International Collaboration Research Using the EISCATRadars

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Svalbard EISCAT radar (ESR) is one of the greatest tools in the world for observing ionospheric phenomena in the polar cusp and cap regions. Together with EISCAT UHF and VHF (KST) radars in northern Scandinavia, which have been operated since 1981 and 1987 respectively, EISCAT radar systems provide us with essential physical parameters over the polar ionosphere. Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory (STEL) has been playing a central role in promoting a variety of research projects using the ESR and KST radars of the EISCAT Scientific Association. Japan, represented by NIPR, joined the EISCAT Scientific Association as the seventh associate country in April 1996. STEL, in collaboration with researchers across the nation, has been conducting Special Program (SP) experiments and creating Common Program (CP) data archives. The EISCAT database is available to collaborative researchers through network.Japanese Special Program (SP) experiments have been conducted in response to proposals submitted from collaborative researchers across the nation. In fiscal year 1998 four major SP projects were conducted : (1) research on the electrodynamics in the polar cusp and cap regions ; (2) research on polar dynamics based on simultaneous experiments with EISCAT and the Akebono satellite ; (3) a case study on the E region neutral wind ; and (4) research on auroral dynamics based on simultaneous observations using ESR, CAPER rocket and optical instruments. All of these projects except (3) were conducted on an international basis.One of the prominent scientific results in this fiscal year based on SP is a study of ion-outflow using both VHF and ESR radars. By using the two radars we derived the temperature inhomogeneities between temperatures of the field-aligned and its vertical components. This result, just submitted to Geophysical Research Letters, is sure to contribute to throwing light on the ionoutflow in the polar ionosphere.