[P-EM14] Study of coupling processes in solar-terrestrial system

[PEM14-P09] Statistical Studies of Large-scale Field-aligned Currents based on FY-3E Observations

*Jie Ren¹, Qiugang Zong², Yongfu Wang², Xiangqian Yu² (1.China University of Geosciences Beijing, 2.Peking University)

Keywords:Field-aligned currents, Energetic electron boundary, Geomagnetic storm, Solar wind

Field-aligned currents (FACs) are the main agents for transporting energy and mass in the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling process. The recently launched FY-3E satellite in early morning orbit can provide the simultaneous and long-term measurements of magnetic fields and energetic electrons. It provides a good opportunity to investigate the distribution and variation of large-scale FACs in the dawnside and duskside of both hemispheres. Based on the statistical results with one and a half years of data, we find that the location of region 1 (R1) and region 2 (R2) currents is closely associated with the high-latitude energetic electron boundary, these FACs in the northern hemisphere are preferentially located in higher magnetic latitudes than in the southern hemisphere especially during geomagnetic quiet time, and the location of FACs has a larger equatorward motion than the electron boundary during active time. We have quantified the location and current intensity of FACs in different sectors of Earth's magnetosphere as a function of Kp index, Sym-H index and IMF B_z. Comparisons between different sectors also indicate that the current intensities of both R1 and R2 currents have a north-south asymmetry, and they are stronger in the dawnside northern hemisphere than other sectors.