A new technique of eigen mode analysis, Method of Natural Orthogonal Components (MNOC) is used to analyze the ionospheric equivalent current systems obtained on the basis of magnetic data at six meridian magnetometer chains in the northern hemisphere during March 17 19, 1978. The results show that the whole current pattern for any given instant consists of a few eigen modes with different intensities. The first eigen mode exhibits a two cell current construction, characterizing the large scale magnetospheric convection and directly driven process, while the second eigen mode shows a concentrated westward electrojet at midnight sector, characterizing the substorm current wedge and the loading unloading process. The first mode consistently exists whenever during quiet periods or at substorms, and its intensity increases from the beginning of the growth phase of substorms, then quickly intensifies in the expansion phase, followed by a gradual decrease in the recovery phase. On the other hand, the intensity of the second mode remains to be near zero during both quiet time and the growth phase of substorms. Its rapid enhancement occurs in the expansion phase. These characteristics in the current patterns and the intensity variations coincide with the defined physical processes of the directly driven and loading unloading components.
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