Solar wind effects on ionospheric convection: a review

The solar wind, magnetosphere, and ionosphere are intrinsically coupled through magnetic field lines. The electrodynamic state of the high-latitude ionosphere is controlled by several geophysical processes, such as the location and rate of magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause and in the magnetotail, and the energisation and precipitation of solar wind and magnetospheric plasmas.

Amongst the most observed ionospheric manifestation of solar wind/magnetospheric processes are the convection bursts associated with the so-called flux transfer events (FTEs), magnetic impulse events (MIEs), and travelling convection vortices (TCVs). Furthermore, the large-scale ionospheric convection configuration has also demonstrated a strong correspondence to variations in the interplanetary medium and substorm activity.

This report briefly discusses the progress made over the past decade in studies of these transient convection phenomena and outlines some unsettled questions as well as future research directions.