Using the empirical magnetospheric magnetic field models of Tsyganenko and Usmanov (TU), we have determined the self‐consistent plasma pressure gradients and anisotropies along the midnight meridian in the near‐Earth magnetosphere. By “inverting” the magnetic field, we determine what distributions of an anisotropic plasma, confined within the specified magnetic field configuration, are consistent with the magnetohydrostatic equilibrium condition, J × B = ∇ · P. The TU model, parameterized for different levels of geomagnetic activity by the Kp index, provided the magnetic field values from which J × B was numerically evaluated. A best fit solution was found that minimized the average difference between J × B and ∇ · P along an entire flux tube. Unlike previous semi‐empirical models, the TU models contain magnetic stresses that can be balanced by a nearly isotropic plasma pressure with a reasonable radial gradient at the equator.
