Influence of the interplanetary driver type on the durations of the main and recovery phases of magnetic storms

Abstract

Abstract We study the durations of the main and recovery phases of magnetic storms induced by different types of large‐scale solar‐wind streams (Sheath, magnetic cloud (MC), Ejecta, and corotating interaction region (CIR)) on the basis of OMNI data for 1976–2000. The durations of both the main and recovery phases depend on the type of interplanetary drivers. On average, the duration of the main phase of storms induced by compressed regions (CIR and Sheath) is shorter than for MC and Ejecta, while the duration of the recovery phase of CIR‐ and Sheath‐induced storms is longer. Analysis of the durations of individual storms shows that the durations of the main and recovery phases anticorrelate for CIR‐ and Sheath‐induced storms and there is no dependence between them for (MC + Ejecta)‐induced storms.