We are happy to report that Joe Allen is now at home convalescing from
successful surgery and that he will soon be back in the SCOSTEP Office. He
thanks all who sent their support and best wishes and is looking forward to
resuming his duties as Scientific Secretary.
(Passed unanimously at the SCOSTEP General Council Meeting, August 10, 1997.)
Taking Into Account:
That the establishment of a Polar Cap Observatory with a state-of-the-art
incoherent scatter radar by the US National Science Foundation at a
carefully selected site, near the magnetic pole, in Resolute, Canada, will
provide crucial information to achieve the above objective, and will allow
other polar cap studies of great benefit to the US and international
scientific communities;
and Considering with utmost concern:
Fully endorses the selection of Resolute, Canada, as the optimal geographic
position for a polar cap radar from the scientific and logistic points of
view, and
Strongly urges the US Congress to remove from the pertinent legislation the
directive to locate the radar in another place.
(Please note the corrected URL for AGU Science Legislative Alert home page
is www.agu.org/cgi-bin/asla/asla-list.)
Regarding the location of the Polar Cap Observatory you are now strongly
urged to write to your congressional representatives regarding the unwise
directive for the relocation of the PCO from Resolute Bay to Alaska. The
NSF has followed the process of advising Congress regarding the scientific
requirements for locating the PCO at Resolute Bay, and we are grateful to
those who have written to NSF Director Neal Lane regarding this matter.
The final decision will be made at a House-Senate conference committee
scheduled to meet in September. The bills are now being prepared by the
congressional staff, and it is therefore essential that your letters be
sent or your calls be made before the end of August. Driven by the strong
scientific rationale for locating the PCO near the polar cap, we need to
make our voices heard loudly and clearly that the PCO cannot meet its
objectives from a location in Alaska.
The conference committee membership remains unknown at this time, but we
cannot wait till this is announced in early September. It is likely that
the committee will consist of members of the House and Senate
Appropriations committees. Letters should therefore be addressed to the
Senator or Representative for your State, as well as to some of the
following committee chairmen:
Senator Ted Stevens (Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations)
The AGU has an excellent Web site listing members of Congress, addresses,
various committee and subcommittee membership, and has advice on how best
to write to members of Congress. The Web address is:
www.agu.org/cgi-bin/asla/asla-list; click on "Congressional Committees
Dealing with Science", and on "Why You Should Communicate with Congress."
Check to see if your representative is part of the relevant committees, and
if you know the staff in your congressional office, you may wish to call
them as well. You need to act promptly on this matter. Please write now.
Joe Salah
STEERING COMMITTEE: Co-chairman V. N. Obridko, Russia; Co-chairman S. T.
Wu, USA; P. K. Manoharan, India; B. Schmieder, France; M. A. Shea, USA; S.
Tsuneta, Japan; and T. Watanabe, Japan.
SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVE: To conduct basic research directed toward
understanding the underlying and resulting processes associated with the
rising and maximum phase of a solar cycle.
ASSOCIATED APPLICATIONS: An improved understanding of the processes
associated with a solar cycle can be applied to many aspects of Earth's
environment such as predicting solar proton intensities, and geomagnetic
disturbances. In addition, the scientific results may have long-term
applications from planning extended spacecraft missions to global climate
effects.
PROPOSED TIME PERIOD FOR STUDY: 1998-2002
POSSIBLE PARTICIPANTS: Scientists who have already agreed to participate
in various aspects of this Project:
The Steering Committee invites interested scientists to participate in the
implementation of the International Solar Cycle Study. Organization of
specific projects within the framework of this program are encouraged,
particularly for any event-oriented studies to be undertaken by the ISCS
group as a whole. Participants are expected to work within their own
resources since SCOSTEP funding is extremely limited.
WORKING GROUP 1. SOLAR ENERGY FLUX STUDY: FROM THE INTERIOR TO THE OUTER LAYER
INTRODUCTION
Over the past 21 years, SCOSTEP has coordinated several successful solar
and interplanetary programs such as FBS, SERF, STIP, SMY, SMA and the
SOLERS22 and SOLTIP projects under STEP. However, it has not coordinated
any program directed toward understanding solar processes throughout the
rise and maximum of the solar cycle and the resulting phenomena that affect
the interplanetary medium and planet Earth. To the best of our knowledge
there are currently no national or international projects being conducted
with an emphasis of understanding solar and interplanetary processes during
the rising and maximum of the 23rd solar cycle.
We are unable to accurately predict the magnitude of the 23rd solar cycle.
Sunspots have been observed at high solar latitudes thus announcing the
onset of new cycle phenomena. Solar activity (and interplanetary
phenomena) typically occur from both old and new cycle regions during the
initial period of each solar cycle (as defined by the smoothed sunspot
number.) Also they typically occur during relatively quiet conditions
making these disturbances ideal candidates for studying an isolated event.
The first few months of 1997 have produced these types of phenomena. The
interesting solar activity in January 1997 occurred in a cycle 22 spot
region near the solar equator and had many unusual features. The solar
activity in April 1997 occurred in a cycle 23 spot region and was more
typical of solar-induced phenomena.
Significant energetic solar proton events also seldom occur during the
first year of a "new" cycle, although major solar flares (and coronal mass
ejections) are observed. During the second year of a cycle, proton events
typically occur in isolation associated with one solar activity event. As
the cycle progresses, one solar active region often produces episodes of
similar activity such as similar X-ray emissions, coronal mass ejections,
solar proton events, and interplanetary disturbances. What underlying
solar feature(s) evolves differently between these three types of solar
emission phenomena is an unanswered question.
