Geoeffectiveness of magnetic cloud, shock/sheath, interaction region, high-speed stream and their combined occurrence

A subset of CMEs, called interplanetary magnetic clouds (MCs), are observed to have systematic rotation [northward to southward (NS) or southward to northward (SN)] in their field structures. These MCs identified in the heliospheric plasma and field data at 1 AU may have different features associated with them. These structures (NS/SN) may be isolated MC moving with the ambient solar wind. MCs (NS/SN) may also be associated with shock/sheath region, formed due to compression of the ambient plasma/field ahead of them. A fraction from each of these four types of MCs have additional features, being ‘pushed’ by fast solar wind streams from coronal holes, forming interaction region (IR) between MCs and high-speed solar wind streams (HSS). Using these different sets of MCs, we have done a detailed study of the geoeffectiveness of NS and SN turning MCs and their associated features (shock/sheath, IR and HSS). To study the process that produces the geomagnetic disturbances and influences its amplitude/duration, we have utilized the interplanetary plasma and field parameters, namely, plasma velocity, density, temperature, pressure, field strength and its north–south component, during the passage of these structures with different associated properties. Differences in the geoeffectiveness of MCs with different structural and dynamical properties have been identified. The possible role of high-speed stream in influencing the recovery time (and hence duration) of geomagnetic disturbance has also been investigated. A best-fit equation representing the relation between level of the geomagnetic activity (due to MCs) and interplanetary plasma/field parameter has been obtained.