CEDAR Student Workshop: Theme - Winds in the Upper Atmosphere: Physics, Observations, and Empirical Models with conveners Romina Nikoukar and Mike Nicolls

0855-1600 Sunday 24 June Zia Agenda

Final Report

The workshop started with two keynote speeches in the morning. Jeff Forbes (University of Colorado) delivered the first keynote speech entitled "Dynamics of Thermosphere" which provided an overview of the neutral dynamics of the upper atmosphere. The second keynote speech was given by Art Richmond (National Center for Atmospheric Research) and was entitled "Neutral Winds and Their Role in Ionospheric Electrodynamics". The presentation primarily focused on ion-neutral interactions, the ionospheric wind dynamo, and thermospheric-ionospheric coupling.

The afternoon workshop started with a series of tutorials on wind measurement methodologies. In particular, presentations were given on Rocket-based measurements (Miguel Larsen from Clemson University), Meteor radar wind experiments (Scott Palo from University of Colorado), Lidar wind observations (Chet Gardner from University of Illinois), Fabry-Perot wind measurements (John Meriwether from Clemson University). The main motivation behind these talks was to introduce students to different instruments, measurement techniques, and data as well as their relationship to the physics of different regions. The final tutorial of the Student Workshop, devoted to Neutral wind models, was provided by John Emmert (Naval Research Laboratory). Empirical wind models, in particular the Horizontal Wind Model, were the main focus of the presentation, although physics-based models were also discussed.

Virtual Solar-Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO) with convener Peter Fox

• Power Point presentation by Fox

Monday 25 June

Putting your degree to work (Peter Fiske) with conveners Michael Nicolls (SRI International, michael.nicolls@sri.com) and Romina Nikoukar (University of Illinois, nikoukar@uiuc.edu)

1300-1500 Monday 25 June Anasazi South
In this workshop Peter Fiske will present a thorough and practical overview to the process of career planning and job hunting in today's job market, from the perspective of a young scientist. He will cover specific steps that young scientists can take to broaden their horizons, strengthen their skills, and present their best face to potential employers. An important part of this is the realization that most young scientists possess a range of valuable "transferable skills" that are highly sought after by employers in and out of science. He will also cover all the specifics of job hunting, including informational interviewing, building your network, developing a compelling CV and resume, cover letters, interviewing, and more. With each topic he will discuss the particular challenges and opportunities faced by those with an advanced degree in science. It is a workshop up-beat in tone and positive in outlook. Students and young scientists are encouraged to attend.

pdf Presentation

Meteors and the upper atmosphere with conveners Lars Dyrud and Sigrid Close

• pdf presentation by Fentzke and Janches on their Meteor Input Function (MIF) model.

Short period gravity waves and their effects in the MLT region with conveners Jonathan B. Snively, Tai-Yin Huang, and Michael J. Taylor

Equatorial ionospheric challenges and the C/NOFS mission with conveners Odile de La Beaujardiere, Cheryl Huang, David Hysell, Michael Kelley, Robert Pfaff, Jorge Chau, and John Retterer

Poker Flat AMISR: The first six months with conveners Craig Heinselman and Mike Nicolls

Science opportunities with the lidar consortium with conveners Dave Fritts and Joe She

Data assimilation in space sciences: Methods and results with convener Mihail Codrescu

The Poker Flat 2007 Winter Campaign with conveners Miguel Larsen, John Craven, and Craig Heinselman

Friends of Arecibo with convener Sixto Gonzalez

Nestor Aponte
Pedrina Santos
Shikha Raizada
Asti Bhatt
Mike Nicolls
pdf presentation by Jonathan Fentzke on Lidar Upgrades for Meteor Trail Detection at AO

CEDAR Lidar technology workshop with conveners Xinzhao Chu, Joe She, and Gary Swenson

Following this, three speakers talked about the improvements and innovations being made to the resonance fluorescence (Na, K, Fe) Doppler lidars. Dr. Wentao Huang (CU) presented the novel high-resolution Doppler-free spectroscopy being studied at CTC in Boulder, and introduced several new ideas for laser frequency locking using the spectroscopy. Dr. Alan Liu (UIUC) presented the very good progresses made by the UIUC group for high efficiency receiver for the Na wind and temperature lidar, and the initial data collected by this lidar at Urbana. Dr. Josef Hoeffner (IAP) presented some amazing results obtained by the IAP scanning K and Fe Doppler lidars. On both lidars, he emphasized how to achieve high accuracy, i.e., un-biased measurements. He demonstrated the superb daytime measurement capability, especially for the scanning Fe Doppler lidar operating at 386 nm with three highly stable Fabry-Perot etalons in the receiver and very small field of view (50 mrad). He also reported Doppler wind measurements in the lower atmosphere with the Fe Doppler lidar.

In the topic of extending lidar detection range, Dr. Rich Collins (UAF) introduced the N2+ lidar being developed at Poker Flat. Chad Carlson, a graduate student of UIUC, presented the lab test results of a Helium Doppler lidar. His initial results are very promising for making a cw-laser-based imaging lidar to measure the wind and temperature in the thermosphere. Dr. Andrew Gerrard (NJIT) reported a spectrally scanning receiver for middle and lower atmospheric wind measurements.

In the last part of the workshop, Paloma Farias and Johannes Wiig, two graduate students of CU-Boulder, reported the CRRL website, lidar simulation tools, and lidar DAQ and control suite being developed at CTC. Finally the workshop discussed a lidar school that CRRL is planning for summer 2009 and hoped to engage more students and researchers in the lidar activities.

Wednesday 27 June

Small Satellites with conveners Dave Klumpar, Charles Swenson, and Gary Swenson

Session I Presentations (09:30-11:30)

• pdf presentation by Charles Swenson of USU
• pdf presentation on NSF Small Satellites by Richard Behnke of NSF

Lunch Presentations (11:30-13:00)

• pdf presentation by Farzad Kamalabadi of U IL
• pdf presentation by Paul Bernhardt of NRL presented by Farzad Kamalabadi of U IL
• pdf presentation by Fred Roesler of U WI
• pdf presentation by Geoff McHarg of USAFA

Session II Presentations (13:00-15:00)

• pdf presentation by Scott Palo of U CO

I-T Challenges Based on Continuous Observations Through the IPY (or PRIMO II) with conveners Jan J. Sojka, Tony van Eyken, Craig Heinselman, and John Holt

• MIT Millstone Contributions to IPY by John Holt
• A. van Eyken, EISCAT Svalbard Radar during the International Polar Year

Final Report

Thirty-two workshop participants heard first from the ISR teams concerning the observations already made. IPY began March 1, 2007 and by CEDAR over three months of observations had been collected by European Svalbard Radar (ESR) and Poker Flat ISR (PFISR). These observations were presented by Tony van Eyken and Craig Heinselman respectively. In addition to these two radars the ISR at Sondrestrom and Millstone Hill are running on a regular schedule of about 32 hours each month and presentation of these observations were made by Craig Heinselman and John Holt respectively. John Holt also provided information that the Irkutsk ISR will be running long duration runs repeatedly during the IPY period. A series of 9 modelers then presented information about their interest and modeling capability for this IPY I-T challenge: M. Codrescu (CTIPe); L. Scherliess (USU-GAIM); L. Goncherenko (Millstone Hill modeling collaborations); D. Pawlowski (Univ. of Michigan); D. Siskind (NOGAPS-ALPHA); P. Richards (FLIP); V. Eccles (IFM); J. Sojka (TDIM); and C. Fesen (TIEGCM).