Similarly, interplanetary disturbances usually occur in relative isolation
during the initial phase of the rising portion of a solar cycle. As the
cycle progresses, the increased solar activity, often from more than one
region at a time, results in considerable turbulence in the interplanetary
medium. The transport of these solar emissions through the interplanetary
medium is of importance in predicting which and when various phenomena will
interfere with spacecraft operations and the geophysical environment.
In addition to the particle output of the Sun, the study of variability of
the solar radiation over a solar cycle is an equally important issue. The
total radiative output of the Sun establishes Earth's radiation
environment, and it controls its temperature and atmospheric composition.
Recent studies indicate that small but persistent variations in the solar
energy flux may play an important role in climate changes. Unfortunately,
we lack the fundamental understanding of the physical mechanism beneath the
solar convective zone that causes solar variability. We need to conduct
further research to answer important questions like "Could the solar
irradiance change by a larger amount during the next solar cycle?" or "Are
the catastrophic climate changes observed in prehistoric isotopic records
related to changes that occur in the Sun?" A comprehensive study of the
emergence, evolution, eruption and decay of solar magnetic active regions,
related irradiance changes and particle effects will help to achieve our
ultimate goal: to understand why, how and what mechanisms govern solar
variability which controls many of the terrestrial processes.
Study of the solar cycle also includes the analysis of physical parameters
and indices at various reference points of the cycle where their behavior
changes drastically. It is important to determine the relationship between
the fields of various scales, including global fields. We still do not
know exactly when a solar cycle begins. Equally puzzling are the processes
underlying the solar polarity reversal near the maximum of solar activity.
Questions like "What processes give rise to polarity reversal?" and "Why
doesn't the polarity at each pole change simultaneously?" need to be
addressed. Studies of the relation of differential and rigid rotation and
the variation of rotation characteristics with depth may help explain the
reversal process at different solar latitudes.
Although the programs planned by each of the Working Group leaders are
fundamental and basic research, there is an underlying theme of
connectivity between the solar emissions and selected geophysical phenomena
(i.e., space weather.) There is little doubt that increased knowledge of
the solar-interplanetary environment, particularly during the rising and
maximum portions of the solar cycle, will enhance our knowledge and hence
our ability to better forecast not only the occurrence of terrestrial
phenomena (e.g., geomagnetic disturbances) but also to help predict the
magnitude and possible consequences of various perturbations. In addition,
coordinated studies of solar phenomena and solar emission propagation to
Earth and other spacecraft will enhance our knowledge of the propagation of
these phenomena throughout the heliosphere.
This project is planned for the rising portion of the 23rd solar cycle
through the projected maximum in solar activity and is designed to improve
our understanding of how the Sun dramatically evolves from a quiet Sun to
an extremely active Sun over a period of five years. This time period
presents a superb opportunity to capitalize on an armada of strategically
positioned spacecraft located in a variety of orbits from near-Earth space
to the distant heliosphere. Measurements from these spacecraft and
ground-based observations, coupled with theoretical and modeling efforts,
will lead to a better understanding of the solar effects on the
heliosphere. Appendices A and B are summaries of some of the relevant
spacecraft and ground-based observations expected to be in operation
between 1998 and 2002.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND OTHER APPLICATIONS
In addition, the participants of this project are dedicated to conducting a
responsible study that will help improve our knowledge of Earth's
environment. We anticipate this will be accomplished in several ways as
summarized in the following paragraphs.
Solar irradiance variations below 300 nm, although it represents only 1% of
the Sun's total electromagnetic output, are especially important since the
irradiance is totally absorbed in various layers of Earth's atmosphere.
Consequently, it plays a significant role in heating Earth's atmosphere and
establishing its chemical composition through photodissociation and
photoionization processes. The UV irradiance between 200 and 285 nm
penetrates to the stratosphere and is the major source of the stratospheric
heating and the ozone photodissociation. Radiation between 165 and 205 nm
photodissociates the oxygen molecules and other important odd oxygen
constituents of the stratosphere and the mesosphere. In addition, the 165
to 300 nm UV flux variations are of primary interest for research into a
possible connection between solar activity and climate via solar control of
the stratosphere and lower mesosphere and coupling from these layers to the
troposphere. The solar energy radiated below 200 nm represents less than
0.01% of the total flux, but it is aeronomically important since it heats
the lower thermosphere through the production of oxygen by O2 absorption in
the Schuman-Runge continuum. One of the most important tasks is to
understand the variations in the Lyman-alpha emission line at 121.6 nm
since in the mesosphere it photodissociates water vapor, which contributes
to the destruction of ozone at about 70 km altitude. Between 60 and 90 km
of Earth's atmosphere, the ionization of NO by Lyman-alpha is responsible
for the formation of the ionospheric D region. The various EUV emissions
at wavelengths shorter than Lyman-alpha and down to X-ray are entirely
absorbed above 90 km in Earth's atmosphere and they are responsible for the
ionization of the E and F regions. The most variable part of the solar
spectrum is the X-ray which is emitted principally from coronal regions of
closed magnetic flux loops. The X-ray radiation penetrates deeper to
Earth's atmosphere playing an important part in the ionization of the D
region. In principle, it ionizes all the atmospheric constituents, but is
most effective in ionizing O2 and N2. Rapid changes in X-ray related to
solar flares have been identified as primary causes of the sudden
ionospheric disturbances which cause fadeouts in high frequency radio
propagation. Each increment of understanding these irradiance emissions
will be contributed to Earth's atmosphere and possibly to climate.
