Interplanetary structures and solar wind behaviour during major geomagnetic perturbations

We consider five different solar wind structures to study their relative geo-effectiveness in producing major geomagnetic perturbations. Geomagnetic indices and solar wind parameters during major storms have been utilized to understand the physical mechanism(s) during the passage of structures with distinct structural and dynamical properties. Attempt has been made to find distinct features of the structures responsible for large-intensity and/or long-duration geomagnetic storms. We search for precursors of major storms that may be useful for space-weather predictions. Average recovery characteristics of storms and the influence of solar wind speed on the recovery have been discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.