1. ICESTAR: Solar-terrestrial and aeronomy research during the International Polar Year Kirsti Kauristie1, Allan Weatherwax2, Richard Harrison3, Richard Stamper3 ICESTAR and IHY Teams 1Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland, 2Siena College, USA, 3Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
The objectives:
To study interhemispheric relationships in the electrodynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere and in the aeronomy of the upper atmosphere in polar areas.
To create a network of Virtual Observatories for Arctic and Antarctic geospace observations.
The science themes:
Coupling processes between the different atmospheric layers and their connection with the solar activity
Energy and mass exchange between the ionosphere and magnetosphere
Interhemispheric similarities and asymmetries in the above described phenomena
ICESTAR (Interhemispheric Conjugacy Effects in Solar Terrestrial and Aeronomy Research) and IHY (International Heliophysical Year) form together an umbrella programme for 29 consortia and will serve as one of the core projects during IPY (International Polar Year, March ). The name of the project is “Heliosphere impact on geospace” (IPY ID# 63,
ICESTAR is a SCAR Scientific Research Programme which emphasizes the utilization of combined Arctic and Antarctic observations in geospace research.
IHY coordinates the use of current and forthcoming spacecraft missions with ground-based instruments to study the Sun's influence on the heliosphere, including the effects at the Earth.
Examples of research topics and of the ongoing and forthcoming activities:
Magnetosphere-ionosphere energy transfer:
Ionospheric tomography and scintillation
Auroral precipitation as observed with optical and riometer instrumentation
VLF receivers and transmitter at the South Pole
Plasma instruments onboard International Space Station
Coupling between the different atmospheric layers:
Vertical coupling as observed with radars, lidars, and sounders
Global electric circuit
Effect of solar proton events on middle atmospheric chemistry
Polar vortex variability
Atmospheric gravity waves and ionospheric currents
Interhemispheric relationships:
Global ionospheric plasma convection as observed with HF-radars
Asymmetries in mesoscale auroral structures
Asymmetries in MHD-simulations
Artic and Antarctic cosmic ray flux measurements
Measurement campaigns, networks and innovations:
Long duration balloon experiments with magnetic field measurements
GPS dual frequency receiver onboard research vessel
New HF- and incoherent scatter radars to Antarctic
Public Outreach and Space Weather monitoring:
Greenland Space Science Symposium in May 2007
”Life on Icy Worlds” conference in Alaska
Antarctic Space Weather reports
Ionospheric and tropospheric effects on GPS positioning
Figures from: Edgar Bering, Pierre Cilliers, Finnish
Met. Institute, EISCAT- and ISS-web sites