Multi-instrument studies from the ground and space of solar-terrestrial coupling and magnetospheric dynamics

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The energy budget of the Earth's space environment is largely controlled by the energy transfer between the solar wind (a gas of charged particles expelled from the Sun) and the Earth's magnetic field - the "magnetosphere." Just as the light and heat radiation from the Sun cause the weather patterns that we experience on the ground, the solar wind causes "space weather" that affects the Earth's space environment. The solar wind is the cause of the spectacular northern lights that we enjoy, but it can also damage satellite electronics and power transmission lines on the ground. The aim of this study is to investigate the ways in which the solar wind affects the Earth's magnetosphere. The ionosphere, which is the boundary layer between the top of the atmosphere and the bottom of the magnetosphere, is special because it is the region of the Earth's atmosphere where large horizontal electric currents can flow. The magnetic field lines of the Earth connect all points in the magnetosphere to the ionosphere; so the dynamics of the magnetosphere are projected down on the ionosphere, which acts like a vast television screen. Radars like SuperDARN - one of which is located just outside of Saskatoon - measure the motion of the charged particles in the ionosphere, and thereby reveal the larger-scale motions in the magnetosphere. Cameras that photograph the aurora tell us about the energy of the particles as they hit the ionosphere, producing light, including the aurora that we can see. Canada has a long and successful history of ground-based space science, as well as expertise in auroral imaging from space. Canadians are drawn to space science because the majority of the energy input from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere occurs in regions where one can see the aurora, and Canada has the largest landmass underneath these auroral regions. Our proposal is to use ground-based instruments in Canada, along with satellite instruments, to achieve a greater understanding of the influence of solar activity on the Earth's environment, both in geospace, the region of primary space exploration, and in the atmosphere.