The workshop focused on how the large quantities of observations would be made easily accessible, i.e., through Madrigal but in higher level formats, for instance ISR level 4 reduced format. Another aspect was how the models should run to best simulate the IPY conditions. A number of resolutions were put forward:

1. A kp of 2+, F10.7 of 70, and F10.7 average of 70 should be used for climatology year long model forecasts;
2. Model runs should be made for each of the 5 ISR locations;
3. Where possible the NRLMSIS should be used;
4. SuperDARN convection patterns should be made available for all modelers to use as the high latitude magnetospheric electric field driver for the IPY period.

On top of the success and enthusiasm for this IPY International Campaign Tony van Eyken also gave us the good news that his proposal to have an International Space Science Institute (ISSI) set of workshops on this topic has been approved. Hence, the participants will have multi-day dedicated workshop opportunities in Switzerland over the next few year to address the IPY I-T challenges.

Radar chain, satellite observations and modelling of Nov 2004 storm with convener Mike Kelley

Optical Calibration Techniques and Issues with conveners Susan Nossal, Jeff Baumgardner, and Mike Taylor

Impact of electric fields during ionospheric storms with conveners Chaosong Huang and Tim Fuller-Rowell

• John Foster (MIT): Conjugacy of ionospheric disturbances: what it tells us about stormtime processes,
• Mike Kelley (Cornell University): Suppression of a major SED event by a reversal of the y-component of the interplanetary electric field,
• Stan Sazykin (Rice University) : Modeling penetration electric fields with the Rice Convection Model,
• Naomi Maruyama (NOAA): Relative importance of penetration and disturbance dynamo using a self consistently coupled RCM-CTIPe model,
• Xiaoqing Pi (JPL/NASA): Assimilative modeling of Ionospheric Disturbances Caused by Electric Field Perturbations,
• Joe Huba (NRL): Storm simulation using a coupled SAMI3/LFM model,
• David Anderson (NOAA): Relating Interplanetary-induced Electric Field values with Low Latitude Electric Field values in the Peruvian, Philippine and Indian sectors under promptly penetrating electric field conditions,
• Chaosong Huang (MIT): Penetration electric fields in the evening sector and their effects on the generation of equatorial spread F.

Jicamarca Amigos with conveners David L. Hysell and Jorge L. Chau

• On Site Jicamarca Report by J. Chau
• Status report on modelling the ISR Spectrum perpendicular to the magnetic field by Marco Milla and Erhan Kudeki
• Modelling equatorial spread F: Multiple bifurcations, large-scale bite-outs, small-scale structure, and supersonic flows by Joe Huba
• Optical and Radar Observations of Spread-F by Jonathan Makela

  Final Report

  Users and friends of the Jicamarca Radio Observatory held a workshop to review activities from the past year and to prepare for the upcoming one. The discussions divided into three categories of research: equatorial optical aeronomy, plasma instability theory, and the theory of incoherent scatter at small aspect angles. The session also included reviews of new educational and user support programs and hardware upgrades.

  The director of the observatory, Jorge Chau, presented research highlights from the past year including:

  1. New mesospheric wind capabilities using a specular meteor radar (JASMET). This meteor system complements the mesospheric winds obtained with the classical MST mode by allowing nighttime measurements and higher altitudinal coverage (80-100 km, instead of 65-85 km). (See Figure 1.)
  2. Multi-frequency observations of spread F and meteor echoes using the main Jicamarca VHF system and the 7-panel AMISR prototype. The preliminary results indicate that echoes from topside plumes appear to be weaker than expected at UHF. (See Figures 2 and 3.)
  3. First clear observations of cats-eye and fossil turbulence structures using the high resolution capabilities of the SOUSY system at Jicamarca. These results are in excellent agreement with recent results from numerical simulations. (See figures 4 and 5.)
  4. New hardware developments. New antennas have been and are being set up for improved north-south interferometric measurements of ionospheric irregularities. Using off-the-shelf digital receiver cards, JRO can now utilize up to 12 digital receiver channels simultaneously, allowing, for example, three dimensional imaging of ionospheric structures with very high angular resolution.

  A new generation of optical instrumentation is emerging in Latin America, and this is contributing to research in both background and irregularity physics. John Meriwether reviewed findings from Arequipa and elsewhere concerning the midnight temperature maximum and proposed a model involving convergent thermospheric winds and subsidence. Andy Gerrard presented an update on the SOFDI FPI project, showing promising results from tests conducted in New York. SOFDI will be critical for providing thermospheric wind and temperature information needed to complete our understanding of ionospheric dynamics, current circulation, and stability. Jonathan Makela compared optical imagery of spread F depletions with radar observations and showed how common features could be collocated and tracked.

  Next, Joe Huba showed simulations of equatorial spread F made with a new model that incorporates much less numerical dissipation than has been necessary in the past. The morphology of the depletions that emerged in simulation was remarkably similar to what is seen in optical imagery. Meers Oppenheim then showed finely detailed particle-in-cell simulations of Farley Buneman waves. The simulations incorporated new particle heating diagnostics that made it possible to compare the phase speed of the primary waves with the theoretical ion acoustic speed. Three-dimensional simulations that could further close the gap between the two figures are planned.

  Jicamarca is unique among the upper atmospheric facilities in its ability to measure incoherent scatter at very small aspect angles. This complicates the theory enormously but also permits certain unique measurements to be made. Marco Milla reviewed the theory and discussed the simultaneous measurement of power, electron and ion temperature, and drifts at small aspect angles. Fabiano Rodrigues compared electron density profiles measured at small aspect angles with Faraday rotation measurements and also reviewed recent hydrogen gyroresonance measurements. Finally, Pablo Reyes showed how to measure the absolute scattering cross section of mesospheric irregularities by incorporating simultaneous incoherent scatter measurements.

  A new summer student program has been instituted at Jicamarca, and its first graduate, Akshay Malhorta, shared his experiences. Akshay has been working with range-spread meteor echoes and has shown how the echoes arrive from the locus of perpendicularity. A remote reserving site has been constructed near the main observatory to assess how the range-spread echoes appear given different scattering geometries. Akshay has returned to Jicamarca several times, and the student program appears to be an effective means of enlarging the Jicamarca user community.

  More details about the activities at the observatory can be found at the bimonthly Newsletter ``Inside Jicamarca'' ( http://jro.igp.gob.pe/newsletter).

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• Developing a coordinated ground- and space-based community approach to understanding the I-T system with conveners Tony Mannucci and Larry Paxton

  1600-1800 Wednesday 27 June Zia with laptop/internet (with Mon Mannucci Posters: I-T Science from Space)
  The Phase III CEDAR Science Report stresses the importance of satellite measurements and recommends the vigorous pursuit of opportunities for collaboration with satellite programs. Recent developments at NASA suggest that satellite missions are becoming less frequent and there is a significant possibility that recently planned ionosphere/thermosphere missions will be delayed indefinitely. This workshop is to elicit discussion and develop a concrete plan to address CEDAR science by coordinating measurements from the ground and space, in light of these new developments. Several other recent developments are: the NSF Small Satellite Conference, reports from the Distributed Array of Small Instruments, opportunities to collaborate on international missions and announcements of opportunity from NASA planned for 2008. Fundamental unanswered questions in I/T science will be highlighted. How will we address these? What are the science questions that are best served by coordinating ground and satellite observations? In what ways do space-based measurements complement ground-based results? Justifying satellite missions that benefit the ionosphere-thermosphere community requires a cohesive and well-articulated community approach. A dedicated meeting is planned for this fall devoted to ionosphere/thermosphere measurements from space. This CEDAR workshop will begin with 2-3 brief presentations and will continue with a panel discussion. We look forward to input by community members, leading to a set of priorities and action items.

