DRivers and Impacts of Ionospheric Variability with EISCAT-3D (DRIIVE)
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
One of the biggest unanswered questions in the solar-terrestrial science that underpins Space Weather research is:
How does the high latitude ionosphere vary on small scales in response to driving from above and below?
An immediate practical follow-on question would be: what are the impacts of small-scale processes to the larger upper atmosphere environment? The answers to these questions are essential for understanding how Space Weather impacts on society. This area is of growing importance to the UK, as evidenced by recent investment in operational Space Weather forecasting at the Met Office and the inclusion of Space Weather in the National Risk Register.
To answer these questions, we need to understand the processes that occur in the region known as the Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere (MLTI - 75-200 km altitude) and how they affect the wider coupled ionosphere-upper-atmosphere system. The ionosphere and upper neutral atmosphere are intrinsically linked: perturb one and the other changes. This has implications for our near-Earth space environment where variations in atmospheric density produce changes in the orbits of space debris, increasing the risk of unforeseen collisions; a significant natural hazard as Geospace grows more crowded. Space Weather plays a big role in modifying this region through frictional Joule heating and particle energy deposition but is not the only important driver. The weather in the lower atmosphere drives changes in the ionosphere that can be comparable to external forcing, but the relative contribution is far from understood, as the processes are under-observed. Another barrier to knowing that contribution is our inability to properly account for small scale variability, whether driven from above or below. Upper atmosphere models typically do not resolve this variability, yet we know that not doing so leads to underestimates of the magnitude of atmospheric heating by as much as 40%. This heating is a process that relies both on space weather driving and changes in the neutral atmosphere composition and dynamics.
This project will use the brand new, next generation ionospheric radar: EISCAT-3D, located in northern Fennoscandia. This is part funded by NERC. It is capable of imaging a large volume of the local ionosphere and providing measurements on horizontal scales of 1-100 km. It will be unique with high vertical and temporal resolution and multipoint measurements of the ionospheric electric field vector. The field of view of the radar will cover a decent proportion of the auroral zone in latitude, such that results from the measurements made there can be applied to the wider region.
We will use the unique capabilities of the radar to quantify the energy that is deposited into the MLTI from space weather events and also measure the impact of small-scale waves that propagate upwards from the lower atmosphere. We will use a range of support instrumentation, including newly deployed optics, and determine how the coupling between the neutral and ionized regimes affect the energy balance. Resolving these processes will let us establish their role in upper atmospheric heating.
We will use the E3D observations together with comprehensive upper atmosphere models to determine and apply methods of correcting estimates of heating due to the small-scale changes. Using advanced models with inputs informed by the results of our observations we will determine how the small-scales affect the low altitude satellite debris field in the Earth's outer environment.
This Project directly addresses two of the priority areas (and touches on others) that have been identified in the NERC Highlight Topic Announcement of Opportunity, and so answers the key question: How does the high latitude ionosphere vary on small scales in response to driving from above and below?
How does the high latitude ionosphere vary on small scales in response to driving from above and below?
An immediate practical follow-on question would be: what are the impacts of small-scale processes to the larger upper atmosphere environment? The answers to these questions are essential for understanding how Space Weather impacts on society. This area is of growing importance to the UK, as evidenced by recent investment in operational Space Weather forecasting at the Met Office and the inclusion of Space Weather in the National Risk Register.
To answer these questions, we need to understand the processes that occur in the region known as the Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere (MLTI - 75-200 km altitude) and how they affect the wider coupled ionosphere-upper-atmosphere system. The ionosphere and upper neutral atmosphere are intrinsically linked: perturb one and the other changes. This has implications for our near-Earth space environment where variations in atmospheric density produce changes in the orbits of space debris, increasing the risk of unforeseen collisions; a significant natural hazard as Geospace grows more crowded. Space Weather plays a big role in modifying this region through frictional Joule heating and particle energy deposition but is not the only important driver. The weather in the lower atmosphere drives changes in the ionosphere that can be comparable to external forcing, but the relative contribution is far from understood, as the processes are under-observed. Another barrier to knowing that contribution is our inability to properly account for small scale variability, whether driven from above or below. Upper atmosphere models typically do not resolve this variability, yet we know that not doing so leads to underestimates of the magnitude of atmospheric heating by as much as 40%. This heating is a process that relies both on space weather driving and changes in the neutral atmosphere composition and dynamics.
This project will use the brand new, next generation ionospheric radar: EISCAT-3D, located in northern Fennoscandia. This is part funded by NERC. It is capable of imaging a large volume of the local ionosphere and providing measurements on horizontal scales of 1-100 km. It will be unique with high vertical and temporal resolution and multipoint measurements of the ionospheric electric field vector. The field of view of the radar will cover a decent proportion of the auroral zone in latitude, such that results from the measurements made there can be applied to the wider region.
We will use the unique capabilities of the radar to quantify the energy that is deposited into the MLTI from space weather events and also measure the impact of small-scale waves that propagate upwards from the lower atmosphere. We will use a range of support instrumentation, including newly deployed optics, and determine how the coupling between the neutral and ionized regimes affect the energy balance. Resolving these processes will let us establish their role in upper atmospheric heating.
We will use the E3D observations together with comprehensive upper atmosphere models to determine and apply methods of correcting estimates of heating due to the small-scale changes. Using advanced models with inputs informed by the results of our observations we will determine how the small-scales affect the low altitude satellite debris field in the Earth's outer environment.
