A statistical investigation into coupled magnetospheric-ionospheric dynamics

via multi-scale, multi-instrument, data assimilation

PROJECT OVERVIEW

We propose an investigation into the dynamics of the near-Earth space environment by performing a statistical analysis of the coupled solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere system.  Our primary goal is to provide a truly global picture of the dynamics of the system under various interplanetary and geophysical conditions via the novel integration of a number of different data-sets obtained over the past decade.  These will include data products from space-based missions, including the Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) and the Cluster satellites, and ground-based facilities such as the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) and several high-latitude magnetometer chains.  Statistical studies that use these data-sets individually have already proven to be a powerful means of elucidating the complex nature of our space environment.  Equally important has been a series of case studies which combine data from a multiplicity of space- and ground-based instrumentation enabling the detailed analysis of a variety of magnetospheric and ionospheric phenomena.  What is currently lacking, however, is a coherent effort to exploit both of these techniques simultaneously, via the assimilation of comprehensive multi-instrument data-sets in a large-scale scheme designed specifically to maximise their effectiveness.  Our team comprises expertise in the statistical and multi-instrument analysis of data from a variety of instrumentation.  It is our aim to introduce assimilative methods, which are already well developed and established in other fields, into space physics with the goal of providing a global picture of coupled M-I dynamics.

INTRODUCTION

The dynamics of the Earth’s coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere (M-I) system are largely governed by reconnection between the terrestrial and interplanetary magnetic fields, which couple solar wind momentum into the magnetosphere and drive magnetospheric and ionospheric convection.  Within the magnetosphere this gives rise to an array of physical processes and observed phenomena that have been extensively studied over the last 50 years.  Statistical studies have revealed a great deal about the average nature of the system whilst multi-instrument studies have given valuable insight into its complexity.  However, despite all that has been learned, a detailed understanding of the behaviour of this complex system still eludes us.

Adrian Grocott

University of Leicester

Olaf Amm

Finnish Meteorological Institute

Joseph Baker

Virginia Tech.

Mervyn Freeman

British Antarctic Survey

Stein Haaland

University of Bergen

Benoit Hubert

University of Liège

Gang Lu

National Center for Atmospheric Research

Frédéric Pitout

Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble

Jonathan Rae

University of Alberta

Tim Yeoman

University of Leicester