  Monday Accompaning Poster Abstracts

  • Richard Eastes Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD)
  • Michi Nishioka Temporal and spatial variations of plasma bubble studied with global GPS-TEC data

  Final Report

  Moderators:
  
  J.C. Clemmons, Aerospace Corporation
  A. J. Mannucci, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
  Panelists:
  
  Greg Earle, University of Texas at Dallas
  Jeff Forbes, University of Colorado at Boulder
  Larry Paxton, Applied Physics Laboratory
  Rob Pfaff, Goddard Space Flight Center
  Jeff Thayer, University of Colorado at Boulder
  Presentations:
  
  J. C. Clemmons
  A. J. Mannucci
  R. Pfaff
  L. Paxton

  Meeting Minutes:

  Clemmons: We need a unity approach.
  Pfaff: Lower ionosphere sampled poorly. DE-2 had a full complement of I-T instruments.
  Forbes: We are promoting methodologies. We need to promote science first. Let's produce a document containing what are the outstanding science questions. Use it to promote CEDAR science at NASA.
  Moderator: Should the document contain prioritized science objectives? Comment: the missions end up prioritizing the science. [This implies a prioritized list of missions accomplishes both objectives.]
  Thayer: Developing science themes. Fluxes are the key thing that drives the I-T system to change. Response of I-T is very different on different time scales. The neutral gas "integrates" in time. Past history is critical.
  Earle: We need to stop being scientists for while. We are lousy salesmen. We need to act more like ad men. New mental images. Take on the challenge as sellers.
  Thayer: We need to look at our science problems.
  Paxton: Coordinate observational and theoretical studies to challenge what we think we know. Arguing is good.
  REMARK: Let's "universalize" our science themes and point out how other systems have similar features and questions. Learning about I-T helps us learn about other multi-scale/multi-temporal systems, and about magnetic reconnection, which is about the transition from frozen flow to diffusion across field lines. By studying I-T, we can learn about this process and therefore gain insight into universal processes.
  Audience Participation:
  
  Why did ISTP get bumped?
  Past roadmapping efforts were limited. The people were limited and the process was not ideal.
  McCoy: We've been unsuccessful marketing to NASA but not to other sponsors. Others are convinced. Is there competition from planetary?
  Roger Smith: We've been thinking in too compartmentalized a fashion. It's a marketing issue. Car analogy: we are experts on the "engine" part or the tires part. Need to take a different perspective. [Perhaps as the region where the energy deposited. We've been studying how the energy gets here, but we don't know what happens to it when it gets here. We don't know how it divided among the different part of the atmosphere.]
  John Foster: Lately NASA is not grass roots. Top down. Know who we are selling to. We need to be relevant to the current administrative and political climate. We might need to transform our identity. What are the political directives?
  LWS used to highly relevant and was well justified as a program (with ITSP part of that).
  Pfaff: we've been criticized that we only look at wiggles. Things have changed on us since we were central.
  Earle: I'm not an insider. We need to play on their ball field. Someone needs to suggest our direction.
  Should we bother trying to be relevant to the exploration initiative?
  Pfaff: I-T is a unique medium: ions + neutrals.
  Earle: we need to come up with themes that resonate. Sell using analogies. "Oceans" the Earth is embedded in. Depth, power, tides, waves, etc.
  Cahoy: like oceans analogy. Think of exploration systems, S/C at different vantage points.
  Controversy: good or bad? There is yelling in the magnetospheric area. Warring groups of modelers. Two distinct theoretical approaches. We need to identify the controversies. Start challenging each other. How does the Sun and reconnection affect our area? CCMC would like to help.
  Forbes: Great solar-terrestrial observatory theme. This helped TIMED in the Senior Review. TIMED justified that way. ITM mission looks good: need to know where the energy is going.
  In the current climate at NASA, no progress is possible. Let's lay the ground work for the future.
  R. Link: Alan Stern and New Horizons: persistence. Pursue NASA singlehandedly.
  Both approaches (single person and community) need to be pursued in parallel.
  McCoy: pessimistic about NASA. "This is our time" when major advances can be made. We can see patterns using GPS that we could not see before. Analogy when meteorologists were able to make major advances by analyzing measurements over large scales.
  Perception: we are not dealing with fundamental physics. We need to bring this back into the marketing. Ocean analogy might help.
  In the "holistic" analogy, the system that Fisher is trying to understand has no "engine".
  Swenson: Waves was a strategic NASA mission. It was roadmapped. Small satellites can help to take some steps. First assessments can be made.
  [NOTE: the value of the larger strategic missions is it gives the students learning about small satellites a career path.]
  Foster: we've had "space weather" as a fundamental issue. How fundamental is I-T science? Space weather is OK or good for our packaging efforts. But, let's not be confined by it.
  What is the outside forcing upon us? We need to broaden who we are. We should not fear applications, or DoD's application interest.
  Paxton: analogy with weather: to predict, we need to know.
  Should we consider comparative atmospheres? Are we being too myopic?
  Forbes: planetary atmospheres folks like terrestrial folks. Build bridges.
  Clemmons: NASA abdicating I-T is a big deal and a big national problem.
  Are we a powerful community?
  Earle: it's a slippery slope. We can't count on national needs.
  McCoy: weather analogy: NASA develops weather sensors for NOAA. Code S "does not get it" in the same way.
  Post-Meeting Comments:

  Outstanding question: why hasn't more progress been made since CEDAR Phase III document on our science questions?

  Why participate in future roadmapping efforts until we are given an explanation as to why past roadmapping efforts were ignored.

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• Opportunities for collaborative aeronomical research at Millstone Hill with conveners Steve Smith and Qian Wu

  1930-2130 Wednesday 27 June Zia
  A consortium of institutions - Boston University, Scientific Solutions Inc., HAO NCAR, and MIT Haystack Observatory - are planning to re-establish the optical aeronomical research effort at Millstone Hill. A high-resolution daytime echelle spectrograph and two new Fabry-Perot interferometers will be installed at the facility within the next 24 months, supplementing the Boston University all-sky imager and imaging spectrograph operating currently. In collaboration with the Millstone Hill ISR, the new instrument cluster will yield multi-diagnostic measurements of the mesosphere and thermosphere. Several initial investigations are planned. We are keen to hear from interested imembers of the aeronomy community about being involved in these and any other new collaborative projects at Millstone Hill. To begin with, a series of short (5-10 minutes) talks are planned to introduce the new planned facility and instruments. The second half of the workshop will be a discussion on the planned activities and any new ones offered up.

