Continuing Theoretical Studies of Dynamical Processes in the Ionosphere

本项目将探讨等离子体和中性气体输运过程对电离层及其周围区域的影响。该方法基于时间依赖、高分辨率、基于物理的理论和同化模型，以及来自地面雷达和磁力计的辅助数据，特别是Poker Flat （PFISR）和Resolute Bay （RISR）非相干散射雷达。研究的科学问题涉及电离层、热层、外逸层、等离子层、极地风以及与这些区域相关的耦合机制。该项目的一个重点目标是利用高纬度电离层电动力变量的集合卡尔曼滤波，更好地理解中尺度等离子体结构对全球尺度流的影响。其他具体议题包括：大气对最近极端太阳活动周期最小期和零星空间天气事件的响应；电离层扰动的产生与演化；以及大气波的气候学。

This project will investigate several research topics on the effects of plasma and neutral gas transport processes on the ionosphere and surrounding regions. The methodology is based on time-dependent, high-resolution, physics-based theoretical and assimilative models in addition to auxiliary data from ground-based radars and magnetometers, particularly the Poker Flat (PFISR) and Resolute Bay (RISR) incoherent scatter radars. The scientific problems under investigation pertain to the ionosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, plasmasphere, polar wind, and to coupling mechanisms relevant to these regions. A focused goal of the project is to better understand the effect of mesoscale plasma structures on global-scale flows using ensemble Kalman filtering of high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamical variables. Other specific topics include: the atmospheric response to the recent extreme solar cycle phase minimum and to sporadic space weather events; the generation and evolution of ionospheric disturbances; and the climatology of atmospheric waves.