Scientific and Technical Discovery at the Millstone Hill Geospace Facility

磨石山地理空间设施的科学和技术发现

• 批准号: 1952737
• 负责人: Philip Erickson
• 金额: $ 1180.33万
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-06-01 至 2025-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1952737&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Scientific; Technical; Discovery; Millstone; Hill

This award is for the maintenance and operations of the Millstone Hill Observatory (MHO) in Westford, Massachusetts. MHO sits at the MIT Haystack Observatory which has been by the institute for many decades. The site consists of two 2.5MW UHF transmitter, a fixed zenith 68m diameter antenna and a 46m fully steerable antenna. In 1958, the UHF radar was built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory for the US Air Force for ballistic missile and satellite tracking. In 1974, NSF began supporting the radar operations studies of the upper atmosphere. The power and frequency of these two incoherent scatter radars remain unique in the world, with a handful of such radars still in operation for science. Modern technology has yet to surpass the resolution that can be obtained by this radar and the others like it. In addition to maintaining this unique asset for the US scientific community, this award provides funding for the Madrigal database, which is a central database groundbased observations from across the planet. It is a key asset for the Aeronomical science community. MHO makes measurements in the mid latitudes, subauroral zone making it a key location between NSFs auroral zone assets (AMISR) and equatorial assets (Arecibo Observatory and Jicamarca Radio Observatory).The 2020-2025 MHGF program will conduct ionospheric and thermospheric research at the frontiers of Geospace science. These include (1) thermosphere-ionosphere dynamics and variability studies, including tides, planetary waves, and traveling ionospheric disturbances using long duration IS radar observations; (2) studies of wave and disturbance signatures including those from the solar terminator, mesospheric gravity waves, and coupled whole atmospheric responses; (3) geomagnetic storm response and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling; and (4) eclipse response and dynamics during the April 2024 continental US total eclipse. MHGF will enable Geospace radar observations to support community science objectives, through (1) increasing total Millstone Hill IS radar observation time from ~1000 hours/year to 1250 hours/year; (2) providing sub-auroral coverage using a wide field of view suited for system science investigations; and (3) producing high quality data using validated and calibrated systems. MHGF will conduct a new series of annual 30-day continuous Millstone Hill IS radar mid-latitude campaigns that will (1) organize a science focused planning effort at the CEDAR and GEM workshops; (2) coordinate additional ground and space-based observations to maximize science returns; (3) lead data analysis for the topics listed above and those defined by CEDAR and GEM; and (4) organize and host a 30-day run focused model-data comparison workshop to promote IS radar data use for geospace system science. MHGF will demonstrate a new mid-latitude meteor radar based neutral wind observation capability using advanced radio capture with the RAPID platform that will (1) measure fine-scale mesospheric neutral wind structure over Millstone Hill; (2) overlap a 30-day IS radar run and provide approximately one year of neutral wind data; and (3) explore techniques for comparison of IS radar and multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) based meteor wind measurements. MHGF will also produce and make available GNSS based total electron content data products that (1) provide line of sight and vertical total electron content observations with bias calibration; and (2) support the use of GNSS products in Geospace science research by the community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项是为维护和运作的磨石山天文台（MHO）在韦斯特福德，马萨诸塞州。MHO位于麻省理工学院Haystack天文台，该天文台已经由该研究所使用了几十年。该基地包括两个2.5兆瓦的UHF发射机，一个固定的天顶68米直径的天线和一个46米的完全可操纵的天线。1958年，超高频雷达由麻省理工学院林肯实验室为美国空军建造，用于弹道导弹和卫星跟踪。1974年，NSF开始支持高层大气的雷达业务研究。这两个非相干散射雷达的功率和频率在世界上仍然是独一无二的，少数这样的雷达仍然在科学上运行。现代技术还没有超越这种雷达和其他类似雷达所能获得的分辨率。除了为美国科学界维护这一独特资产外，该奖项还为牧歌数据库提供资金，这是一个来自全球各地的中央数据库地面观测。它是航空科学界的重要资产。MHO在中纬度、亚极光区进行测量，使其成为国家科学基金会极光区资产（AMISR）和赤道资产（阿雷西沃天文台和希卡马卡射电天文台）之间的关键位置。2020-2025年MHGF计划将在地球空间科学前沿进行电离层和热层研究。这些研究包括：（1）热层-电离层动力学和变率研究，包括利用长时程IS雷达观测的潮汐、行星波和电离层行波扰动;（2）波和扰动特征研究，包括来自太阳终结者、中间层重力波和耦合的整个大气响应的波和扰动特征;（3）磁暴响应和磁层-电离层耦合;（4）2024年4月美国大陆日全食期间的日食响应和动力学。MHGF将使地球空间雷达观测能够支持社区科学目标，通过（1）将Millstone Hill IS雷达观测时间从每年约1000小时增加到每年1250小时;（2）使用适合系统科学调查的宽视场提供亚极光覆盖;（3）使用经过验证和校准的系统生成高质量数据。MHGF将开展一系列新的年度30天连续Millstone Hill IS雷达中纬度活动，这些活动将（1）在CEDAR和GEM研讨会上组织以科学为重点的规划工作;（2）协调额外的地面和天基观测，以最大限度地提高科学回报;（3）领导上述主题以及CEDAR和GEM定义的主题的数据分析;组织和主持为期30天的模式-数据对比研讨会，以促进IS雷达数据在地球空间系统科学中的应用。MHGF将展示一种新的基于中纬度流星雷达的中性风观测能力，该能力使用RAPID平台的先进无线电捕获，将（1）测量Millstone Hill上空的细尺度中间层中性风结构;（2）重叠30天的IS雷达运行，并提供大约一年的中性风数据;（3）探索比较IS雷达和基于多输入多输出（MIMO）的流星风测量的技术。MHGF还将制作和提供基于全球导航卫星系统的电子总含量数据产品，这些产品（1）提供带有偏差校准的视线和垂直电子总含量观测;和（2）支持社区在地球空间科学研究中使用GNSS产品。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