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  Thursday 28 June

• Friends of Arecibo with convener Sixto Gonzalez

  1300-1500 Tuesday 26 June Anasazi North for videocon with Arecibo and 1300-1500 Thursday 28 June Anasazi South
  There will be a videocon starting at 1 PM for about 1 hour in length on Tuesday with Arecibo Observatory for a town hall meeting of visiting NSF managers and Observatory staff related to the astronomy senior review. This review recommended a two-stage reduction in funding for the astronomical activities at Arecibo Observatory from $10.5 million per year to $8 million and finally to $4 million. How can the Observatory continue to run with only $4 million per year for astronomical activities? The videocon will explore all possible options.

  The Thursday workshop will begin with a 40 minute discussion of the status of the Arecibo Observatory/NAIC in light of the recent NSF astronomy senior review and the Tuesday videocon. Mike Sulzer will say a few words about the new HF facility. We will then proceed to hearing some highlights from the past year from some of our staff and users including:

  
  Nestor Aponte
  Pedrina Santos
  Shikha Raizada
  Asti Bhatt
  Mike Nicolls
  Jonathan Fentzke
  Lara Waldrop
  John Noto
  Romina Nikoukar

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• Ionospheric studies using radio occultation electron density profiles with conveners Kerri Cahoy, Stig Syndergaard, Theodore Beach and Ethan Miller

  1300-1500 Thursday 28 June Anasazi North
  The radio occultation method retrieves profiles of electron density from 200-400 km altitude (F-region) with high vertical resolution and global sampling. Electron density profiles can be used to study ionospheric phenomena over daily or seasonal time scales that are geographically localized or global-scale.

  This tutorial-format workshop covers the fundamentals of how the radio occultation method remotely senses Earth's atmosphere using low-earth orbiting constellations such as COSMIC / FORMOSAT-3 to receive GPS signals. We present specifics of how the UCAR Cosmic Data Analysis Archive Center (CDAAC) retrieves electron density profiles from the radio occultation measurements, followed by a tutorial on how to set up a system to download, read, and analyze data from CDAAC with netcdf and MATLAB. Three exciting examples using electron density follow: (1) assimilating electron density profiles into the GAIM ionospheric model, (2) setting up a system for long-term statistical studies of scintillation using CDAAC data that corresponds to ground site data, (3) fusing radio occultation data with ground-based airglow imagery using Google Earth for visualization of scintillation-causing irregularities in three dimensions.

  • 13:00-13:15 - Exploring the solar system with radio occultation (K. Cahoy, Stanford). The planetary heritage, math, and physics behind the radio occultation method, and how it has been applied on earth using GPS and low-earth orbiting satellites.
  • 13:15-13:45 - Retrieval of electron density profiles (S. Syndergaard, UCAR). How radio occultation measurements are used to derive electron density profiles at CDAAC.
  • 13:45-14:00 - Download and analyze electron density profiles (K. Cahoy, Stanford). Introducing the CDAAC data tool and how to download and analyze electron density profiles using netcdf and MATLAB.
  • 14:00-14:20 - Assimilating COSMIC occultation data into a global ionosphere model (JPL/USC GAIM) (B. Wilson, JPL). How the high vertical resolution and global coverage of COSMIC radio occultation measurements will enable ionospheric data assimilation models to specify the 3D ionosphere (electron density altitude profiles) much more accurately.
  • 14:20-14:40 - Ionospheric scintillation applications to complement GPS ground site data (T. Beach, AFRL). This application takes into consideration the geometry of selecting useful occultation lines of sight near ground sites, and how you would automate data retrieval from CDAAC for long-term statistical studies.
  • 14:40-15:00 - Visualization of ionospheric scintillation (E. Miller, UIUC). Fusing ground-based airglow imagery and estimated scintillation indices from radio occultation receivers to localize scintillation-causing irregularities in three dimensions, with special emphasis using MATLAB and Google Earth tools. Data from the COSMIC / FORMOSAT-3 mission and a field-aligned airglow imager at Cerro Tololo, Chile.

  We welcome our colleagues to bring their own applications and topics for group discussion.

  Final Report

  The successful launch and operation of the GPS radio occultation receivers on the COSMIC/Formosat-3 constellation, in addition to the availability of data from long-term precursor missions such as CHAMP, have substantially augmented the number, geographic and temporal resolution of electron density profiles available to the community. This workshop focused first on a general introduction of the method and the profile retrieval, and followed with examples of how these data compliment and support both modeling efforts and analyses with other instruments, such as incoherent scatter radar and airglow imagery.

  K. Cahoy (Stanford) introduced the session and presented the planetary exploration heritage of the radio occultation method, and how the "classic" geometry used for capturing profiles of planetary atmospheres from an orbiter or during a fly-by was updated for application to remote sensing of our own Earth's atmosphere, using GPS signals.

  S. Syndergaard (UCAR) followed up with a detailed discussion of how electron density profiles are retrieved from the radio occultation observables, starting from the Appleton-Hartree (Appleton-Lassen) equation and progressing through how TEC can be calculated using the combination of L1 and L2 phase paths. Different boundary (auxiliary) conditions were discussed for different experimental configurations (e.g. CHAMP versus COSMIC/Formosat-3). A brief description of COSMIC/Formosat-3 and the Cosmic Data Analysis and Archival Center (CDAAC) were also presented, as well as previews of some seasonal studies being done using this data by postdoctoral students at UCAR.

  The workshop completed its general background and tutorial segment with an introduction of the different centers that currently have publicly available electron density profiles, such as CDAAC and the JPL Genesis system as well as often the home institutions of the spacecraft mission. The NetCDF file format was briefly discussed as well as simple ways that MATLAB and other computational analysis software suites could be used to simply query the data.

  B. Wilson (JPL) discussed how to assimilate COSMIC occultation data into a global ionosphere model (JPL/USC GAIM), and how the high vertical resolution and global coverage of COSMIC radio occultation measurements will enable ionospheric data assimilation models to specify the 3D ionosphere (electron density altitude profiles) much more accurately.

  T. Beach's (AFRL) presentation (via proxy, due to the Texas flooding at the time) focused on how to determine which electron density profiles would be most useful for comparative studies (with specific examples using incoherent scatter radar). The geometry and the atmospheric volume sensed during each radio occultation experiment were discussed, improving understanding of the paths traveled by the signals from which the resulting electron density profiles were retrieved.

  E. Miller (UIUC) closed the session with a particularly cool visualization of ionospheric scintillation, fusing ground-based airglow imagery and estimated scintillation indices from radio occultation receivers to localize scintillation-causing irregularities in three dimensions, with special emphasis using MATLAB and Google Earth tools. Data from the COSMIC / FORMOSAT-3 mission and a field-aligned airglow imager at Cerro Tololo, Chile were used.

  The workshop brought together researchers from various communities (simulation, optical measurements, radar measurements, and others). The tutorial-style initial format successfully segued into more detailed applications, allowing researchers unfamiliar with the data to not only get a quick-look of how it was acquired and made available, but also how it could be applied in comparative studies with other models, campaigns and data archives. K. Cahoy would like to thank all presenters for their expertise, enthusiasm, and much-appreciated contributions.