Other solar emissions are important to our everyday lives as we move from
one century to the next. Technologies not even imaginable at the close of
the last century are routinely providing an improvement in our everyday
lives. However, these technologies are increasingly more susceptible to
environmental perturbations. Solar X-rays disrupt high frequency
communications and techniques for navigation. Solar particles, which also
affect high frequency communications, degrade solar cells on spacecraft, as
well as interfering with spacecraft electronics, often in unpredictable
ways. Degradation of solar cells can lead to shortened satellite
operational lifetimes, necessitating more launches which translates to
additional costs. Interference with spacecraft electronics can generate a
gambit of problems ranging from re-programming satellite operational
procedures, to the ultimate loss of an entire spacecraft capability. When
we consider the range of satellite applications -- telephone, FAX,
television communications, scientific studies, weather observations, etc.
-- we realize how much these spacecraft contribute to our everyday lives.
It is now firmly established that a fast and energetic coronal mass
ejection generates an interplanetary shock. If this interplanetary shock
intersects Earth and if there is a southward component of the
interplanetary magnetic field, a geomagnetic storm will occur. These
geomagnetic disturbances can result in electrical power grid problems as
well as mid- and low-latitude communication problems.
For reasons such as those in the above paragraph, many nations have
implemented Space Weather programs. The scientific results from this
proposed ISCS project can contribute to these Space Weather programs. An
improved knowledge of the solar processes and solar emission transport in
the interplanetary medium can improve space weather prediction techniques.
These prediction methods can assist in determining periods of radio,
navigation, and communication interferences, satellite and space systems
hazards, and potential problems with electrical power grids. It will
assist in refining satellite drag calculations, and perhaps offer insight
into other ionospheric and atmospheric effects.
Finally, although the Sun has been studied for centuries, we really know
very little about how the solar cycle is initiated, maximizes, and decays.
Some scientists believe this is a chaotic process; others disagree. We do
not propose to resolve this problem. However, spacecraft engineers need
solar cycle predictions -- particularly those long-term predictions which
will help determine launch times for extended space missions. We do not
expect to be able to predict the onset or amplitude of solar cycles 24, 25,
26 and beyond. However, we do hope to contribute to the overall
understanding of the processes involved in the creation of the solar cycle
itself -- from the solar interior to the effects on Earth and the
heliosphere. Each new result will add an additional piece to the solar
cycle puzzle.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Solar Energy Flux Study: From the Interior to the Outer Layer.
Coordinators: Claus Froehlich and Judit Pap
The Sun, a fairly typical star, dominates the physical conditions
throughout the solar system due to its influence on planetary atmospheres
and interplanetary medium. The Sun's energy output takes two principal
forms: electromagnetic radiation and the emission of charged particles.
Measurements of the solar energy flux and understanding its variability
are essential since they provide important information about the physical
processes and structural changes taking place below, in, and above the
photosphere. In addition to the astrophysical importance of the solar
energy flux measurements, these measurements are important for
solar-terrestrial physics. As the flux is deposited with different
fractions in Earth's atmosphere, the oceans and land, the energy flux of
the Sun (both solar radiation and particles) controls the heating,
ionization, radiative, chemical, and dynamical processes in the terrestrial
atmosphere-ocean-land system. Measurements of the solar energy flux over
the last decades have demonstrated that it varies with the eleven-year
solar activity cycle, and it has been established conclusively that Earth's
climate, radiative environment, and upper atmospheric chemistry are
influenced by the varying solar energy flux. The solar variability
together with the accumulation of anthropogenic trace gases determine the
human milieu of the future.
The main objective of ISCS's Working Group 1 is to coordinate and support
comprehensive international research of the variations in the solar energy
flux during the rising portion and maximum of solar cycle 23. The research
activities of ISCS's Working Group 1 will concentrate on the
following tasks:
In order to achieve the goals set forth above, one has to understand the
physical processes inside the Sun. Although the bulk of the solar energy
is radiated into space from the photosphere, chromosphere and corona, it is
generated in the central core. The outer one-third of the Sun consists of
a convective envelope. Thermal, kinetic and magnetic energy are available
throughout this envelope and conversion between these energy reservoirs is
possible but not yet described by any well-established theory.
Measurements of the solar energy flux, emitted in the form of
electromagnetic radiation and particles, and analysis of its variability
will help to discover the underlying physical processes. As we learn more
about the causes of the changes in the solar energy flux, we can provide
better guides for experimentalists carrying out the measurements.
In addition to the astrophysical significance of studying the solar energy
flux variations, this has a great importance for solar-terrestrial physics
as well. The general level of solar radiation determines the temperature
of Earth. Long-term changes in this energy output can be responsible for
slow climatic changes such as produced the Little Ice Ages. Short-term
changes over days, weeks and a few years appear to have little climatic
effect, but Earth's upper atmosphere is very responsive to solar activity
variations in general via the effect of UV and EUV radiation and energetic
solar particles. The changes in Earth's upper atmosphere may be quite
large and rapid, especially related to intense outbursts of solar flares
and coronal mass ejections.
Since the space observations cover only a few decades and there are
interruptions in the measurements, one also has to rely on ground-based
indices of solar activity. These indices are used as surrogates for the
changes in the solar energy flux. This is an especially important issue
because of the lack of adequate physical models of the solar energy flux
variability. However, the fundamental question is whether such empirical
models of the solar energy flux variability can reasonably describe and
predict the energy flux changes. Considering the importance of the
variation in the total energy flux in climate changes, it is questionable
whether the irradiance surrogates can predict the irradiance changes with
the long-term precision required by climatic studies.
The largest obstacle in modeling the solar energy flux is the different
magnitude and time behavior of the various forms of the solar energy flux.
