Burkholder, BrandonChen, L.-J.Sarantos, M.Gershman, D. J.Argall, M. R.Chen, Y.Dong, C.Wilder, F. D.Le Contel, O.Gurram, H.2024-05-062024-05-062024-3-15Burkholder, B. L., L.-J. Chen, M. Sarantos, D. J. Gershman, M. R. Argall, Y. Chen, C. Dong, F. D. Wilder, O. Le Contel, and H. Gurram. “Global Magnetic Reconnection During Sustained Sub-Alfvénic Solar Wind Driving.” Geophysical Research Letters 51, no. 6 (2024): e2024GL108311. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108311.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108311http://hdl.handle.net/11603/33608When the solar wind speed falls below the local Alfvén speed, the magnetotail transforms into an Alfvén wing configuration. A Grid Agnostic Magnetohydrodynamics for Extended Research Applications (GAMERA) simulation of Earth's magnetosphere using solar wind parameters from the 24 April 2023 sub-Alfvénic interval is examined to reveal modifications of Dungey-type magnetotail reconnection during sustained sub-Alfvénic solar wind. The simulation shows new magnetospheric flux is generated via reconnection between polar cap field lines from the northern and southern hemisphere, similar to Dungey-type magnetotail reconnection between lobe field lines mapping to opposite hemispheres. The key feature setting the Alfvén wing reconnection apart from the typical Dungey-type is that the majority of new magnetospheric flux is added to the polar cap at local times 1–3 (21-23) in the northern (southern) hemisphere. During most of the sub-Alfvénic interval, reconnection mapping to midnight in the polar cap generates relatively little new magnetospheric flux.9 pagesen-USThis work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.Public Domainglobal reconnectionnumerical simulationsub Alfvenic Solar windText