Project Details
Description
The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, or SuperDARN, is an international collaborative experiment for observations of plasma convection in the Earth's ionosphere. By observing ionospheric plasma motion, a multitude of geophysical processes can be studied. These processes range from E-region plasma instabilities, to the relationships between auroral luminosity and electric fields, to the global-scale convective response to changes in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field. Each of these areas of study contributes to the overall goals of space physics: developing an understanding of the coupling of energy from the solar wind into Earth's upper atmosphere and its effects on man or manmade systems. Currently, SuperDARN covers nearly 15 hours of local time in the northern hemisphere, and close to 12 hours in the southern hemisphere. As the network has grown and demonstrated its potential, the number of scientist working with SuperDARN data has increased annually as has the number of scientifically significant publications. Addressing many of the goals, however, requires larger-scale coverage. Specifically, the continuous monitoring of convective flows requires radar observations that circumscribe the magnetic poles. The radar proposed for South Pole Station, along with the other new radars currently being proposed by our international collaborators for other locations on the Antarctic continent, will achieve this goal in the southern hemisphere.
Under the proposed program, the HF radar will be constructed Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. Data from the radar will be used, in conjunction with data from the rest of the SuperDARN network and the wealth of other space physics instruments in Antarctica, to study a variety of topics, including: responses of global convection to solar wind and IMF changes, plasma entry into, and exit from, the polar cap, and the accompanying response of the magnetotail, magnetospheric cusp response to changes in the solar wind, the motions of plasma patches through the polar cap, mesospheric winds, and thermospheric gravity waves. In addition, by establishing global-scale coverage in the southern hemisphere, the radar will help addressing questions about geomagnetic conjugacy, and the differences caused by the asymmetry of solar illumination. There are two main areas of broader impact in this proposal. First, as an international network of radars, SuperDARN fosters collaboration among member nations. There are currently eight nations that support SuperDARN work in Antarctica. It plays an important role in space physics research programs in each of these nations. The international cooperative scientific effort fostered under this program will have broad societal impacts. Another broader impact aspect of this proposal is its contribution to the education of the next generation of space physics scientists. Over the lifetime of the program, it will contribute to the education of a number of students and postdoctoral fellows.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 8/1/04 → 1/31/11 |
Funding
- National Science Foundation: $1,218,384.00