Analyses have demonstrated that all parts of the solar energy change are in
parallel with the solar magnetic activity, being higher during maximum
activity conditions; however, there may be different physical reasons for
these cyclic changes. While the changes in the total solar radiation is
about 0.2% over the solar cycle, the relative changes can be orders of
magnitude larger at UV/EUV wavelengths and for particle fluxes. These
differences in the shape and magnitude of the observed irradiance changes
are obviously related to the different physical conditions of the solar
atmosphere where they are emitted. In addition, there is a phase shift
between the variation of the solar energy flux and magnetic activity
indices, which makes the modeling and prediction more difficult. Because
of all these difficulties, ISCS's WG1 will devote considerable effort to
the study of solar energy flux changes as a function of solar cycle and to
improve the models used for climate and solar-terrestrial studies.
Combination of the measured solar energy flux and its models will thus
enable more advanced studies of the terrestrial and climate effects of
solar variability.
An extremely successful international program, the "Solar Electromagnetic
Radiation Study for Solar Cycle 22 (SOLERS22)", has been operating under
the auspices of the STEP project within SCOSTEP. SOLERS22 will end its
activities at the end of 1997. SOLERS22 helped in many ways to organize,
continue and start new observational programs of solar irradiance from
space and also from the ground. The new SCOSTEP project "Solar Energy Flux
Study: From the Interior to the Outer Layer" within ISCS is based on the
results gained during the SOLERS22 project; however, it will address much
broader scientific issues than SOLERS22. Introducing a new project within
SCOSTEP on the topic of solar energy flux variability and its terrestrial
effects is very timely, considering the on-going and extremely successful
SOHO and UARS missions and the forthcoming EOS, TIMED, SOLAR-B, Solar Probe
and additional solar-terrestrial missions. Since the operation of both the
space and ground-based solar energy monitoring programs requires
international cooperation, it is essential to have an international
research project coordinating the research based on the international solar
energy monitoring programs.
Solar Magnetic Field Variability Study: From Lower Atmosphere to the Inner
Corona. Coordinators: S. T. Wu and R. Harrison
It is recognized that solar atmospheric structures are dominated by
magnetic fields. The variability of the solar magnetic field must be
investigated to understand the physics of solar activity. For these
studies we will classify the variability in different time and spatial
scales. For example, we need to study the solar magnetic field variability
on both a global spatial scale and on a long time scale to understand the
changes during the rising and maximum portions of a solar cycle. We also
must study the magnetic field variability on a short time scale (hours,
days, or even months) in both small and global spatial scales. This would
improve our knowledge of the fundamental physical processes for the
evolution of active regions and coronal magnetic fields, leading to a
better understanding of disturbances in the lower solar atmosphere (i.e.,
UV, EUV and X-Ray emissions) and in the inner corona (e.g., coronal mass
ejections.)
Another important aspect of near-Sun coronal phenomena is the prolonged
post-CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) energy release in the corona. During this
phase, the magnetic field in the extended region of the corona, strongly
disturbed by a large CME, relaxes via the magnetic reconnection in vertical
coronal current sheets. The post-eruption energy release is a process
which appears to occur in any eruptive event, including a CME, irrespective
of whether a CME is associated by impulsive flare energy release, by
filament (i.e., prominence) eruption, or by the destabilization of a
large-scale coronal structure. An investigation of the magnetic structure
of the solar active regions both pre- and post-coronal mass ejections may
offer insights as to if and when a region will produce a similar eruption.
The objective of this Working Group is to investigate solar magnetic field
variabilities for small and global spatial structures and for both long and
short time scales. In the initial phase of this project, we will focus on
the short time scale solar features with small and global spatial
structures. To conduct these studies, we will utilize data collected by
the experiments on-board various space missions (SOHO, YOHKOH, TRACE,
ULYSSES, WIND, and GOES) in addition to data from ground-based measurements.
Specific tasks are cited below.
Solar Emissions: Origins and Transport Through the Heliosphere.
Coordinators: G. Simnett and D. Webb
The objectives of Working Group 3 are to study the following topics on the
heliospheric aspects of solar emissions and how they depend on the solar
activity cycle during the rise and maximum phases of cycle 23:
Solar activity provides the driving force for disturbances in the
interplanetary medium and geomagnetic storms. The Sun has been well
observed during the past two decades with data obtained by many spacecraft,
including SMM, YOHKOH and SOHO, and ground-based observatories. In
addition, the interplanetary medium has been probed by many spacecraft: the
inner heliosphere by HELIOS and the outer and high latitude heliosphere by
ULYSSES and the PIONEER and VOYAGER spacecraft. The most recent near-Earth
missions collecting solar wind data are SOHO and WIND. Starting late this
year the TRACE and ACE missions will be launched, and later in solar cycle
23 several new missions, such as SMEI, SOLAR-B and STEREO, are planned. We
propose to use these observations of solar, interplanetary and geomagnetic
phenomena to address specific questions of importance to studies of solar
and interplanetary disturbances and their coupling to the magnetosphere,
including recent new initiatives on "Space Weather."
Past observations such as from ISEE-3, HELIOS, IPS (Interplanetary
Scintillations) and at long radio wavelengths, have shown that CMEs inject
vast amounts of plasma and magnetic field into the heliosphere in
correspondence with the sunspot cycle. The resulting disturbances are the
most likely cause of sporadic geomagnetic storms and, therefore, a key
component of space weather.
