ABSTRACT
The argument as to whether the polar wind was subsonic or supersonic was settled when measurements clearly indicated that the flow was supersonic. Adding in the fact that the convection and precipitation patterns are highly structured and dynamic means that the high-latitude ionosphere and polar wind are highly structured and dynamic, because the primary source of the polar wind results from the resonant charge exchange reaction. For the classical polar wind, the mathematical description is straightforward because it is based on the hydrodynamic continuity and momentum equations. The initial global ionosphere–polar wind simulations were conducted for an idealized geomagnetic storm. The various nonclassical polar wind processes operate at different locations and altitudes, and they operate in conjunction with the classical polar wind processes. The structure in the polar wind will cause the structure in the magnetospheric electric fields, currents, and precipitation, which will then cause the structure in the ionosphere and thermosphere.
