The Earth–atmosphere–geospace system: main properties and processes

Abstract

On the basis of the author's long-term experimental and theoretical studies, the concept that the Earth–atmosphere–ionosphere–magnetosphere system (EAIMS) is a complex, open, dissipative, nonlinear dynamical system whose most important property is a trigger mechanism for energy release has been validated, and the basic aspects of the system paradigm are described. Highly energetic phenomena in the system are shown to give rise to a complex cluster of processes and to reconstruction in the subsystem coupling. Active experiments in the EAIMS have established the limitations of the linear description of the subsystem response to large energy inputs, determined the possibility of the onset of large-scale and global-scale perturbations from local and localized energy releases, and also revealed and identified the types of waves transferring these disturbances. Most of the highly variable processes in the EAIMS have been found to be accompanied by energetic particle precipitation from the magnetosphere at middle latitudes. A few remote sensing techniques have been used to study the dynamic processes operating in the EAIMS and to confirm the basic aspects of the system paradigm.