CMEs are linked to other solar activity including eruptive filaments, large
flares, long-duration X-ray events, transient coronal holes and shock
waves. There is a broad spectrum of solar mass ejecta, ranging from small
transient outflows primarily at low latitudes to large, extended events
with widths of over 90 degrees. Most large CMEs arise from closed coronal
magnetic fields such as streamers. But we know little about how the global
magnetic field evolves and leads to the opening of these structures and the
loss of material to space. The coronal observations from SOHO (LASCO, EIT,
CDS, UVCS) are providing new data on CME source regions and streamers and
how this material is accelerated along with the solar wind. Observations
of Sun-centered activity and "halo" CMEs also provide an important new way
of evaluating the origin and propagation of material toward Earth.
An important class of mass ejecta are erupting prominences, which have been
modeled as expanding flux ropes whose signature in the heliosphere is a
magnetic cloud. Recently, the twist (helicity) of filaments has been found
to have both hemispherical and solar cycle dependencies and to be
correlated with the helicity of magnetic clouds at 1 AU. We propose to
study the relationship of filament eruptions and CMEs to flux ropes and
magnetic clouds, and to shedding of the Sun's flux and helicity built up
over the cycle. In addition, we need to study patterns in the long-term
evolution of magnetic polarity boundaries and of filament eruptions, and
their roles as sites of CME and other eruptive activity.
The effects and signatures of individual CMEs on the interplanetary medium
remain uncertain. Major CMEs, especially if accompanied by large flares,
can produce large interplanetary disturbances. However, since the typical
CME is often not associated with a flare or interplanetary shock, its
interplanetary characteristics are likely more subtle than those
associated with large flares. At present we know that these signatures
consist of abnormal flows relative to the average solar wind, with about
half of all transient interplanetary disturbances accompanied by shocks,
magnetic clouds or clear "piston"-like plasma enhancements. We need to
study and model the magnetic topology of these structures using both the
interplanetary magnetic field and energetic particles as "tracers." During
solar cycle 23 in-situ measurements from ULYSSES, WIND, SOHO and other deep
space missions should greatly improve our understanding of these transient
flows and how they vary over the cycle. Perspective views from one or more
STEREO-type missions would provide valuable complementary data on the 3-D
structure of interplanetary CMEs and shocks.
We also need to understand the role of reconnection in coronal and CME
evolution. This is important in the heliospheric context since the
injection of magnetic flux should increase the interplanetary flux
indefinitely, which is clearly not observed. Evidence of the disconnection
of solar fields is observed in only a small fraction of all CMEs, but
intermingling of both open and closed fields may be common in
interplanetary ejecta. The SOHO observations of CMEs within 30 solar radii
combined with in-situ interplanetary magnetic field and plasma measurements
will be ideal for studies of magnetic reconnection and topologies during
solar cycle 23.
We know that geomagnetic storms can have two causes: transient solar
eruptions (mainly CMEs) from streamers that form the base of the
heliospheric current sheet, and recurrent interaction regions and
high-speed wind streams which arise from solar coronal streamers and holes,
respectively. However, we do not understand the interplanetary conditions
necessary to produce geomagnetic storms and other geoactivity. Good
associations have been found between geomagnetic storms and other
interplanetary signatures of ejecta, especially magnetic clouds. Although
magnetic clouds with their strong southward fields are clearly related to
the coupling of these disturbances to the magnetosphere, we do not have a
detailed physical understanding of this process. We propose to utilize the
many space observations to be obtained during solar cycle 23 to investigate
the characteristics of geoeffective interplanetary phenomena and the
coupling process and how they vary over the cycle.
Finally, we propose to study the relationships among interplanetary shocks,
CMEs, solar flares and solar energetic particles utilizing these data sets.
Coronal shocks must propagate through coronal streamers and neutral sheets
which extend into the interplanetary medium. The streamers extend from the
corona into the interplanetary medium and become the heliospheric current
sheet. Since the trajectories of CMEs and the production and propagation of
SEPs may depend significantly on the presence of a neutral sheet in space,
we propose to investigate the effects of neutral sheets on CME, shock and
SEP propagation during solar cycle 23. We also need to understand how and
where solar energetic particles are
accelerated, e.g., the fraction produced in the corona vs. the
interplanetary medium, and how they are transported in the low corona. In
the outer heliosphere corotating interaction regions play an important role
in producing charged particles.
Important questions to be addressed by Working Group 3 include:
The following list of spacecraft is in alphabetical order. For new
spacecraft, anticipated launch dates are given whenever available.
Scientists planning specific coordinated studies involving future
spacecraft are advised to keep informed of any changes in launch schedules.
GROUND-BASED PROGRAMS
Throughout the period 1998-2002 there will be continued and new
ground-based programs, some of which are now operational or planned for the
near future. In some cases, an upgrading of existing equipment will
facilitate improved or new measurements.
No attempt is made to list individual ground-based detectors that will
provide correlative data for the studies planned for this project. Solar
optical, magnetic and radio observations are being conducted by many groups
throughout the world and these data will contribute to the overall
database. Of particular interest are the following:
Meetings of the Steering Committee will be held primarily in conjunction
with other scientific assemblies where many of the participants might be in
attendance. The initial meeting was held in conjunction with the SCOSTEP
Steering Committee Meeting in the UK in July 1996.
Meetings of the Steering Committee:
Possibilities of future meetings:
The CSSP/CSTR (federated Committees on Solar and Space Physics and Solar
Terrestrial Research) of the NRC met on June 4-6 at the NAS Beckman Center
in Irvine.