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• The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) Mission with convener Richard Eastes

  1300-1500 Thursday 28 June Zia
  The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission will provide the first large-scale observations of temperatures in the lower thermosphere, in addition to more familiar measurements such as auroral locations and energy inputs; peak electron densities in the nighttime ionosphere; and atomic oxygen to molecular nitrogen (O/N2) ratios. GOLD can provide nearly continuous real-time observations of one hemisphere. Combined with the current models of the ionosphere and thermosphere, measurements from GOLD will revolutionize our understanding of the global-scale response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to geomagnetic and solar forcing. The goal of the workshop is to 1) Describe the anticipated observations by the GOLD imager, which is being considered for flight by NASA as a Mission of Opportunity; 2) Examine potential for use of GOLD observations by the CEDAR community; and 3) Examine possibilities for use of ground based observations for validation of GOLD observations. Data and capabilities from the CEDAR community will play a critical role in enabling measurements from GOLD to enhance space weather specification and forecasting capabilities.

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• Application of SuperDARN radar observations to CEDAR research with conveners Bill Bristow (UAF), Mike Ruohoniemi (JHU/APL), and Simon Shepherd (Dartmouth College)

  1300-1500 and 1600-1800 Thursday 28 June Sunset
  Over the past two decades the international network of HF radars, that is now known as SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network), has been making measurements of ionospheric electric fields associated with plasma drifts primarily in the polar F-region ionosphere. The current network of 20 radars (13 in the northern and 7 in the southern hemisphere) are capable of making measurements on spatial scales ranging from less than 100 km to near simultaneous coverage of the high-latitude, and at time scales as low as several seconds. Over these years SuperDARN has contributed greatly to CEDAR science in many ways by providing spatially distributed measurements of electric fields during rocket campaigns, satellite over-flights, and for space weather now-casting.

  The network has recently experienced a wave of expansion with a radar pair operated by the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon situated to look over the northern magnetic pole and two new radars operated by JHU/APL and Virginia Tech. in the mid-latitude region. As coverage by SuperDARN continues to expand, the opportunities to learn more about the dynamic ionospheric processes that can span these different regions (polar, high-latitude, mid-latitude) increases with the combined use of measurements from a variety of instruments, including SuperDARN.

  This session is intended to illustrate the role SuperDARN can and has played in CEDAR research. We are asking for participating from those in the CEDAR community who have used SuperDARN over the years or who would like to learn more about its capabilities.

  Following an overview of the SuperDARN system and recent expansions, it is anticipated that a series of brief presentations and discussion be given by researchers using SuperDARN measurements in the areas of space weather, meteor winds, modeling, planetary waves, plasma patches, gravity waves, ionospheric currents, and other related CEDAR science.

  Tentative Schedule

  • 13:00 - 13:30, Bill Bristow (UAF), SuperDARN overview: technique, history, AMISR, rocket campaigns, Antarctic expansion
  • 13:35 - 13:45, Mike Ruohoniemi (JHU/APL), Midlatitude/StormDARN and PolarDARN
  • 13:50 - 14:00, Elsayed Talaat (JHU/APL), Planetary Waves
  • 14:05 - 14:15, Todd Parris (UAF) and Gwen Bryson (UAF), Meteor Winds and Meteor processing
  • 14:20 - 14:30, Bill Bristow (UAF), Gravity Waves
  • 14:35 - 14:45, Jan Sojka (USU), Modeling
  • 14:50 - 15:00, Open for Discussion
  • 16:00 - 16:10, Mike Ruohoniemi (JHU/APL), PMSE/PMC
  • 16:15 - 16:25, Stephen Mende (UCB/SSL), THEMIS
  • 16:30 - 16:40, Eric Donovan (U Calgary), Substorms
  • 16:45 - 16:55, Marc Hairston (UTD), DMSP
  • 17:00 - 17:10, Simon Shepherd (Dartmouth), Space Weather
  • 17:15 - 17:25, Phil Erickson (MIT/Haystack), Millstone/SuperDARN observations
  • 17:30 - 17:40, Shasha Zou (UCLA), Accessing SD data
  • 17:45 - 18:00, Open for Discussion and other topics

  Other topics to fit in: calibration (Bernhardt NRL), Conductivity from magnetometer/SD (Simon Shepherd), Patches (Cesar Valladares)

  Workshop Abstract

  • Marc Hairston, Combining DMSP and SuperDARN observations of polar and midlatitude ionospheric convection

  Final Report

  This workshop presented an opportunity for CEDAR participants to become aware of the availability of data and derived products from the SuperDARN HF radars that can be applied to CEDAR science. In addition to the well-known ionospheric convection products, these include space weather, meteor winds, atmospheric tides, gravity waves, plasma structuring and PMSEs. The ongoing expansions of SuperDARN into the polar region and the mid-latitude zone made it timely to review for the benefit of oldtimers and students alike the range of ionospheric and atmospheric processes that are accessible to the radars.

  The workshop kicked off with a comprehensive review of SuperDARN by Bill Bristow (UAF). He looked back over the history of the HF backscatter technique and traced the evolution of the methods for mapping plasma convection in the high-latitude ionosphere. He explained the multinational workings of the collaboration and described plans for continued expansion of the network. He was followed by Mike Ruohoniemi (JHU/APL), who elaborated on the push into polar latitudes with the PolarDARN system of radars, which is a project directed by the University of Saskatchewan. He showed results from the new Rankin Inlet radar that illustrated the richness of effects in plasma convection and plasma structuring in the polar cap. He also described results on mid-latitude effects such as SAPS seen with the new mid-latitude radar at Wallops Island and reported that the newest mid-latitude radar operated out of Hokkaido by StelLabs is producing exciting observations of convection and gravity waves.

  Jan Sojka (USU) spoke to the modelers interest in acquiring extensive convection electric field measurements as an essential input for modeling the ionosphere. He emphasized the need for actual measurements as opposed to climatological model predictions to properly capture the full range of dynamic behavior. He lead a brief discussion of the incorporation of SuperDARN velocity data into the modeling effort related to the IPY, which commenced on March 1 of this year.

  Elsayed Talaat (JHU/APL) shifted the discussion to the neutral atmosphere. Specifically, he described analysis of meteor wind data from SuperDARN that showed dramatically the effect of atmospheric tides and planetary waves. He showed that with the long time series available from some of the radars it is now possible to examine trends over a solar cycle.

  Stephen Mende (SSL) described the NASA THEMIS mission, which is directed towards solving the substorm timing problem by combining measurements from multi-satellite conjunctions in the magnetotail with extensive ground-based observations of substorm effects in the ionosphere over North America. The prime period for substorm conjunctions will begin in February, 2008, however, the spacecraft are aloft and are collecting data. He showed an example of a substorm onset from this year (March 23) that was observed in Alaska while the satellites were conjugate to the Siberian ionosphere. The timings of effects between the satellites were discussed and the simultaneous SuperDARN data were reviewed. The radar data showed very clearly the impact of the onset and the effect on convection in the southern hemisphere was particularly dramatic. There was also a discussion of THEMIS radar modes.

  Phil Erickson (MIT Haystack) described a joint experiment between the Millstone Hill radar and the Wallops SuperDARN radar. The combined measurements reveal that a category of low velocity subauroral HF backscatter is due to irregularities generated in the crossed temperature and density gradients of the mid-latitude trough that might serve as a marker of the plasmapause.

  After the break Mike Ruohoniemi (JHU/APL) spoke briefly on observations of PMSEs carried out by Japanese colleagues. Simon Shepherd (Dartmouth) then made a presentation on behalf of Robin Barnes (JHU/APL) on the availability of SuperDARN data products at the JHU/APL web site ( http://superdarn.jhuapl.edu/). It was shown that users have direct and easy access to summary plots for browsing purposes and to a range of the more commonly sought data in digital form, such as the convection maps. UCLA student Shasha Zou then described her personal experience as an outside user in accessing SuperDARN data and demonstrated its application in an ongoing study of substorm effects in nightside convection.

