Continuing Theoretical Studies of Dynamical Processes in the Ionosphere

提出的研究是对等离子体和中性气体输运过程对地球电离层和热层影响的理论研究的延续。这项研究为期5年，将由6名科学家和一名研究生组成的小组进行。研究包括模型/数据比较、电离层动力学和电动力学的理论研究、极地风研究和高分辨率热层研究。总体方法是将电离层视为一个综合系统，它与磁层和热层相互作用。小组成员将研究不同但相关的电离层问题，结果将研究几乎所有主要的电离层区域，包括赤道、中、高纬度的E区、F区和上层电离层。在这些研究过程中，该小组的一些模型将得到升级或改进，但大多数拟议的研究将使用现有的电离层、热层、电动力学和极地风模型进行。此外，在许多拟议的研究中，将需要来自几种非相干散射雷达、电离层探空仪、地面磁力计、超级雷达和卫星的数据，但所有所需的数据要么已经可用，要么将在不久的将来在万维网上可用。拟议中的研究与国家空间天气计划、美国国家科学基金会（nsf）发起的名为CEDAR和GEM的社区倡议以及美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的TIMED卫星直接相关。

ATM-0000171SchunkThe proposed research is a continuation of theoretical studies of the effects that plasma and neutral gas transport processes have on the Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. The research spans a 5-year period and will be conducted by a group that is composed of six scientists and a graduate student. The research involves model/data comparisons, theoretical studies of ionosphere dynamics and electrodynamics, polar wind studies, and high-resolution thermosphere studies. The overall approach is to consider the ionosphere as an integrated system, which interacts with both the magnetosphere and thermosphere. The members of the group will study different, but related, ionospheric problems, with the result that almost all of the major ionospheric regions will be studied, including the E region, F region, and topside ionosphere at equatorial, middle, and high latitudes. In the course of these studies, some of the group's models will be upgraded or improved, but most of the proposed studies will be conducted with existing ionospheric, thermospheric, electrodynamic, and polar wind models. Also, in many of the proposed studies, data will be needed from several incoherent scatter radars, ionosondes, ground-based magnetometers, superDARN radars, and satellites, but all of the data required are either already available or will be available on the World Wide Web in the near future. The proposed research is directly relevant to the National Space Weather Program as well as to the NSF-sponsored community-wide initiatives called CEDAR and GEM, and to NASA's TIMED satellite.