JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2020

Session information

[E] Oral

P (Space and Planetary Sciences ) » P-EM Solar-Terrestrial Sciences, Space Electromagnetism & Space Environment

[P-EM21] Surprises from the Subauroral Zone: Synthesizing Ground and Space-Based Observations and Theory

convener:Connors Martin G(Athabasca University), Kazuo Shiokawa(Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University)

Recent studies, including some facilitated by citizen science, have shown the subauroral ionosphere to be more active than previously suspected. Unusual emissions, from SAR arcs to STEVE, indicate previously little studied physical processes in this region. Some arise from conjugacy to the radiation belts, while others have origins which remain unclear. This session attempts to stimulate synthesis of observations from different domains to address phenomena which appear difficult to explain when examined from only one of the many new sources of information about the subauroral zone. Optical observations have expanded to include those with the very high resolution of amateur DSLR cameras, yet this sporadic source is well complemented by continuous observation from the few comprehensive subauroral observatories. As ever, conjugacy with spacecraft plays an important role in assessing possible sources of precipitation or waves that may stimulate the subauroral ionosphere, and there are indeed now many space assets (RBSP, Arase, THEMIS, MMS) with footprints at least sometimes in that region. Various polar-orbiting low-altitude satellites traverse it regularly. The installation of low-latitude poleward-looking incoherent scatter radars, with large fields of view in the subauroral zone, also provides context and the ability to extract physical parameters continuously. The sometimes-extreme conditions now known to exist in the subauroral region have stimulated theory to expand the parameter range needed to explain ionospheric phenomena. We welcome contributions integrating multiple sources of observation and theoretical approaches to hopefully transform what is initially surprising into a new view of an unsuspectedly active region.

*Sneha Yadav1,2, Kazuo Shiokawa1, Yuichi Otsuka1, Martin G Connors3, Jean-Pierre St. Maurice4,5 (1.Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, 2.Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India, 3.Athabasca University Observatories, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, 4.Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 5.Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada)

*Hiroyo Ohya1, Miyashita Takuya1, Fuminori Tsuchiya2, Asuka Hirai2, Mitsunori Ozaki3, Kazuo Shiokawa4, Yoshizumi Miyoshi4, Nozomu Nishitani4, Tomoaki Hori4, Mariko Teramoto5, Martin G Connors6, Simon G Shepherd7, Yoshiya Kasahara3, Atsushi Kumamoto2, Masafumi Shoji4, Iku Shinohara8, Hiroyuki Nakata1, Toshiaki Takano1 (1.Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 2.Tohoku University, 3.Kanazawa University, 4.Nagoya University, 5.Kyushu Institute of Technology, 6.Athabasca University, 7.Dartmouth College, 8.Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

*Paul Prikryl1,2, James M. Weygand3, Reza Ghoddousi-Fard4, Bharat S. R. Kunduri5, P. T. Jayachandran1, Knut S. Jacobsen6, Yngvild L. Andalsvik6, Tibor Durgonics7, Kjerrmar Oksavik8,9 (1.Physics Department University of New Brunswick, Canada, 2. Geomagnetic Laboratory Natural Resources Canada, 3.Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, USA, 4.Canadian Geodetic Survey Natural Resources Canada , 5.Bradley Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, USA, 6.Norwegian Mapping Authority, Norway, 7.National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark, 8.Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Norway, 9.Arctic Geophysics, University Centre in Svalbard, Norway)

Discussion (5:25 PM - 5:30 PM)