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

地球空间环境的能量收支在很大程度上是由太阳风（一种从太阳喷出的带电粒子气体）和地球磁场——“磁层”之间的能量转移所控制的。就像太阳的光辐射和热辐射造成了我们在地面上经历的天气模式一样，太阳风造成了影响地球空间环境的“太空天气”。太阳风是我们欣赏到壮观的北极光的原因，但它也会破坏卫星电子设备和地面输电线路。这项研究的目的是调查太阳风影响地球磁层的方式。电离层是大气层顶部和磁层底部之间的边界层，它很特殊，因为它是地球大气层中可以流动大量水平电流的区域。地球的磁力线将磁层中的所有点与电离层连接起来；所以磁层的动态被投射到电离层上，电离层就像一个巨大的电视屏幕。像超级雷达这样的雷达——其中一个位于萨斯卡通城外——测量电离层中带电粒子的运动，从而揭示磁层中更大规模的运动。拍摄极光的相机告诉我们粒子撞击电离层时的能量，产生光，包括我们能看到的极光。加拿大在地面空间科学方面有着悠久而成功的历史，在从空间进行极光成像方面也有专门知识。加拿大人被太空科学所吸引，因为大部分从太阳风输入到地球磁层的能量发生在人们可以看到极光的地区，而加拿大在这些极光区域下方拥有最大的陆地。我们的建议是在加拿大使用地面仪器和卫星仪器，以便更好地了解太阳活动对地球环境的影响，包括对地球空间、初级空间探索区域和大气层的影响。

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.