Abstract
We investigate the drivers of 40-150 keV hourly electron flux at
geostationary orbit (GOES 13) using ARMAX (autoregressive moving average
transfer function) models which remove the confounding effect of diurnal
cyclicity and allow assessment of each parameter independently of
others. By taking logs of flux and predictor variables, we create
nonlinear models. While many factors show high correlation with flux
(substorms, ULF waves, solar wind velocity (V), pressure (P), number
density (N) and electric field (Ey), IMF Bz, Kp, and SymH), the ARMAX
model identifies substorms as the dominant influence at 40-75 keV and
over 20-12 MLT, with little difference seen between disturbed and quiet
periods. Also over 40-75 keV, Ey has a modest effect: positive over
20-12 MLT but negative over 13-19 MLT. Pressure shows some negative
influence at 150 keV. Hourly ULF waves, Kp, and SymH show little
influence when other variables are included. Using path analysis, we
calculate the total sum of influence, both directly and indirectly
through the driving of intermediate parameters. Pressure shows a summed
direct and indirect influence nearly half that of the direct substorm
effect, peaking at 40 keV. N, V, and Bz, as indirect drivers, are
equally influential. Neither simple correlation nor neural networks can
effectively identify drivers. Instead, consideration of actual physical
influences, removing cycles that artificially inflate correlations, and
controlling the effects of other parameters using multiple regression
(specifically, ARMAX) gives a clearer picture of which parameters are
most influential in this system.