Perspectives on Geospace Plasma Coupling.

There are a large variety of fascinating and instructive aspects to examining the coupling of mass and energy from the solar wind into the Earth's magnetosphere. Past research has suggested that magnetic reconnection (in a fluid sense) on the day-side magnetopause plays the key role in controlling the energy coupling. However, both linear and nonlinear coupling processes involving kinetic effects have been suggested through various types of innovative data analysis. Analysis and modeling results have also indicated a prominent role for multi-scale processes of plasma coupling. Examples include evidence of control by solar wind turbulence in the coupling sequence and localized (finite gyroradius) effects in dayside plasma transport. In this paper we describe several solar wind-magnetosphere coupling scenarios. We particularly emphasize the study of solar wind driving of magnetospheric substorm, and related geomagnetic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]