Authors: Zhenguang Huang (University of Michigan), Gabor Toth (University of Michigan), Nishtha Sachdeva (University of Michigan), Bart van der Holst (University of Michigan), and Ward B. Manchester (University of Michigan)

We investigate the average energy deposition rate in open field regions based on a first-principles model, the Alfven Wave Solar atmosphere Model (AWSoM) developed at the University of Michigan. Huang et al. (2023, 2024) have used both the ADAPT-GONG and GONG magnetograms in the last solar cycle to drive AWSoM. We have found that the Poynting flux parameter, which is associated with the energy deposition rate, can significantly affect the simulated solar wind at 1 AU. We further determined that the Poynting parameter can be empirically predicted with the open field area and the magnitude of the magnetic field. Finally, we noticed that the average energy deposition rate in open field regions is approximately constant, which is a new discovery and needs to be validated with observations.