Arctic Research Initiative Expansion of the SuperDARN Radar Network

SuperDARN is an international HF radar network designed to measure global-scale magnetospheric convection by observing plasma motion in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Plasma convection is controlled by a series of interactions between the solar wind, and Earth's magnetosphere, and the high-latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) ionosphere. By measuring the global-scale plasma motions and studying their temporal evolution, we obtain a better understanding of the processes that couple the solar wind's energy and momentum to the upper atmosphere, and thereby obtain a better understanding of space weather processes at polar latitudes. Currently, there is no SuperDARN coverage of the region extending from central Canada westward through Alaska. It is proposed to install a SuperDARN radar at a site near Soldotna, Alaska. Since the radar measurements will extend 3000 km poleward from the radar location, data from this radar will complement data from all other geophysical monitoring instruments located in Alaska and will extend beyond Alaska's Arctic slope into the region over the Arctic Ocean where no other ground-based sensors are available. The field of view of the Soldotna radar will include the Poker Flat Rocket Range, and the new HAARP and HIPAS ionospheric modification facilities. The SuperDARN network has been developed by scientists in Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. The network has components in the northern and southern hemispheres. The northern hemisphere component consists of six radars with coverage extending from Finland westward to central Canada. Measurements are made continuously over nearly 12 hours of local time from 65o-85o magnetic latitude. It is truly a global-scale measurement system for studying physical processes occurring in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere in arctic and antarctic regions.