An information theory approach to the storm-substorm relationship

One of the most interesting aspects of the global magnetospheric response to solar wind changes is the relationship between storms and substorms. Here we present new results on the relationship between these two different classes of magnetospheric phenomena by approaching the problem on the side of information theory. Using the Auroral Electrojet AL and SYM-H indices as representative proxies of magnetic substorms and storms, we investigate the transfer of information by means of transfer entropy analysis (Schreiber, 2000). The obtained results seem, on average, to indicate the presence of a net transfer of information from AL to SYM-H on time scales shorter than 10 h. On the basis of this result, geomagnetic substorms may act as a driver for the occurrence of geomagnetic storms. However, carrying out a more careful analysis which takes into account the global geomagnetic daily activity, we suggest that the direction of information flow between substorms and storms depends on the global activity level. Indeed, if it is true that a sequence of magnetospheric substorms may drive a moderate storm, it is also true that very large storms may dominate and drive the occurrence of magnetospheric substorms.