Title: Dynamics of space storms and associated space-atmosphere coupling
Author(s): I. A. Daglis, and Y. Kamide (Poster)
Contact, I. A. Daglis, National Observatory of Athens

ABSTRACT
Space storms, the complex geospace phenomenon driven by solar activity, were introduced in 1808 by Alexander von Humboldt as “magnetic storms” because of the global magnetic disturbances that they induce on the Earth surface. Other notable effects of space storms in the near-Earth space environment are: Acceleration of charged particles in space, intensification of electric currents in space and on the ground, and impressive aurora displays. We draw a rough picture of our current knowledge of space storm dynamics, reaching from their solar and interplanetary origins to their impacts on the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. Particular attention is devoted to the characteristics of the ring current, which is the prime element of space storms. We discuss the “trinity” of ring current life, i.e. sources, growth and decay. Emphasis is given on the importance of substorm occurrence and space-atmosphere coupling for the ring current growth. Although the simplistic original paradigm of S. Chapman and S.-I. Akasofu, which considered storm-time ring current  as a cumulative result of successive substorm injections, is now heavily disputed, substorm occurrence appears to be an important part of ring current growth through its catalytic role in space-atmosphere coupling.