The meeting began with videoconferences with Drs. Carl Pilcher and George
Withbroe of NASA HQ. Dr. Pilcher described the status of the
post-Breckenridge OSS Strategic Plan, a first draft of which will be sent
to the Committees for comment on July 1. The Committees will discuss the
draft report contents via telecon and then communicate their assessment to
the Space Studies Board at their July 16 meeting. The Space Studies board
will collect these inputs from its various discipline committees and then
provide Dr. Wes Huntress, Associate Administrator in charge of the NASA
Office of Space Science, with a solicited overall review. It is expected
that the OSS Strategic Plan will be released for distribution following
this SSB review and any subsequent revisions.
Dr. George Withbroe reviewed the status of NASA Sun-Earth Connections
activities. The collaborative CLUSTER mission with ESA will be restarted to
replace the original spacecraft tetrad that was lost during launch last
year. HQ is investigating strategies for extending the ISTP and other SEC
missions under budgetary constraints. The Senior Review of SEC missions,
scheduled for June 9-11, will produce panel recommendations related to this
issue. There is a new partnership between NASA and the Air Force Space
Command that may lead to further interagency activities related to "space
weather." There is also a plan to offer a joint NASA/NSF research
opportunity addressing the issues of solar influences on Global Change.
(The NASA contribution may be shared by the SEC discipline and the Office
of Mission to Planet Earth.) Finally, the SEC discipline is participating
in the generation of a NASA "white paper" on space radiation environment
hazards.
A teleconference with Dr. Rich Behnke of NSF's ATM Division was held. The
approval of the Polar Cap Observatory has produced a significant increase
in next year's overall NSF budget for the discipline. In addition, there
have been new interagency programs such as a joint Department of Defense
program in ionospheric modification and a basic plasma science program with
the Department of Energy. There may be ~10 proposals funded in each of
these programs in our areas. There are also new awards (~8) for the GEM
Program relating to geospace modeling. The CEDAR Program proposals are in
review, as are a new set of Space Weather initiative proposals. A Space
Weather Navigation and Communication Systems Workshop is scheduled for this
year, while informal gatherings related to the internationalization of
Space Weather activities are planned. New Discipline Scientists for the NSF
magnetospheric and solar-terrestrial programs will be sought next year.
The committees were briefed on three ongoing efforts of note. Dr. Bernard
Jackson (UCSD) described the SMEI (Solar Mass Ejection Imager) experiment,
which is essentially built and waiting for a launch opportunity. This
instrument was inspired by the photometric observations of CMEs obtained on
the HELIOS spacecraft. Dr. Lawrence Weeks of the DMSP System Program Office
for the Air Force described future plans for the DMSP program, including
its applications to space weather and eventual "convergence" after ~2007
with the NOAA polar orbiting spacecraft program. Space weather activities
in the Air Force are currently being reorganized. Dr. Chris Russell of UCLA
reported on the progress of the Space Studies Board study of NASA's
Research and Analysis (R&A) programs in which he is involved. The
Committees had made earlier inputs to this study and so provided comments
on its current contents and directions in light of those inputs.
The balance of the meeting was spent responding to final reviews of the
Committees' report assessing the space physics Explorers' science
capabilities, to initial SSB reviews of our report on "Readiness for the
Solar Maximum", and discussion of future plans. Items remaining on the
CSSP/CSTR agenda include a Special Task Group Report on Ground-Based Solar
Research, for which the separate panel has just met and hopes to complete
their task in the Fall. The next meeting of the CSSP/CSTR will be convened
by the new chairs. Mike Kelley of Cornell will succeed Marvin Geller as
CSTR chair. The new CSSP chair is yet To Be Announced.
Janet Luhmann
Paper on "Solar Constant" Variations
The following three publications are available from:
GRL Special Section on "Sun-Earth Connection Events in the ISTP Era"
The ejection of magnetic clouds from the Sun and their interaction with the
terrestrial environment has received significant attention recently,
particularly due to their possible impact on spacecraft performance and
geospace. Emphasis will be on the Coronal Mass Ejection/Magnetic Cloud
event of January 6-11, 1997. However, contributions involving other ISTP
events including the May 28-30, 1996, and April 7-11, 1997, events are also
welcome.
Because GRL's mission is the publication of timely, forefront science,
special issues should provide a set of synthesis papers that can best
illuminate the significance of the events to the general community. Papers
may treat any of the many facets of the Sun-Earth connection, from the
solar origin of the events, to the their tracking and propagation through
the interplanetary medium, their interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere
and ionosphere and the associated impacts to geospace. Because space
allocated to special issues is limited, GRL's criterion of "timely & broad
geophysical interest" will be used in selection of papers. Questions or
comments concerning special issues should be addressed to the
editor-in-chief, or editor.
A new feature of GRL is that electronic movies, either mpeg or quicktime,
(size should not exceed 5 Mbytes) can be submitted with an article and
referenced to the electronic version as part of GRL-Online. For more
details either contact the editor or see the electronic submission section
on the world wide web at http://www.agu.org/grl/helpdesk.html
Robert M. Winglee
Henry Rishbeth
Joe Haskell Allen
The long-standing tradition of free and open access at minimum cost, which
is upheld by AGU and many international scientific unions, is very
important to the geophysical, astronomical and environmental sciences that
make use of data from many different sources. This freedom is under threat
from legislation and treaties that are designed to meet grave international
problems, in particular the piracy of computer-based material, such as
software, cassettes and compact disks. Under present international law,
computer-based information is not protected from piracy in the same way as
other kinds of literary, artistic and musical works, so the originators may
not reap fair rewards.
To remedy this situation, treaties have been drafted by the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a Directive has been issued by
the European Union (EU), and legislation is in course of introduction into
the US Congress. Similar measures may exist in other countries. All these
are here termed "copyright measures."
