[1] The substorm mechanism is investigated by analyzing the numerical results obtained through the use of the recently refined magnetohydrodynamic model. After showing the growth phase features, the numerical solution reproduces the observed signatures of a substorm onset, including the formation of a near-Earth neutral line (NENL), earthward directed flow in the plasma sheet, a dipolarization, a geosynchronous D deflection, the development of the nightside field aligned currents (FACs), and electrojets in the ionosphere. The onset is triggered by a sudden collapse of the plasma sheet and a successive formation of a high-pressure region in the inner magnetosphere. The energy source of this high-pressure region is the magnetic tension released from the NENL. The tail disturbance is primary transmitted to the ionosphere by the region 2 FAC accompanying the high-pressure region formed in the inner magnetosphere. The associated nightside region 1 FAC is not connected to the traditional current wedge but to the cusp region. The region 1 FAC path to the ionosphere develops from dayside to nightside, so as to construct a grand loop with the region 2 FAC from the partial ring current. In the grand loop, the region 1 FAC provides a short circuit in the ionosphere for the region 2 FAC. In the expansion phase, convection enhances to relax the distorted pressure distribution formed at the onset, accompanied by a further development of dipolarization and a thickening of the plasma sheet in the magnetosphere and increases in the westward and eastward electrojets in the ionosphere. The present model can explain the explosive growth phase and the thinning of the midtail plasma sheet just after the onset.

[1] An empirical model of the quiet daily geomagnetic field variation has been constructed based on geomagnetic data obtained from 21 stations along the 210 Magnetic Meridian of the Circum-pan Pacific Magnetometer Network (CPMN) from 1996 to 2007. Using the least squares fitting method for geomagnetically quiet days (Kp ≤ 2+), the quiet daily geomagnetic field variation at each station was described as a function of solar activity SA, day of year DOY, lunar age LA, and local time LT. After interpolation in latitude, the model can describe solar-activity dependence and seasonal dependence of solar quiet daily variations (S) and lunar quiet daily variations (L). We performed a spherical harmonic analysis (SHA) on these S and L variations to examine average characteristics of the equivalent external current systems. We found three particularly noteworthy results. First, the total current intensity of the S current system is largely controlled by solar activity while its focus position is not significantly affected by solar activity. Second, we found that seasonal variations of the S current intensity exhibit northsouth asymmetry; the current intensity of the northern vortex shows a prominent annual variation while the southern vortex shows a clear semi-annual variation as well as annual variation. Thirdly, we found that the total intensity of the L current system changes depending on solar activity and season; seasonal variations of the L current intensity show an enhancement during the December solstice, independent of the level of solar activity.

A general expression for the reflection and mode conversion of MHD waves at the ionosphere is derived. On the basis of the expression, the effect of ionospheric divergent Hall current (Hall part of the induction current associated with the inductive electric field of fast magnetosonic wave) on localized toroidal oscillation is examined. When the horizontal scale of localized oscillation is of the order of several times of the height of ionosphere, the inductive electric field can play a significant role in the reflection of shear Alfv6n waves with longer periods (e.g., ~ 100 s) in the high-latitude region, especially, in the auroral zone. Then, the contribution of the divergent Hall current to the field-aligned one can be no longer neglected and so the eigenfrequency of localized toroi. dal oscillation is effectively controlled by the height-integrated Hall conductivity in the ionosphere.

Abstract. The nature of reflection and mode conversion of MHD waves at the high-latitudinal inductive ionosphere is analyzed, based on the current conservation law of wave modes. The term "inductive ionosphere" refers to the nonzero rotational electric field or nonzero compressional magnetic field in the reflection process of shear Alfv6n waves on the ionosphere. The finite rotational electric field causes mutual induction between the divergent and rotational current systems at the ionosphere. The one-step Hall effect for the divergent electric field of the shear Alfv6n wave produces a rotational Hall current and excites the ionospheric surface compressional wave. The Hall effect for the rotational electric field of an ionospheric surface compressional wave produces a divergent Hall current (two-step Hall effect), which feeds back the compressional magnetic energy to the reflected field-aligned current. We find that the renormalization of the ionospheric rotational electric field to the reflection process of the shear Alfv6n wave causes some peculiarities in the distribution of ionospheric currents and modeconverted wave magnetic fields. Such peculiarities become particularly obvious in the highconducting ionosphere. For example, in the ionospheric current distributions, a considerable component of the ionospheric divergent current is accounted for by the divergent Hall current. The rotational Hall and Pedersen currents cancel each other out and lead to zero total ionospheric rotational current. The amplitude of the poloidal magnetic field transmitted from the toroidal magnetic field of the incident shear Alfv6n wave shows a nonlinear dependence on ZH/Z•,. It also shows a new type of effective ionospheric shielding effect in the I;•2;A parameter space for a fixed I;H/Ze condition. We assert that the inductive response of the ionosphere should become an indispensable concept for reflection, mode conversion, transmission, and generation of various phenomena relating to the field-aligned current system.