire magnetosphere and ionosphere, whichcould produce a comet-like disconnection of theEarth's magnetotail (the tail-like extension ofEarth's magnetic field on the side facing away fromthe Sun). Although the velocity shears will notcause a geomagnetic storm, they may determinehow such a storm works. Hence, the authorrecommends several follow-up studies of thereaction of Earth to sudden wind shear.

More information: The effect of suddenwind shear on the Earth's magnetosphere:Statistics of wind shear events and CCMCsimulations of magnetotail disconnections Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, doi:10.1029/2012JA017623 , 2012

Provided by American Geophysical Union

1 / 2
APA citation: Shear layers in solar winds affect Earth's magnetosphere (2012, July 31) retrieved 20 May2015 from http://phys.org/news/2012-07-layers-solar-affect-earth-magnetosphere.html

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