Collaborative Research: CEDAR: Cross Polar Cap Potential Drop and Convection Studies Using Combined SuperDARN and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Data

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This is a collaborative research award involving the University of Texas at Dallas and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The investigators will use data from the SuperDARN radar network and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) to study convection in the high latitude ionosphere. Both the SuperDARN radars and the DMSP spacecraft make routine measurements of ionospheric plasma motion, but both suffer from temporal and spatial limitations in their coverage. The study will begin with the calibration and validation of the two data sets, leading to the development of techniques to reconcile the observations. Once that is complete, combined data sets will be used to study the ionospheric response to changes in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Specific questions to be addressed are the saturation of the cross polar cap potential when the IMF is southward, the response time of the convection to changes in the IMF, and convection patterns when the IMF is strongly northward. This work will aid in the development of space weather models which are used to predict conditions in the space environment that affect technological systems, such as electric power, navigation, and communication.