Data acquired during several multiday periods in 1982 at ground statio
ns Siple, Halley, and Kerguelen and on satellites DE 1, ISEE 1, and GE
OS 2 have been used to investigate thermal plasma structure and dynami
cs in the duskside plasmasphere bulge region of the Earth. The distrib
ution of thermal plasma in the dusk bulge sector is difficult to descr
ibe realistically, in part because of the time integral manner in whic
h the thermal plasma distribution depends upon the effects of bulk cro
ss-B flow and interchange plasma flows along B. While relatively simpl
e MHD models can be useful for qualitatively predicting certain effect
s of enhanced convection on a quiet plasmasphere, such as an initial s
unward entrainment of the outer regions, they are of limited value in
predicting the duskside thermal plasma structures that are observed. F
urthermore, use of such models can be misleading if one fails to reali
ze that they do not address the question of the formation of the steep
plasmapause profile or provide for a possible role of instabilities o
r other irreversible processes in plasmapause formation. Our specific
findings, which are based both upon the present case studies and upon
earlier work, include the following: (1) during active periods the pla
smasphere appears to become divided into two entities, a main plasmasp
here and a duskside bulge region. The latter consists of outlying or o
utward extending plasmas that are the products of erosion of the main
plasmasphere; (2) in the aftermath of an increase in convection activi
ty, the main plasmasphere tends (from a statistical point of view) to
become roughly circular in equatorial cross section, with only a sligh
t bulge at dusk; (3) the abrupt westward edge of the duskside bulge ob
served from whistlers represents a state in the evolution of sunward e
xtending streamers; (4) in the aftermath of a weak magnetic storm, 10
to 30% of the plasma ''removed'' from the outer plasmasphere appears t
o remain in the afternoon-dusk sector beyond the main plasmasphere. Th
is suggests that plasma flow from the afternoon-dusk magnetosphere int
o the boundary layers is to some extent impeded, possibly through a me
chanism that partially decouples the high altitude and ionospheric-lev
el flow regimes; (5) outlying dense plasma structures may circulate in
the outer duskside magnetosphere for many days following an increase
in convection, unless there is extremely deep quieting; (6) a day-nigh
t plasmatrough boundary may be identified in equatorial satellite data
; (7) factor-of-2-to-10 density irregularities appear near the plasmap
ause in the postdusk sector in the aftermath of weak magnetic storms;
(8) during the refilling of the plasmatrough from the ionosphere at L
= 4.6, predominantly bidirectional field aligned and equatorially trap
ped light ion pitch angle distributions give way to a predominantly is
otropic distribution (as seen by DE 1) when the plasma density reaches
a level a factor of about 3 below the saturated plasmasphere level; (
9) some outlying dense plasma structures are effectively detached from
the main plasmasphere, while others appear to be connected to that bo
dy.