11/18/2025
By Lynne Schaufenbil
Title: Variation of Ionospheric Outflow During Geomagnetic Storms
Abstract:
Magnetospheric plasma originates from two primary sources: the solar wind and the ionosphere. While H⁺ ions come from both sources, plasma sheet O⁺ ions are exclusively ionospheric, making them key tracers of ionospheric contributions. During geomagnetic storms, massive solar wind energy input alters plasma sheet composition from H⁺-dominated under quiet conditions to O⁺-dominated during storms. This shift suggests enhanced ionospheric O⁺ outflow during storm times. In this talk, the variation of O⁺ outflow throughout geomagnetic storm phases will be presented, and its dependence on solar wind drivers, solar EUV flux, and seasonal effects will be explained. Also, seasonal interhemispheric asymmetries of O⁺ outflow will be discussed. These asymmetries provide critical insight into magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and storm-time plasma sheet dynamics.
Biography:
Niloufar Nowrouzi is a Research Scientist at the Center for Space Physics, Boston University. She received her doctorate from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied ionospheric outflow during geomagnetic storms and the calibration of FAST (TEAMS) data under the supervision of Dr. Lynn Kistler. She joined Dr. Brian Walsh’s lab as a postdoctoral researcher in 2022 and has continued her research on solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.
Please email Lynne_Schaufenbil@uml.edu if you are interested in attending.