NSWP: Studying the Phenomenology of the Calm before the Storm in CIR/Magnetosphere Interactions: Preconditioning of the Magnetosphere prior to High-Speed Streams

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This data-analysis project investigates the phenomenology of "the calm before the storm", which are intervals of very weak geomagnetic activity that often occur prior to the high-speed solar wind streams that drive geomagnetic storms. A typical calm interval has a duration of two days. The objectives of this project are to determine (1) whether the calm before the storm is a systematically occurring or a randomly occurring phenomena, (2) what properties of the solar wind give rise to the calms, and (3) what the effects of the calms are on the ensuing geomagnetic storms. The primary data sources that will be used are the solar wind data from the ACE satellite and the particle flux data provided by the Los Alamos geosynchronous satellites. Additional data that will be used are the standard magnetic indices, Kp, Dst, and AE. The project involves both solar-wind research and magnetospheric-physics research. It will advance the understanding of fundamental processes that affect the Earth's magnetosphere and space weather. The project will also participate in an ongoing summer outreach program for science teachers that is held each summer at Los Alamos.