A new study: revealing the hidden tides in the Earth’s magnetosphere

Researchers have discovered fluctuations in the “plasma ocean” in Earth’s magnetosphere, caused by the same tidal forces that the Moon exerts on the oceans.
A new study, according to the journal “livescience”, finds that the moon exerts a previously unknown tidal force on the “plasma ocean” of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, which leads to fluctuations similar to tidal fluctuations in the oceans.
In the results of the study, published in the journal “Nature Physics”, the researchers relied on data collected by satellites over a period of 40 years, to track subtle changes in the shape of the plasma envelope, which is the inner region of Earth’s magnetosphere, which protects our planet from solar storms and other types of high-energy particles.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 50,000 plasmasphere crossings by satellites belonging to 10 science missions.
The researchers stated in the study that due to the properties of the cold and dense plasma, the moon’s gravity can distort the “plasma ocean”, causing its surface to rise and fall like tides in the ocean.
“We suspect that the observed plasma tide may slightly affect the distribution of active radiation belt particles, which pose a known hazard to space infrastructure and human activities in space,” the researchers said.
They added: “A better understanding of tides could greatly help improve research and work in these areas.”
It is already known that the moon has a tidal force influencing Earth’s oceans, crust, nearby geomagnetic field, and gas within the lower atmosphere, but however, no one had tested if there was a tidal effect on plasma prior to this study.