Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 104. The International Solar-Terrestrial Program (ISTP) was conceived by the space agencies of numerous countries as a coordinated effort to determine the global flow of mass, energy and momentum through the solar-terrestrial system. The physical region of interest extends from the Sun through the solar wind, to the terrestrial magnetosphere, down to the ionosphere, with the principal focus on the magnetosphere and its coupling with the solar wind and ionosphere. With the launch of NASA's POLAR spacecraft in February 1996, the major elements of the ISTP program were in place. This volume is one of the very first compendiums of both new observations and new modeling results either directly or indirectly deriving from this major ISTP undertaking.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 109. The Sun and the terrestrial magnetosphere have been the subjects of active research since the dawn of the space age. The capabilities of observing both systems with greater and greater detail evolved separately until the 1980s, when it was realized that definitive results on the connection between the Earth and the Sun would require a concerted and joint effort. It was also realized that sophisticated solar-terrestrial research communities existed within all the space-faring nations of the world and that no one of them could launch such an effort by itself. This realization led to the creation of the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program, which now comprises at least 12 spacecraft and includes extensive ground-based observations and theory and modeling efforts.

This sixth volume in the ISSI Space Sciences Series is a fully integrated book that gives an authoritative overview of all aspects of the topic in a well-organized form. Leading international scientists from all over the world contributed consistent, cross-referenced articles of high scientific standard.

This collection of papers will address the question "What is the Magnetospheric Cusp?" and what is its role in the coupling of the solar wind to the magnetosphere as well as its role in the processes of particle transport and energization within the magnetosphere. The cusps have traditionally been described as narrow funnel-shaped regions that provide a focus of the Chapman-Ferraro currents that flow on the magnetopause, a boundary between the cavity dominated by the geomagnetic field (i.e., the magnetosphere) and the external region of the interplanetary medium. Measurements from a number of recent satellite programs have shown that the cusp is not confined to a narrow region near local noon but appears to encompass a large portion of the dayside high-latitude magnetosphere and it appears that the cusp is a major source region for the production of energetic charged particles for the magnetosphere. Audience: This book will be of interest to space science research organizations in governments and industries, the community of Space Physics scientists and university departments of physics, astronomy, space physics, and geophysics.

The inner magnetosphere plasma is a very unique composition of different plasma particles and waves. It covers a huge energy plasma range with spatial and time variations of many orders of magnitude. In such a situation, the kinetic approach is the key element, and the starting point of the theoretical description of this plasma phenomena which requires a dedicated book to this particular area of research.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 118. The magnetosphere is an open system that interacts with the solar wind. In this system, solar wind energy continuously permeates different regions of the magnetosphere through electromagnetic processes, which we can well describe in terms of current systems. In fact, our ability to use various methods to study magnetospheric current systems has recently prompted significant progress in our understanding of the phenomenon. Unprecedented coverage of satellite and ground?]based observations has advanced global approaches to magnetospheric current systems, whereas advanced measurements of electromagnetic fields and particles have brought new insights about micro?]processes. Increased computer capabilities have enabled us to simulate the dynamics not only of the terrestrial magnetosphere but also the magnetospheres of other planets. Based on such developments, the present volume revisits outstanding issues about magnetospheric current systems.

This reference on the geology and geophysics of continental margins contains a total of 15 papers developed from a session of the Fifth International Congress of the Brazilian Geophysical Society held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1997, as well as a number of other contributions. Subjects include the roots of the southeastern continental margin of Brazil, the mosaic of Terranes in central Europe, the evolution of the Angolan passive margin; geological and geophysical interpretation of the San Julian Basin offshore Argentina; and the tectonic evolution of the equatorial South Atlantic. Of likely interest to academic geoscientists working in basin analysis and those engaged in petroleum exploration. Member price, $52.50. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.