  Students from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Todd Parris and Gwen Bryson, reported on several methods of extracting meteor wind data from SuperDARN observations. They described innovations in hardware and signal processing that will be implemented at all radars equipped with digital receivers to greatly improve spatial resolution. Eric Donovan (U. of Calgary) reviewed the role of ground-based instrumentation for the study of substorms in the THEMIS era and discussed how the integration of data from multiple sources that is realized in SuperDARN is a model for the newer systems. Marc Hairston (UTD) explained the capabilities of the DMSP drift meter and presented examples of joint SuperDARN-DMSP observations of ionospheric convection that raised questions about the intercalibration of data from disparate techniques.

  Simon Shepherd (Dartmouth) illustrated the space weather monitoring capabilities of the SuperDARN network by showing an example of the ionospheric response to the geomagnetic storm that occurred on April 6, 2000. Global aspects of the disturbance included an increase in the polar cap potential, increased convection velocities, increased number of radar returns, and expansion of the convection region to lower latitudes. In addition, near simultaneous response was observed at all eight radars in the northern hemisphere and all five radars in the southern hemisphere; spanning over 15 hours of local time. The rapid expansion of the polar cap to lower latitudes demonstrated the need for expansion of radars to lower latitudes (StormDARN) to track the progression of ionospheric responses during geomagnetic storms.

  Bill Bristow (UAF) reviewed work on thermospheric gravity waves inferred from SuperDARN observations of traveling ionospheric disturbances. He discussed the observations and how a gravity wave propagating in the neutral atmosphere produces a signature in radar observations. Much of the material presented was review of work from several years ago, however Bill showed some new results from Keisuke Hosokawa (DICE/UCE) using the new Hokkaido radar in conjunction with the Japanese GPS network observations of TEC. These new observations showed waves propagating all the way from Alaska to the southern end of Japan.

  Most presentations were followed by a series of lively questions, mainly pertaining to the extension of SuperDARN capabilities to polar and mid-latitudes and to the exploitation of SuperDARN measurements of interest to aeronomy and atmospheric dynamics.

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• Characteristics and causes of MLT spatial and temporal variabilities with conveners Jeng-Hwa Yee and Elsayed Talaat

  1600-1800 Thursday 28 June Anasazi South (with Tue Yee Posters: MLT Climatology)
  The combination of ground-based and satellite observations under the TIMED/CEDAR program is providing unprecedented spatial and temporal coverage of the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) region. The ground-based instruments provide measurements of MLT winds and temperatures at specific geographic locations over many local times and complement the TIMED instruments, which provide similar measurements globally at one or two local times on any given day. TIMED observations also provide pressure, density, and other geophysical parameters critical to understanding MLT energetics. When combined, these two data sets can provide true mean fields and a higher-time-resolution 3-D picture of atmospheric waves, especially tides, in order to understand the processes that govern MLT coupling to the lower and upper atmosphere and ionosphere. In addition, CEDAR investigators have collected MLT data over almost two solar cycles with >5 years of coincident, continuous TIMED observational data. The focus of this workshop is to foster collaboration between satellite, ground-based, and modeling teams to study the MLT energetics and basic structure, including zonal mean, tides, and planetary waves and the causes of their temporal variabilities (on daily, seasonal, QBO, and solar cycle time scales). We encourage people to present recent observations and research findings that can lead to fruitful collaborations.

  Tuesday Accompaning Poster Abstracts

  • Larisa Goncharenko An analysis of mid-latitude neutral wind in the lower thermosphere: comparison of fall and spring equinoxes
  • Amrita Vijay Masurkar Spectral Characteristics of Neutral Wind in the Lower Thermosphere at Middle Latitudes: Comparison of September 2005 and March 2006 Data
  • Tao Yuan Seasonal variations of semidiurnal tidal-period perturbations in mesopause region temperature, zonal and meridional winds above Fort Collins, CO (40.60N, 1050W)

  Presentations

  Hanli Liu's talks on (1) Large wind shear and fast transport above the mesopause and (2) Updates on extended WACCM

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• Global Observations of the Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere Using Coordinated World Days with convener Wes Swartz

  1600-1800 Thursday 28 June Anasazi North
  The URSI Incoherent Scatter Working Group (ISWG) will have its usual planning meeting at CEDAR to coordinate the World Day experiments involving the world's upper atmospheric observatories. The procedures for scheduling World Day observations are described at http://people.ece.cornell.edu/wes/URSI_ISWG/RequestingWD.htm and the other links referenced therein which include a sample proposal. Written proposals are requested for meeting specific research needs using the World Day observations. These proposals should be submitted by June 12 (an extended date). The planning meeting is for the ISWG and UAF staffs to review all the proposals submitted and determine how the global network of ISRs can best satisfy the approved observational requests. The proposer's presence during this discussion is not required, but all are welcome, especially students.

  The global network of incoherent scatter radars (ISR) provides observations of fundamental properties of the atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere. Use of these radars is open to all qualified scientists, and the data are freely disseminated to a broad community of users for research and in the development and validation of models and instrumentation.

  Radar observing time is allocated (1) to individuals or groups through either formal or informal requests to the institutions responsible for operating the facilities, and (2) for World Day observations coordinated through a plan developed annually by the URSI Incoherent Scatter Working Group (ISWG).

  The high demand for ISR observations, in particular for extended multi-day and multi-radar operations, requires certain procedures to help ensure that the highest priority scientific research is addressed by the coordinated World Day schedule within the limits imposed by the cost and technical restrictions of ISR operations.

  The process begins with the development of a baseline schedule of general-purpose experiments that fall within the operating constraints of the radars. The baseline World Day schedule for 2008 and its updates will be available at http://people.ece.cornell.edu/wes/URSI_ISWG/2008WDschedule.htm. If you are planning extended duration and/or multiple facility ISR experiments in 2008, you should review this schedule carefully to determine whether your observational requirements can be met by the provisional baseline observations. If not, and if your experiment cannot be easily accommodated through requests to individual radar facilities, you will need to submit a proposal for additional or modified operations to the Chair of the ISWG (see below). The deadline for the receipt of such proposals has been extended to June 12, but the sooner they are received the better. Instructions for preparing your request and a sample proposal are available at: http://people.ece.cornell.edu/wes/URSI_ISWG/SampleWDproposal.doc. If you are unsure whether or not your experiment requires the submission of a proposal, please contact the ISWG Chair or any staff member of an ISR facility. The ISWG will review these proposals along with any external reviews at its usual planning meeting at CEDAR to schedule the World Day experiments for calendar year 2008. The ISWG group will determine how the global network of ISRs can best satisfy the approved observational requests and will ensure that the experimental configurations, numbers of radars involved, time distribution and total time allocated are appropriate for the specified science goals. Although the proposer's presence during this discussion is not required, it is often useful for quick answers to additional answers that arise. Students are also welcomed.