This Project directly addresses two of the priority areas (and touches on others) that have been identified in the NERC Highlight Topic Announcement of Opportunity, and so answers the key question: How does the high latitude ionosphere vary on small scales in response to driving from above and below?
Organisations
- University College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) (Collaboration)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- Lancaster University (Collaboration)
- South African National Space Agency (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS (Collaboration)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Anasuya Aruliah (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Coxon J
(2022)
RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting report
in Astronomy & Geophysics
Krcelic P
(2023)
Fine-Scale Electric Fields and Joule Heating From Observations of the Aurora
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Reddy S
(2022)
CubeSat measurements of thermospheric plasma: spacecraft charging effects on a plasma analyzer
in CEAS Space Journal
Reddy S
(2023)
Predicting Swarm Equatorial Plasma Bubbles via Machine Learning and Shapley Values
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Description | CIRCE satellite space weather monitoring |
Organisation | Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) |
Country | United States |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Thermosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere expertise to space weather monitoring, and ground-based observations from a network of Fabry-Perot Interferometers to provide ground-truthing for comparison with satellite and other complementary instruments. |
Collaborator Contribution | SWRI - miniaturised ion-neutral mass spectrometers on the CIRCE CubeSats. UCL CEGE - precise orbit determination for satellite drag studies Both involved in supervising MSc and MSci student projects on determining the absolute thermospheric density using particle measurements or satellite drag. SWRI colleague was previously at MSSL, and has been involved in joint supervision of a PhD student (finishing 2024) |
Impact | several talks and posters presented at UK and international conferences several MSc and MSci research projects |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | CIRCE satellite space weather monitoring |
Organisation | University College London |
Department | Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Thermosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere expertise to space weather monitoring, and ground-based observations from a network of Fabry-Perot Interferometers to provide ground-truthing for comparison with satellite and other complementary instruments. |
Collaborator Contribution | SWRI - miniaturised ion-neutral mass spectrometers on the CIRCE CubeSats. UCL CEGE - precise orbit determination for satellite drag studies Both involved in supervising MSc and MSci student projects on determining the absolute thermospheric density using particle measurements or satellite drag. SWRI colleague was previously at MSSL, and has been involved in joint supervision of a PhD student (finishing 2024) |
Impact | several talks and posters presented at UK and international conferences several MSc and MSci research projects |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | CIRCE satellite space weather monitoring |
Organisation | University College London |
Department | Department of Space and Climate Physics (MSSL) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Thermosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere expertise to space weather monitoring, and ground-based observations from a network of Fabry-Perot Interferometers to provide ground-truthing for comparison with satellite and other complementary instruments. |
Collaborator Contribution | SWRI - miniaturised ion-neutral mass spectrometers on the CIRCE CubeSats. UCL CEGE - precise orbit determination for satellite drag studies Both involved in supervising MSc and MSci student projects on determining the absolute thermospheric density using particle measurements or satellite drag. SWRI colleague was previously at MSSL, and has been involved in joint supervision of a PhD student (finishing 2024) |
Impact | several talks and posters presented at UK and international conferences several MSc and MSci research projects |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | Hot Oxygen Doppler Imager with FPI and EISCAT radar collaboration |
Organisation | New Jersey Institute of Technology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Collaboration of optical instruments with the EISCAT Svalbard Radar to measure the upper thermosphere and ionosphere within the polar cap. I was involved in supervising the radar experiment and contributing FPI data. |
Collaborator Contribution | NJIT - built and installed the HODI instrument at the Kjell Henriksen Observatory on Svalbard. SANSA - contributed optical instrument expertise in addition to polar region thermosphere-ionosphere expertise. |
Impact | Initial stages of data analysis. At least two periods of observations to be examined in detail. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Hot Oxygen Doppler Imager with FPI and EISCAT radar collaboration |
Organisation | South African National Space Agency |
Country | South Africa |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Collaboration of optical instruments with the EISCAT Svalbard Radar to measure the upper thermosphere and ionosphere within the polar cap. I was involved in supervising the radar experiment and contributing FPI data. |
Collaborator Contribution | NJIT - built and installed the HODI instrument at the Kjell Henriksen Observatory on Svalbard. SANSA - contributed optical instrument expertise in addition to polar region thermosphere-ionosphere expertise. |
Impact | Initial stages of data analysis. At least two periods of observations to be examined in detail. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Predicting the upper atmospheric response to extremes of space weather forcing |
Organisation | Lancaster University |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | 1) ground-based observations by a network of Fabry-Perot Interferometers of thermospheric winds and temperatures 2) expertise in thermosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling from an observations perspective for modelling studies |
Collaborator Contribution | 1) SuperDARN radar electric field potentials and the TIVIE model (Lancaster) 2) WACCMX whole atmosphere modelling (Leeds) |
Impact | seminars, talks and posters |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Predicting the upper atmospheric response to extremes of space weather forcing |
Organisation | University of Leeds |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | 1) ground-based observations by a network of Fabry-Perot Interferometers of thermospheric winds and temperatures 2) expertise in thermosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling from an observations perspective for modelling studies |
Collaborator Contribution | 1) SuperDARN radar electric field potentials and the TIVIE model (Lancaster) 2) WACCMX whole atmosphere modelling (Leeds) |
Impact | seminars, talks and posters |
Start Year | 2020 |