The European Union Directive 96/9 gives legal protection to "databases"
(meaning collections of "independent works, data or other material arranged
in a systematic or methodical way and individually accessible by electronic
or other means"). Chapter II ("Copyright") protects the databases
themselves, and Chapter III ("Sui generis" right) protects the contents of
databases. EU member states must implement this directive by January 1998.
They are permitted to allow dispensations for scientific and educational
use of databases, but it is thought that the EU will press national
governments to adopt a very restrictive approach.
The WIPO Geneva meeting of December 1996 discussed a Copyright Treaty for
ratification by national governments. This treaty applies to computer
programs, but not to the data or material itself, which were to be
protected by the proposed WIPO Database Treaty. Following vigorous action
by the US National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and
Institute of Medicine, the US library community, and many others, and
representations from other countries, the Database Treaty was removed from
the agenda at Geneva. New discussions are proceeding but, at present,
attention is focused on national legislation.
The "copyright measures" have many similar features. They:
Are framed in very broad terms, potentially affecting many kinds of
information, whether or not "electronic", "computer-based" or available
"on-line."
May act retrospectively, to restrict access to old non-computerized data.
Provide for royalties for any access to data (perhaps even casual perusal
of data, with no actual "use"), with penalties for non-payment,
unauthorized access, and use of protection-defeating devices.
Make no provision for "fair use" or dispensation for scientific or
educational purposes, any such provisions being left to national
legislation.
Prescribe terms of protection that are variously proposed as 15-25 years
from the date of creation or of "substantial" updating, i.e., effectively
in perpetuity.
The "sui generis" right is especially worrying. It seems ill-defined,
open-ended and potentially all-embracing. It could possibly be used to
acquire property rights over long-established data sets that are widely
regarded as being in the public domain.
Public awareness of these measures is limited. There has been
some comment on the possible effects on public access to sports scores and
statistics, television and radio schedules, and
timetables of public transport.
The scientific Unions have repeatedly advocated the principle of free and
open exchange of data at minimum cost. This principle is based on the idea
that data have no inherent commercial value. It was used in the
International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958 and has stood the test of time.
It works to everyone's benefit. In general, the countries that contribute
most to the system, by operating observatories and data centres, also make
the heaviest use of data. By common consent, it has never been considered
worth trying to establish "gains" or "losses" in the data handling system.
The system is especially valuable to sciences such as solar-terrestrial
physics (STP), astronomy, geophysics and environmental science. Data used
in these sciences have many
features in common (which may be unlike the information used in
laboratory-based sciences):
Most data are time-dependent and site-dependent. They are
acquired worldwide on the ground and in space, by national agencies
or individual research teams.
Datasets may be "open-ended", and their scientific value may grow
with time.
"Old data" are often valuable, but their value may not have been realized
when they were acquired.
Data may include "research data" from specialized instruments (ground-based
or in space); "background" or "monitoring" data; and derived "products"
and "indices."
(Examples from STP: "monitoring" data describe the state of the Sun,
interplanetary space, geomagnetic field or upper atmosphere; "derivatives"
or "indices" are standard parameters, e.g., sunspot number, geomagnetic Kp
index, that are computed from monitoring data, sometimes in real time to
give "operational" indices.)
Data are archived in data centres and are freely available to scientists
and engineers at minimum cost. For their part, most research scientists are
generous in allowing others to use their data, which are often archived in
national data centres or World Data Centres.
The tasks of archiving, and computing derivatives from the data, are
carried out by data and analysis centres, mainly financed by their host
countries with some contributions from international bodies. Many of these
centres are associated with the ICSU, WDC and FAGS organizations. Data
services are generally provided at no more than the cost of copying and
distributing the data. Managers usually find it cost-effective to supply
data free of charge, so long as they can refuse unreasonable or unduly
burdensome requests.
The copyright measures threaten the supply and use of scientific data. They
may well result in a complex system of charging mechanisms, with the twin
objectives of charging royalties and of attempting to recover the costs of
data and data systems. They raise the spectres of a commercial "data
market" and of "intellectual property rights" in scientific data. The
consequences may be especially serious for science in developing countries,
which are least able to bear the cost.
The concept of a commercial "data market" (ideologically attractive as it
may be to some politicians and economists) threatens long-term and academic
research. Since practical benefits of research may not appear for some
years, it is extremely difficult either to attach monetary value to the
data or to recover the great costs of acquiring and archiving data -- even
supposing there is any real advantage in so doing. In consequence,
cash-limited projects use fewer data, even if the science requires more.
Measures for "cost recovery" (e.g., "pay-per-use" systems) lead to a
situation in which short-term commercial value becomes the only criterion
for collecting data. Long-term research becomes difficult or impossible,
and environmental trends may go undetected.
In STP and kindred branches of science, it is highly questionable whether
"cost recovery" ever works. It merely recycles and dissipates funds between
users and funding agencies. Its inevitable administrative burdens are
mostly borne by the scientists. As these burdens are not highly visible,
managements may ignore them in order to make the "cost recovery" appear
spuriously "profitable": it is not difficult to conceal $50 worth of work
consumed in selling $10 worth of data.
Questions about geomagnetic data (to cite one example), that are used both
for academic research and commercial operations, and data that are
"restricted" or "privileged", can usually be handled pragmatically within
the spirit of the ICSU principles. It is well said that, in the long run,
restrictions on data exchange usually do most harm to those who impose them.
