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Latest revision as of 13:47, 16 August 2010

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What is the relation between atmospheric waves and ionospheric instabilities?

Project leaders

Jonathan Makela (USA) / Hisao Takahashi (Brazil)

Project members

I. Batista (Brazil), A. Bhattacharya (India), R. Buriti (Brazil), J. Chau (Peru), D. Fritts (USA), N. Gavrilov (Russia), E. Becker (Germany), L. Goncharenko (USA), J. Guoying (China), C. Haldoupis (Greece), D. Hysell (USA), P. Koucka Knizova (Czech Republic), C. La Hoz (Norway), M. Larsen (USA), H. Lühr (Germany), L.-A. McKinnell (South Africa), A. Manson (Canada), C. Martinis (USA), T. Maruyama (Japan), Y. Otsuka (Japan), D. Pallamraju (India), A. Patra (India), B. Rabiu (Nigeria), T. Ramkumar (India), M. Rietveld (Norway), S. Shamilov (Russia), E. Shume (Brazil), M. Taylor (USA), T. Tsuda (Japan), S. Vadas (USA)

Project plan

1. Investigate upward coupling at middle latitudes and study the relationship between E- and F-region instabilities
   • Perform coordinated observations of vector background electric fields and background MLT wind profiles in conjunction with airglow observations of mesospheric and thermospheric/ionospheric emissions in the Caribbean.
     1. 30-MHz radar imaging system on St. Croix (Hysell)
     2. Wide-angle imaging and GPS TEC systems on Bonaire and Trinidad (Makela)
     3. Arecibo incoherent scatter radar
2. Investigate upward coupling of gravity waves and the development of equatorial instabilities
   • Perform coordinated observations of neutral and plasma parameters
     1. SpreadFEx2 campaign in Brazil (Fritts, Makela, Takahashi, Buriti) including wide-angle imaging, Fabry-Perot interferometery, GPS TEC and scintillation measurements, and nightglow photometry.
     2. Study of Atmospheric Forcing and Responses (SAFAR) study in India (Patra et al) including MST radar, lidar, ionosondes, GPS balloon, lower atmospheric wind profiler, measurements of daytime/nighttime airglow, magnetometer, and MF radar (NARL, SP, EGRL).
     3. Observations of equatorial plasma bubbles and spread-F irregularities, and the ionospheric and thermospheric parameters needed to calculate the growth rate of the irregularities at equatorial locations in Indonesia will be made using the EAR and VHF radars, SEALION, and associated facilities at two equinoxes (18-28 September 2010 and 18-28 March 2011). The observed plasma irregularities will be compared with their growth rate calculated using SUPIM to determine the threshold values of the parameters at the onset of plasma bubbles, which will also be compared with the observations at different longitudes (India, Brazil and America). (N. Balan, M. Yamamoto, Y. Otsuka, T. Maruyama, A. K. Patra, M. A. Abdu, I. S. Batista, H. Takahasi and R. Tsunoda)
     4. Observations in the new JULIA-imaging mode at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory in Peru to gain deeper understanding of the formation and evolution of equatorial irregularities at 3-m scale (Chau). Coordinate with nightglow and Fabry-Perot observations (Makela/Gerrard/Meriwether) and GPS observations (LISN/Valladares) in western South America.
3. Develop a database of observations from instruments involved in these studies for easier investigations of longitudinal variability of upward coupling and the development of equatorial irregularities. Longitudinal chain of ionosonde, Meteor/MF radar, magnetometer and airglow imagers from India (Bhattacharya), Indonesia (Maruyama), Peru (Chau), Brazil (Takahashi) and Africa (TBD).
4. Develop collaborations between experimentalists and theorists/modelers to perform ray tracing of potential seed waves from the lower thermosphere to sources in the lower atmosphere. (Fritts, Vadas, Wrasse (Brazil))

Project activities

1. Ongoing data collection by team members
2. Coordinate simultaneous observational campaigns in South America and India. To be facilitated by a meeting of interested parties COSPAR in July 2010. Proposed Campaign period and data bank for TG4P2: September to October 2010 (60 days)