项目成果

Large‐Scale Disturbances in the Upper Thermosphere Induced by the 2022 Tonga Volcanic Eruption

• DOI: 10.1029/2022gl102265
• 发表时间: 2023-02
• 期刊: Geophysical Research Letters
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Ruoxi Li;J. Lei;Jürgen Kusche;Tong Dang;F. Huang;X. Luan;Shunrong Zhang;Maodong Yan;Ziyi Yang;Feifan Liu;X. Dou

Impacts of acoustic and gravity waves on the ionosphere

声波和重力波对电离层的影响

• DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.1064152
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
• 影响因子: 3
• 作者: Zawdie, Kate;Belehaki, Anna;Burleigh, Meghan;Chou, Min-Yang;Dhadly, Manbharat S.;Greer, Katelynn;Halford, Alexa J.;Hickey, Dustin;Inchin, Pavel;Kaeppler, Stephen R.
• 通讯作者: Kaeppler, Stephen R.

Next-decade needs for 3-D ionosphere imaging

• DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2023.1186513
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 作者: Ercha Aa;V. Forsythe;Shunrong Zhang;Wenbin Wang;A. Coster

Simultaneous Global Ionospheric Disturbances Associated With Penetration Electric Fields During Intense and Minor Solar and Geomagnetic Disturbances

• DOI: 10.1029/2023gl104250
• 发表时间: 2023-09
• 期刊: Geophysical Research Letters
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Shunrong Zhang;Y. Nishimura;J. Vierinen;L. Lyons;D. Knipp;Björn J. Gustavsson;Bhagyashree V. Waghule;P. Erickson;A. Coster;Ercha Aa;A. Spicher

Multi-instrumental analysis of the day-to-day variability of equatorial plasma bubbles

• DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2023.1167245
• 发表时间: 2023-03
• 作者: Ercha Aa;Shunrong Zhang;A. Coster;P. Erickson;W. Rideout