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Abstract To gain deeper insights into radiation belt loss into the atmosphere, a statistical study of MeV electron precipitation during radiation belt dropout events is undertaken. During these events, electron intensities often drop by an order of magnitude or more within just a few hours. For this study, dropouts are defined as a decrease by at least a factor of five in less than 8 hours. Van Allen probe measurements are employed to identify dropouts across various parameters, complemented by precipitation data from the CALorimetric Electron Telescope instrument on the International Space Station. A temporal analysis unveils a notable increase in precipitation occurrence and intensity during dropout onset, correlating with the decline of SYM‐H, the north‐south component of the interplanetary magnetic field, and the peak of the solar wind dynamic pressure. Moreover, dropout occurrences show correlations with the solar cycle, exhibiting maxima at the spring and autumn equinoxes. This increase during equinoxes reflects the correlation between equinoxes and the SYM‐H index, which itself exhibits a correlation with precipitation during dropouts. Spatial analysis reveals that dropouts with precipitation penetrate into lower L‐star regions, mostly reaching L‐star <4, while most dropouts without precipitation don't penetrate deeper than L‐star 5. This is consistent with the larger average dimensions of dropouts associated with precipitation. During dropouts, precipitation is predominantly observed in the dusk‐midnight sector, coinciding with the most intense precipitation events. The results of this study provide insight into the contribution of precipitation to radiation belt dropouts by deciphering when and where precipitation occurred. 

Magnetospheric precipitation plays an important role for the coupling of Magnetosphere, Ionosphere, and Thermosphere (M-I-T) systems. Particles from different origins could be energized through various physical mechanisms and in turn disturb the Ionosphere, the ionized region of the Earth’s atmosphere that is important for telecommunication and spacecraft operations. Known to cause aurora, bright displays of light across the night sky, magnetospheric particle precipitation, modifies ionospheric conductance further affecting the plasma convection, field-aligned (FAC) and ionospheric currents, and ionospheric/thermospheric temperature and densities. Therefore, understanding the properties of different sources of magnetospheric precipitation and their relative roles on electrodynamic coupling of M-I across a broad range of spatiotemporal scales is crucial. In this paper, we detail some of the important open questions regarding the origins of magnetospheric particle precipitation and how precipitation affects ionospheric conductance. In a companion paper titled “The Significance of Magnetospheric Precipitation for the Coupling of Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Systems: Effects on Ionospheric Conductance”, we describe how particle precipitation affects the vertical structure of the ionospheric conductivity and provide recommendations to improve its modelling. 

Many spacecraft fly within or through a natural and variable particle accelerator powered by the coupling between the magnetosphere and the solar wind: the Earth’s radiation belts. Determining the dominant pathways to plasma energization is a central challenge for radiation belt science and space weather alike. Inward radial transport from an external source was originally thought to be the most important acceleration process occurring in the radiation belts. Yet, when modeling relied on a radial diffusion equation including electron lifetimes, notable discrepancies in model-observation comparisons highlighted a need for improvement. Works by Professor Richard M. Thorne and others showed that energetic (hundreds of keV) electrons interacting with whistler-mode chorus waves could be efficiently accelerated to very high energies. The same principles were soon transposed to understand radiation belt dynamics at Jupiter and Saturn. These results led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of radiation belt acceleration, supported by observations of a growing peak in the radial profile of the phase space density for the most energetic electrons of the Earth’s outer belt. Yet, quantifying the importance of local acceleration at the gyroscale, versus large-scale acceleration associated with radial transport, remains controversial due to various sources of uncertainty. The objective of this review is to provide context to understand the variety of challenges associated with differentiating between the two main radiation belt acceleration processes: radial transport and local acceleration. Challenges range from electron flux measurement analysis to radiation belt modeling based on a three-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation. We also provide recommendations to inform future research on radiation belt radial transport and local acceleration.