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The Starlink satellites launched on 3 February 2022 were lost before they fully arrived in their designated orbits. The loss was attributed to two moderate geomagnetic storms that occurred consecutively on 3–4 February. We investigate the thermospheric neutral mass density variation during these storms with the Multiscale Atmosphere‐Geospace Environment (MAGE) model, a first‐principles, fully coupled geospace model. Simulated neutral density enhancements are validated by Swarm satellite measurements at the altitude of 400–500 km. Comparison with standalone TIEGCM and empirical NRLMSIS 2.0 and DTM‐2013 models suggests better performance by MAGE in predicting the maximum density enhancement and resolving the gradual recovery process. Along the Starlink satellite orbit in the middle thermosphere (∼200 km altitude), MAGE predicts up to 150% density enhancement near the second storm peak while standalone TIEGCM, NRLMSIS 2.0, and DTM‐2013 suggest only ∼50% increase. MAGE also suggests altitudinal, longitudinal, and latitudinal variability of storm‐time percentage density enhancement due to height dependent Joule heating deposition per unit mass, thermospheric circulation changes, and traveling atmospheric disturbances. This study demonstrates that a moderate storm can cause substantial density enhancement in the middle thermosphere. Thermospheric mass density strongly depends on the strength, timing, and location of high‐latitude energy input, which cannot be fully reproduced with empirical models. A physics‐based, fully coupled geospace model that can accurately resolve the high‐latitude energy input and its variability is critical to modeling the dynamic response of thermospheric neutral density during storm time.

Based on the observations from the balloon‐borne instrument High‐altitude Interferometer WIND experiment (HIWIND) and the simulations from the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM), the Grid Agnostic MHD Environment for Research Applications (GAMERA)‐TIEGCM (GT), and the GAMERA‐TIEGCM‐RCM (GTR), we investigate the variations of summer high‐latitude thermospheric winds and their physical mechanisms from 25 to 30 June, 2018. HIWIND observations show that the meridional winds were the largest at midnight and exhibited strong day‐to‐day variations during the 6‐day period, which were generally reproduced by those three models. The day‐to‐day variations of winds were mainly associated with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF)perturbations, while the magnetic latitude variations also contributed to the large day‐to‐day variations of the winds seen in the observations. Meanwhile, the zonal winds were mostly westward during the daytime, and the wind speed became large, especially in the afternoon, which is related to the westward ion drift velocity. The observed meridional winds tend to turn equatorward during the daytime on some days, while the simulated winds blow mostly poleward except for simulations by the GTR model on 26 June. The GTR model revealed that the equatorward meridional winds on 26 June were associated with strong and negative IMFconditions, which tilts the convection pattern to the prenoon sector. The simulations also revealed that the ring current could contribute to affecting the neutral wind variations, especially under geomagnetically active conditions.

Solar eruptions cause geomagnetic storms in the near‐Earth environment, creating spectacular aurorae visible to the human eye and invisible dynamic changes permeating all of geospace. Just equatorward of the aurora, radars and satellites often observe intense westward plasma flows called subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) in the dusk‐to‐midnight ionosphere. SAPS occur across a narrow latitudinal range and lead to intense frictional heating of the ionospheric plasma and atmospheric neutral gas. SAPS also generate small‐scale plasma waves and density irregularities that interfere with radio communications. As opposed to the commonly observed duskside SAPS, intense eastward subauroral plasma flows in the morning sector were recently discovered to have occurred during a super storm on 20 November 2003. However, the origin of these flows termed “dawnside SAPS” could not be explained by the same mechanism that causes SAPS on the duskside and has remained a mystery. Through real‐event global geospace simulations, here we demonstrate that dawnside SAPS can only occur during major storm conditions. During these times, the magnetospheric plasma convection is so strong as to effectively transport ions to the dawnside, whereas they are typically deflected to the dusk by the energy‐dependent drifts. Ring current pressure then builds up on the dawnside and drives field‐aligned currents that connect to the subauroral ionosphere, where eastward SAPS are generated. The origin of dawnside SAPS explicated in this study advances our understanding of how the geospace system responds to strongly disturbed solar wind driving conditions that can have severe detrimental impacts on human society and infrastructure.

An interplanetary shock can abruptly compress the magnetosphere, excite magnetospheric waves and field‐aligned currents, and cause a ground magnetic response known as a sudden commencement (SC). However, the transient (<∼1 min) response of the ionosphere‐thermosphere system during an SC has been little studied due to limited temporal resolution in previous investigations. Here, we report observations of a global reversal of ionospheric vertical plasma motion during an SC on 24 October 2011 using ∼6 s resolution Super Dual Auroral Radar Network ground scatter data. The dayside ionosphere suddenly moved downward during the magnetospheric compression due to the SC, lasting for only ∼1 min before moving upward. By contrast, the post‐midnight ionosphere briefly moved upward then moved downward during the SC. Simulations with a coupled geospace model suggest that the reversedvertical drift is caused by a global reversal of ionospheric zonal electric field induced by magnetospheric compression during the SC.

