Creating Standards for Evaluating Ground Magnetometer Arrays

美国国家科学基金会大气和地球空间科学部地球空间部门2016年地球空间组合审查建议改变美国国家科学基金会支持用于航空和磁层物理研究的地面磁力计和其他阵列的方式。《投资组合审查》建议为设施建立一个等级制度。第1类包含该计划最初开发支持的大型单位置电离层雷达。第2类包含分布在广泛地理位置的仪器网络。为此，AGS部门于2016年5月5日至6日在马里兰州格林贝尔特举办了为期两天的研讨会，由Mark Engebretson和Eftyhia Zesta领导。研讨会参与者接受了投资组合评审的建议，即在3-5年内，这些阵列应该从科学计划中单独资助和管理的项目转变为作为地球空间科学设施得到集体支持的项目。研讨会参与者讨论了优化、稳健、有效组织和科学使用这些地面阵列的可能途径。研究结果为地面磁力计界提出了一系列建议，发表在“地面磁力计阵列规划：研讨会报告”（Engebretson和Zesta， 2017）中。该合同支持这些建议的初步实施，即收集NSF-AGS支持的所有磁力计阵列的操作和产品的详细信息，并使用这些信息创建一套标准，可用于准备将这些阵列转换为2级设施。地面磁力计是用于研究地球空间环境的最古老、最有效的观测工具之一。它们继续为地球电离层、上层大气和磁层的各种研究提供必要的数据。磁力计阵列得到世界各国的支持和维护。美国的阵列为综合理解地球-空间的全球动态提供了有价值的信息。它们远程测量定义电离层和磁层动力学的电流，包括那些与地磁风暴和亚风暴有关的电流，以及那些与行星际冲击和弓形激波相关的不稳定性引起的磁层全球压缩有关的电流。它们还使跟踪阿尔芬波传播的能量在磁层中的传播和波粒相互作用成为可能，这些相互作用以不同的方式增强或耗尽高能粒子的通量，包括范艾伦辐射带中的超相对论性电子。该合同将用于全面记录所有NSF-AGS资助的阵列的当前状态，并将为以更具成本效益和科学生产力的方式管理和支持这一有价值的国家观测能力奠定基础。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The 2016 Geospace Portfolio Review of the Geospace Section of NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Science recommended changes to the way NSF supports ground magnetometer and other arrays for research in Aeronomy and Magnetospheric Physics. The Portfolio Review recommended the creation of a class system for facilities. Class 1 contains the large, single location ionospheric radars that the program was initially developed to support. Class 2 contains networks of instruments distributed across broad geographical locations. In response, the AGS Division funded a two-day workshop led by Mark Engebretson and Eftyhia Zesta on May 5-6, 2016 in Greenbelt, Maryland. Workshop participants accepted the Portfolio Review's recommendation that within 3-5 years these arrays should transition from being projects that are separately funded and managed within the science programs to being collectively supported as a Geospace Sciences Facility. Workshop participants discussed possible pathways for optimal, robust, and effective organization and scientific use of these ground arrays. The outcome was a set of recommendations for the ground magnetometer community to carry out which was published in "Ground Magnetometer Array Planning: Report of a Workshop" (Engebretson and Zesta, 2017). This award supports the initial implementation of these recommendations, namely to gather detailed information about operations and products of all magnetometer arrays supported by NSF-AGS, and to use this information to create a set of standards that can be used to prepare for transitioning these arrays to a Class 2 Facility.Ground-based magnetometers are one of the oldest and most effective types of observational tools used to study Earth's space environment. They continue to provide essential data for a variety of studies of Earth's ionosphere, upper atmosphere, and magnetosphere. Magnetometer arrays are supported and maintained by countries all over the world. The US arrays contribute valuable information for synthesizing an understanding of the global dynamics in Earth-space. They remotely measure currents that define the dynamics of the ionosphere and magnetosphere, including those associated with geomagnetic storms and substorms and those associated with global compressions of the magnetosphere from interplanetary shocks and bow shock-related instabilities. They also make it possible to track Alfven wave - borne energy propagation throughout the magnetosphere and wave-particle interactions that variously can intensify or deplete the fluxes of energetic particles, including ultrarelativistic electrons in the Van Allen radiation belts. This award will be used to fully document the current state of all NSF-AGS funded arrays and will lay the groundwork for moving toward management and support of this valuable national observing capability in a more cost-effective and scientifically productive manner.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.