Variations in the solar wind (SW) parameters with scales of several years are an important characteristic of solar activity and the basis for a long‐term space weather forecast. We examine the behavior of interplanetary parameters over 21–24 solar cycles (SCs) on the basis of the OMNI database (https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/data/omni). Since changes in the parameters can be associated with both changes in the number of different large‐scale types of SW and with variations in the values of these parameters at different phases of the solar cycle and during the transition from one cycle to another, we select the entire study period in accordance with the Catalog of large‐scale SW types for 1976–2019 (see the site http://www.iki.rssi.ru/pub/omni, [Yermolaev, Nikolaeva, et al., 2009, https://doi.org/10.1134/s0010952509020014], which covers the period from 21 to 24 SCs) and in accordance with the phases of the cycles, and average the parameters at selected intervals. In addition to a sharp drop in the number of interplanetary coronal mass ejections and associated sheath types, there is a noticeable drop in the value (by 20%–40%) of plasma parameters and magnetic field in different types of solar wind at the end of the 20th century and a continuation of the fall or persistence at a low level in the 23–24 cycles. Such a drop in the solar wind is apparently associated with a decrease in solar activity and manifests itself in a noticeable decrease in space weather factors.

One of the most promising methods of research in solar–terrestrial physics is the comparison of the responses of the magnetosphere–ionosphere–atmosphere system to various types of interplanetary disturbances (so-called “interplanetary drivers”). Numerous studies have shown that different types of drivers result in different reactions of the system for identical variations in the interplanetary magnetic field. In particular, the sheaths—compression regions before fast interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs)—have higher efficiency in terms of the generation of magnetic storms than ICMEs. The growing popularity of this method of research is accompanied by the growth of incorrect methodological approaches in such studies. These errors can be divided into four main classes: (i) using incorrect data with the identification of driver types published in other studies; (ii) using incorrect methods to identify the types of drivers and, as a result, misclassify the causes of magnetospheric-ionospheric disturbances; (iii) ignoring a frequent case with a complex, composite, nature of the driver (the presence of a sequence of several simple drivers) and matching the system response with only one of the drivers; for example, a magnetic storm is often generated by a sheath in front of ICME, although the authors consider these events to be a so-called “CME-induced” storm, rather than a “sheath-induced” storm; (iv) ignoring the compression regions before the fast CME in the case when there is no interplanetary shock (IS) in front of the compression region (“sheath without IS” or the so-called “lost driver”), although this type of driver generates about 10% of moderate and large magnetic storms. Possible ways of solving this problem are discussed.

In solar cycles 23–24, solar activity noticeably decreased and, as a result, solar wind parameters decreased. Based on the measurements of the OMNI base for the period 1976–2019, the time profiles of the main solar wind parameters and magnetospheric indices for the main interplanetary drivers of magnetospheric disturbances (solar wind types CIR. Sheath, ejecta and MC) are studied using the double superposed epoch method. The main task of the research is to compare time profiles for the epoch of high solar activity at 21–22 SC and the epoch of low activity at 23–24 SC. The following results were obtained. (1) The analysis did not show a statistically significant change in driver durations during the epoch of minimum. (2) The time profiles of all parameters for all types of SW in the epoch of low activity have the same shape as in the epoch of high activity, but locate at lower values of the parameters. (3) In CIR events, the longitude angle of the solar wind flow has a characteristic S shape; but in the epoch of low activity, it varies in a larger range than in the previous epoch.

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Based on the data of the solar wind (SW) measurements of the OMNI database for the period 1976–2019, we investigate the behavior of SW types, as well as plasma and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) parameters, for 21–24 solar cycles (SCs). Our analysis shows that with the beginning of the period of low solar activity (SC 23), the number of all types of disturbed events in the interplanetary medium decreased, but the proportion of magnetic storms initiated by CIR increased. In addition, a change in the nature of SW interaction with the magnetosphere could occur due to a decrease in the density, temperature, and IMF of solar wind.