Motivated by low‐altitude cusp observations of small‐scale (~1 km) field‐aligned currents (SSFACs) interpreted as ionospheric Alfvén resonator modes, we have investigated the effects of Alfvén wave energy deposition on thermospheric upwelling and the formation of air density enhancements in and near the cusp. Such density enhancements were commonly observed near 400 km altitude by the CHAMP satellite. They are not predicted by empirical thermosphere models, and they are well correlated with the observed SSFACs. A parameterized model for the altitude dependence of the Alfvén wave electric field, constrained by CHAMP data, has been developed and embedded in the Joule heating module of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Coupled Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere‐Thermosphere (CMIT) model. The CMIT model was then used to simulate the geospace response to an interplanetary stream interaction region (SIR) that swept past Earth on 26–27 March 2003. CMIT diagnostics for the thermospheric mass density at 400 km altitude show (1) CMIT without Alfvénic Joule heating usually underestimates CHAMP'sorbit‐averagedensity; inclusion of Alfvénic heating modestly improves CMIT's orbit‐average prediction of the density (by a few %), especially during the more active periods of the SIR event. (2) The improvement in CMIT'sinstantaneousdensity prediction with Alfvénic heating included is more significant (up to 15%) in the vicinity of the cusp heating region, a feature that the MSIS empirical thermosphere model misses for this event. Thermospheric density changes of 20–30% caused by the cusp‐region Alfvénic heating sporadically populate the polar region through the action of corotation and neutral winds.

The role of diffuse electron precipitation in the formation of subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) is investigated with the Multiscale Atmosphere‐Geospace Environment (MAGE) model. Diffuse precipitation is derived from the distribution of drifting electrons. SAPS manifest themselves as a separate mesoscale flow channel in the duskside ionosphere, which gradually merges with the primary auroral convection toward dayside as the equatorward auroral boundary approaches the poleward Region‐2 field‐aligned currents (FACs) boundary. SAPS expand to lower latitudes and toward the nightside during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, associated with magnetotail earthward plasma flows building up the ring current and intensifying Region‐2 FACs and electron precipitation. SAPS shrink poleward and sunward as the interplanetary magnetic field turns northward. When diffuse precipitation is turned off in a controlled MAGE simulation, ring current and duskside Region‐2 FACs become weaker, but subauroral zonal ion drifts are still comparable to auroral convection. However, subauroral and auroral convection manifest as a single broad flow channel without showing any mesoscale structure. SAPS overlap with the downward Region‐2 FACs equatorward of diffuse precipitation, where poleward electric fields are strong due to a low conductance in the subauroral ionosphere. The Region‐2 FACs extend to latitudes lower than the diffuse precipitation because the ring current protons penetrate closer to the Earth than the electrons do. This study reproduces the key physics of SAPS formation and their evolution in the coupled magnetosphere‐ionosphere during a geomagnetic storm. Diffuse electron precipitation is demonstrated to play a critical role in determining SAPS location and structure.

Characterizing the azimuthal mode number,m, of ultralow‐frequency (ULF) waves is necessary for calculating radial diffusion of radiation belt electrons. A cross‐spectral technique is applied to the compressional Pc5 ULF waves observed by multiple pairs of GOES satellites to estimate the azimuthal mode structure during the 28‐31 May 2010 storm. We find that allowing for both positive and negativemis important to achieve a more realistic distribution of mode numbers and to resolve wave propagation direction. During the storm commencement when the solar wind dynamic pressure is high, ULF wave power is found to dominate at low‐mode numbers. An interesting change of sign inmoccurred around noon, which is consistent with the driving of ULF waves by solar wind buffeting around noon, creating antisunward wave propagation. The low‐mode ULF waves are also found to have a less global coverage in magnetic local time than previously assumed. In contrast, during the storm main phase and early recovery phase when the solar wind dynamic pressure is low and the auroral electrojet index is high, wave power is shown to be distributed over all modes from low to high. The high‐mode waves are found to cover a wider range of magnetic local time than what was previously assumed. Furthermore, to reduce the 2nπambiguity in resolvingm, a cross‐pair analysis is performed on satellite field measurements for the first time, which is demonstrated to be effective in generating more reliable mode structure of ULF waves during high auroral electrojet periods.

It is well‐known that solar eclipses can significantly impact the ionosphere and thermosphere, but how an eclipse influences the magnetosphere‐ionosphere system is still unknown. Using a coupled magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐thermosphere model, we examined the impact on geospace of the northern polar‐region eclipse that occurred on June 10, 2021. The simulations reveal that the eclipse‐induced reduction in polar ionospheric conductivity causes large changes in field‐aligned current, cross‐polar cap potential and auroral activity. While such effects are expected in the northern hemisphere where solar obscuration occurred, they also occurred in the southern hemisphere through electrodynamic coupling. Eclipse‐induced changes in monoenergetic auroral precipitation differ significantly between the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere while diffuse auroral precipitation is interhemispherically symmetric. This study demonstrates that the geospace response to a polar‐region solar eclipse is not limited just to the eclipse region but has global implications.