GEM: Magnetosheath Transport from Local Kinetics to Global Dynamics

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The geospace environment is complex. Changes in the solar wind affect the magnetosphere, the outer layer of the atmosphere that consists of relativistic particles influenced by the geomagnetic field. This in turn leads to changes further down in the ionosphere. This solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere system is the crucial set of regions where space weather occurs. This work will model the energetics of the geospace environment to understand important plasma physics processes that lead to quantifiable effects of space weather. Additionally, the project supports junior scientists (a graduate student and post-doctoral researcher) in a diverse international collaboration, creates animations of the geospace environment for public presentations, and develops improved risk metrics for space weather processes.The work will quantitatively assess the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere energetics including effects of solar wind and magnetosheath fluctuations to resolve the energy dissipation processes and paths under a variety of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field conditions. The Space Weather Modeling Framework Geospace model, Geospace with local particle in cell code, and the Vlasiator global Vlasov simulation codes will be used. Methods will be developed to evaluate the energy flux through plasma boundaries, assess energy entry to and exit from the magnetosphere, and energy dissipation in the ionosphere and magnetosphere. The kinetic effects are assessed by model comparisons.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.