  Please feel free to consult with any facility staff member for clarification on this new process for requesting ISR observing time within the World Day program. (Dr. Wesley E. Swartz, Chair, ISWG of URSI Commission G, wes@ece.cornell.edu). TEL: 607-255-7120 wes@ece.cornell.edu

  Final Report

  Scheduling the Upper Atmospheric Facilities for World Day Coordinated Experiments
  Convenor and Chair of the URSI Incoherent Scatter Working Group: Wesley E. Swartz

  Establishing "World Day" (WD) schedules to coordinate experiments at all the incoherent scatter radars and associated instrumentation is one of the activities of the URSI Incoherent Scatter Working Group (ISWG). The attendees of this workshop commented on the initial template for the 2008 schedule and changes were made to accommodate most, if not all, of the suggestions which can be viewed at: http://people.ece.cornell.edu/wes/URSI_ISWG/2008WDschedule.htm.

  Proposals for the 2008 World Days were requested as for the year before and the schedule was based on the requirements stated in the proposals and the discussion during the workshop. A number of the comments made during the workshop are worth repeating here followed by brief summaries of the experiments placed on the 2007 schedule. More details for each of these experiments are available on the web at the above link. A description of the proposal procedure can be found at: http://people.ece.cornell.edu/wes/URSI_ISWG/RequestingWD.doc.

  Summary of Attendee Comments

  The International Polar Year (IPY) is continuing until at least March 1, 2008. The EISCAT Svalbard radar has been running 24/7 for the full year, with Millstone Hill and Sondre Stromfjord running a day every two weeks. Hence it was suggested that the World Days for January and February should coincide with the cadence established during 2007. Also it was suggested that the 10-day run to study stratospheric warming should take advantage of the days allocated for the bi-weekly IPY runs. All agreed that the enormous data set being produced during the IPY will be invaluable. The attendees' thanks went to Tony van Eykin for his role in initiating this series of experiment.

  Summary of the proposed 2008 World Days

  The objectives major World Day periods are summarized here.

  1. International Polar Year: Continuation of year long observations with the EISCAT Svalbard ISR (ESR)
     Key Objectives:
     • To provide an unprecedented data set with multiple applications.
     • To provide correlative data for other instrumentation and models committed to the IPY.
     • Background Conditions: Anything that comes along.
     • ISRs Needed: ESR, and others as resources permit.
     • Parameters to Measure: Standard.
     • Contact: Tony van Eyken.
  2. TEC Mapping: ISR/GPS Coordinated Observations of Electron Density Variations
     Key Objectives:
     • To study latitudinal variations of the ionosphere in the American longitude sector.
     • To examine time and latitudinal variations of electron content in the plasmasphere.
     • To test the GPS TEC mapping function.
     • Background Conditions: A range of magnetic activity is preferred but not required. A summer week (5 days) with some magnetic activity would be good to complement the measurements of 2007 March 1-5 (which was magnetically quiet). We plan similar experiments for years ahead so that we can pick up different months for different years.
     • ISRs Needed: All.
     • Parameters to Measure: Standard ISR basic parameters, e.g., Ne, Ti, Te and line-of-sight ion velocity Vo.
     • Inferred parameters, such as meridional thermospheric winds and local electric fields, are desirable at least for Millstone Hill.
     • For our analysis, we need good height coverage and height/range resolution. The idea is to have a good ISR profile for both the bottomside and topside. Our intent is to determine the plasmaspheric content from the difference between the GPS TEC and the integrated ISR electron content. Because of this, the value of the F2 peak, and of the electron density above and below it, are very important for our analysis. Using a single very long pulse to make ISR measurements may result in significant smearing effects and would cause measurements below 200 km unusable for our study. We suggest either a short pulse with a long dwell (integration) time or a long pulse with interleaved Alternating Code. A time resolution of up to 30 min is acceptable.
       We will use Millstone Hill's zenith and MISA data, taken almost simultaneously, to test how the slant TEC is mapped to the vertical TEC. So both local measurements and wide coverage are requested. The elevation scan is preferred.
     • For high latitude sites, we prefer elevation scans towards the South. First, that would generate line-of-sight TEC that can be compared with GPS TEC (few GPS satellites are overhead or in the north at high latitudes). Second, in the American Sector, combined Millstone and Sondrestrom data could provide good latitudinal coverage over subauroral and auroral areas.
     • For other sites, vertical observations would be fine. We ask for high altitude measurements from Arecibo.
     • Contacts: Shun-Rong Zhang, Anthea Coster.
  3. C/NOFS: Communications / Navigation Outage Forecasting System
     The primary purpose of C/NOFS is to forecast the presence of ionospheric irregularities that adversely impact communication and navigation systems through
     • improved understanding of the physical processes active in the background ionosphere and thermosphere in which plasma instabilities grow;
     • the identification of those mechanisms that trigger or quench the plasma irregularities responsible for signal degradation; and
     • determining how the plasma irregularities affect the propagation of electro-magnetic waves.
     • A satellite, now scheduled for launch in June of 2008 into a low inclination (130), elliptical (~ 400 x 700 km) orbit will be solely dedicated to the C/NOFS objectives. It will be equipped with sensors that measure ambient and fluctuating electron densities, ion and electron temperatures, AC and DC electric fields, magnetic fields, neutral winds, ionospheric scintillations, and electron content along the lines of sight between C/NOFS and the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation. The orbit will have a 45-day repeating precession. Complementary ground-based measurements including the Jicamarca and Altair radars are also critical to the success of the mission. Coordination with the World Days periods starting in August 2008 will be expected. (Requests for additional UAF radar time beyond the currently scheduled World Days are to be made directly to the respective observatory staffs once orbital characteristics are known.)
     • Contacts: Odile de La Bedaujardiere, David Hysell, Wes Swartz
  4. QP TIDs: Coordinated Study of Quasi-Periodic Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances with Extended Latitude Coverage
     Key Objectives:
     • To determine whether gravity-wave induced medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) consistently observed at high geomagnetic latitudes under quiet geomagnetic conditions are at all related to the continuum of quasi-periodic thermospheric waves observed at both Arecibo, Millstone, and perhaps AMISR Poker Flat.
     • To Firmly establish the geophysical parameter range over which these quasi-periodic MSTIDs-that currently appear to defy theoretical explanation-exist.
     • Background Conditions: Low to moderate geomagnetic activity, New Moon.
     • ISRs Needed: All except Jicamarca, for three 48-hour runs.
     • Parameters to Measure: Continuous or near-continuous vertical power profiles through the E/Fregions (100-800 km) with the best time resolution possible. We must have 5 minute or better time resolution power profiles in order to properly filter the data to separate small amplitude waves from the normal variations of the ionosphere.
     • Secondary Parameters to Measure: Dual-beam ion velocities commensurate with the primary objective.
     • Contact: J.D. Mathews, F.T. Djuth, D. Livneh, I. Seker, M.P. Sulzer, C.A. Tepley, S.M. Smith, W.A. Bristow, J.C. Foster, and M. Nicolls.
  5. Strat-Warming: Dynamics and Temperature of the Lower Thermosphere During Sudden Stratospheric Warming
     Key Objectives:
     • To measure neutral wind (zonal and meridional components) and electron and ion temperatures in the lower thermosphere before and during sudden stratospheric warming.
     • To compare variations in temperature and winds to average variations observed by ISRs during the winter.
     • To compare variations in temperatures and winds to mesospheric response as given by MF and meteor radars and lidars.
     • To extend studies of stratospheric warming effects to the lower thermosphere and investigate possible coupling with the ionosphere
     • To examine the mechanisms responsible for variations in lower thermospheric dynamics and temperatures and investigate to what degree they can be related to sudden stratospheric warming.
     • Background Conditions: The observations need to be made before and during the sudden stratospheric warming. A 10-day campaign is requested, based on an alert to be issued either in January or February.
     • ISRs Needed: All, although the response at Arecibo and Jicamarca may be weak.
     • Parameters to Measure: LTCS mode - electron and ion temperatures from lowest possible altitude throughout the F-region, zonal and meridional components of neutral wind in the lower thermosphere (95-140km), F-region meridional wind. Temporal resolution can be sacrificed and data integration period increased in order to obtain data at lower altitudes.
     • Contacts: Larisa P. Goncharenko, Irfan Azeem, William Wardr.
  6. Synoptic:
     These synoptic experiments are intended to emphasize wide coverage of the F-region, with some augmented coverage of the topside or E-region to fill in areas of the data bases that have relatively little data.
     • Contact: Wes Swartz, Jan Sojka.

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  7. Lightning effects on the upper atmosphere with conveners Mark Stanley, Mike Taylor, and Ningyu Liu

     1600-1800 Thursday 28 June Zia with internet
     This workshop will focus on the effects of lightning discharges on the mesospheric and lower ionospheric regions. Results from observational, theoretical and modeling studies regarding the energetic coupling of lightning with the upper atmosphere will be presented. Of particular interest are contributions on thermal, chemical and electrical effects of lightning on the upper atmosphere. Electromagnetic energy provided by lightning discharges in these regions is converted to other forms of energy though heating of ambient electrons. Excitation, dissociation and ionization of neutral molecules during this process modifies the atmospheric environment. Transient luminous events (TLEs-sprites, sprite halos, jets, elves) are a direct manifestation of this modification. New results from experimental and theoretical studies of these phenomena and their related effects will be discussed. New techniques and advances in remote sensing of the upper atmosphere with lightning will also be examined. The workshop will begin with an in depth introduction to the topic as well as presentations regarding the latest research on the modifications of the upper atmosphere due to lightning. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the interpretation of existing data and models. Audience participation in these discussions is strongly encouraged.

     Final Report

     The Lightning Effects on the Upper Atmosphere workshop was held on Thursday, 28 June 2007 in the Zia room. The workshop focused on the effects of lightning discharges on the mesospheric and lower ionospheric regions, including discussions of transient luminous events (sprites, sprite halos, jets, elves) and terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGF). Two invited talks opened the session with an in depth introduction to the topics as well as presentations regarding the latest research on the modifications of the upper atmosphere due to lightning. A contributed talk followed the invited talks. The workshop ended with a well participated panel discussion on the interpretation of existing data and models.

     The first invited talk consisted of two parts. The first part was given by Dr. Matthew G. McHarg (USAF Academy). He showed the most recent observations of sprites and their filamentary structures, streamers, using high speed ground-based imagery. The 10,000 fps video observations support previous results that the onset altitude of sprites is about 75-80 km altitude and that the downward development of positive streamers precedes the upward propagation of negative streamers. Emission rates in individual streamer heads are estimated to be in the range of 1021 to 1024 photons/s. The second part was given by Takeshi Kammae (UAF). He presented the spectra of emissions from sprite streamer heads at 10,000 fps. A slitless spectrograph was utilized to obtain the spectra. The reported spectra lack blue signatures from Nitrogen and Nitrogen ions. The speaker suggested that this result is due to Rayleigh scattering because the sprite event is 650 km away from the observation site.

     The second invited talk was given by Jingbo Li (Duke). He conducted coordinated analysis of delayed sprites with high speed images and electromagnetic fields. During a sprite campaign in the summer of 2005, about 50% of observed sprite events were delayed more than 10 ms after the lightning return stroke. The phenomenological features of long-delayed sprites were presented, including the initiation altitude and charge moment change of the parent lightning discharges. The speaker reported simulation results of the electric field produced by lighting discharges using a 2-D FDTD model. Comparison of the measurements and simulation results indicated that the slow intensification of lightning current plays an important role in sprite initiation for the long delayed sprites.

     Dr. Nikolai Lehtinen (Stanford) reported Monte-Carlo simulation results for the propagation of gamma-rays through the atmosphere. The model includes Compton scattering, photoelectric absorption, pair production and subsequent position annihilation process. The speaker presented the conditions and constraints on the production of TGFs by analyzing the modeling results.

     The panel discussion was very successful. Questions regarding fundamental physics and characteristics of sprites were raised by the audience and answered by the panel of experts. The importance of comparing the existing data with sprite streamer models was greatly appreciated during the discussion. Further experimental exploration of sprite streamers is necessary to verify and validate of the modeling results. The participants acknowledged the challenges of studying the chemical, thermal and electrical effects of lightning on the upper atmosphere. Examples of re-ignition and long delayed sprites demonstrated that physical and chemical processes, which are triggered by lightning discharges, proceed with a much longer timescale than that of sprites in the mesosphere and lower ionosphere regions. More investigations of those processes have to be carried out in future research.

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     Friday 29 June

  8. Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments (DASI) Workshop with conveners Maura Hagan, Michael Kelley, David Hysell, Rod Heelis, John Foster, Eric Donovan, Cesar Valladares, Mark Moldwin, Melissa Meyer, and Jan Sojka

     0800-1700 Friday 29 June Anasazi See Friday agenda
     The concept of solving major science questions by deploying a network of small instruments was endorsed by the National Research Council's Space Studies Board in their report, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics. Under the leadership of John Foster, from this committee, a detailed report from a Woods Hole Workshop on DASI science was created. The original DASI concept envisaged a single overarching entity with a high priority science question to be answered. However, this has evolved, at Woods Hole it became evident that DASI means different realizations to different communities. Aeronomy is a case in point with key independent science questions from the mesosphere, D-region, E-region, thermosphere, F-region, topside, as well as M-I coupling that can only be addressed by multi-point measurements.

     This workshop provides a forum for these aeronomy communities to identify and discuss science questions and multi-point instrumentation schemes to address them. This workshop builds on last years CEDAR 2006 Workshop Frontier Science Session where over 35 CEDAR science questions were summarized. About 25 of these questions were, in essence, DASI science concepts that could be grouped into at least 3 independent CEDAR topical areas.

     The format of the workshop still evolves with a broad outline that includes the following:

     • Involve and invite community participation both formally and informally to discuss science questions that need DASI solutions.
     • Advance the ideas presented last year in the CEDAR Frontier Science Questions session.
     • Hear lessons learned from present day mini-DASI deployments.
     • Strategize on how mini-DASI deployments and their infrastructure can be leveraged to create the overarching DASI.
     • Hear from International colleagues on deployment issues of DASI beyond the U.S.
     • Invite NSF participation and input on time lines and realization strategies.

     The workshop provides an open forum for all CEDAR science questions that can potentially be addressed by DASI. For participation involvement, your suggestions, your willingness to present, or simply to be present, please contact one of the conveners with a copy to Jan Sojka (sojka@cc.usu.edu).

     Presentations

     • Dynamical Coupling in the Earth's Upper Atmosphere: Oustanding Challenges for DASI
       by Mara Hagan
     • LISN (Low-Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network) -- Lessons Learned by Cesar Valladares
     • Challenges for Deployment of Optical Instrumentation by Jonathan Makela

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     -- Revised 11 Sep 2007 by emery@ucar.edu