The copyright measures invoke the concept of "intellectual property
rights." Although it is said that "facts of nature" cannot be copyrighted,
scientific "facts" are nevertheless obtained from measurements or
calculations of some kind, and copyright may be claimed by the agencies
that produce them. The danger now exists that "property rights" might be
claimed by anyone involved in any stage of data handling, not necessarily
the originator. Any such claims would hinder or stop the distribution and
use of data. The risk seems especially great when, as increasingly happens,
data operations are privatized or contracted-out.
The scientific community must act to ensure that its work can proceed
without new legal, administrative and financial burdens. In STP (if not in
other sciences) it is vital to maintain a "public domain" in scientific
data and data services, free of individual property rights, and to ensure
that data in this public domain remain freely and openly accessible.
Agencies such as NASA and NOAA, and many of their counterparts in other
countries, operate a commendably generous data policy. (The convention
that investigators have reasonable time-limited "first use" privileges is
not an issue in the present context.) New legislation must not be allowed
to conflict with these policies.
Little support for "free and open access to data" may be forthcoming from
government authorities or their agents, partly because of conflicts of
interest. Governments are responsible for supporting commerce and trade as
well as scientific research, and may well favour commercial interests
rather than science. So the debate must be conducted in a way that respects
the interests of scientists whose funding does depend on copyright and
licensing.
Some treaties and agreements that help the scientists' cause should be
exploited. For example, there is an EU Directive that prescribes free and
open access to environmental data. Furthermore, the Antarctic Treaty
guarantees open access to Antarctic data. Reasonable objectives are:
It must be noted that the copyright measures may make more urgent (and
difficult) another objective for STP and environmental science:
Prof. Yu. I. Galperin: New Bureau Member (COSPAR), Space Research
Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul., 84/32, 117810
Moscow, Russia. Tels. (7-095) 333-1422; or (7-095) 333-1122; Fax (7-095)
310-7023 or (7-095) 333-5178; e-mail: ygalperin@ iki.rssi.ru
Prof. M. A. Geller: Institute correction: Institute for Terrestrial and
Planetary Atmospheres, Zip Code correction: 11794-5000
Dr. S. Grzedzielski: Past Bureau Member - delete. IUPAP will name
replacement soon.
Prof. H. Oya: Vice President, e-mail correction:
oya@stpp1.geophys.tohoku.ac.jp (Delete name from Bureau Members only
Prof. M. J. Rycroft: Past Bureau Member -- delete.
Dr. R. A. Vincent: New Telephone and Fax numbers Tel: (61 8) 8303-5758,
Fax: (61 8) 8303-4384.
Prof. A. W. Wernik: New Bureau Member (URSI), Space Research Centre, Polish
Academy of Sciences ul. Bartycka 18A, 00-716 Warsaw, Poland Tel. (48)
22-41 00 41 ext. 69; Fax (48) 22-41 17 81/37 65 64; e-mail:
aww@chopin.cbk.waw.pl
Dr. D. J. Williams: New Bureau Member (IAGA)
Dr. S. T. Wu: Delete Post Office Box; New Tel. No. (1 205) 890-6413, Fax
No. (1 205) 890-6382, e-mail: wus@cspar.uah.edu
Data from the AMPTE IRM mission are now available on the World Wide Web.
The data are accessed through the UNH Space Science web site:
http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu following the link either to MISSIONS, or the
link to DATA.
Spin resolution plasma moments and magnetic field data, and
omni-directional energetic ion composition data from the SULEICA instrument
are available for the full mission. The time period covered is from August
1984 through August 1986. The data are available as ascii column,
tab-delimited files that can be easily read by a number of
spreadsheet/plotting programs. The files are zipped. Zip is available on
most platforms (mac, PC, VMS, UNIX), so the data should be easily
accessible.
The parameters available are:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have awarded a $54 million contract
to Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, Palo Alto, CA, for the development and
delivery of solar-imaging instruments for future US weather satellites.
The Solar X-Ray Imager instruments would be carried aboard upcoming NOAA
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-N, O, P and Q.)
The Solar X-Ray Imager instrument will take full-disk images of the Sun
every minute. The data will be used by NOAA and the US Air Force for solar
forecasting and monitoring of special events such as solar flares or
geomagnetic storms. The ability to monitor and forecast such events is
valuable to operators and users of military and civilian radio and
satellite communications systems, navigation systems and power networks, as
well as to astronauts, high-altitude aviators and scientists.
The total basic contract value of $54,229,000 provides funding for an
engineering model instrument and two flight instruments. In addition,
there are two priced options, each for one additional instrument. The
contract is a hybrid Cost Plus Award Fee/Incentive Fee agreement. The
incentive fee portion is a "structured cost incentive," whereby the
contractor would pay a portion of cost overruns. Also, the US government
would receive a payback of the earned award fee in the event of an on-orbit
instrument failure.
The Solar X-Ray Imager acquisition is a partnership between NASA and NOAA.
The NASA Goddard GOES Project Office is responsible for the acquisition of
the instrument and oversight of the contract, and will support NOAA during
the post-launch operations phase. NOAA is responsible for determining the
technical requirements for the Solar X-Ray Imager, funding the contract,
operating the instrument in orbit, and disseminating and using the
instrument data. Other companies submitting proposals were Ball Aerospace
Systems Division, Boulder, CO; Hughes Aircraft Company, Santa Barbara
Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, CA; and Panametrics, Inc., Waltham, MA.
NOTE: All NOAA press releases, and links to other NOAA material, can be
found on the Internet at http://www.noaa.gov/public-affairs. Constituents
who wish to be added to our press release distribution list, or who wish to
switch from fax to e-mail delivery, can send an e-mail to
constaff@www.rdc.noaa.gov, or fax to (202) 501-2953.
The Hughes Corporation, in partnership with the NASA/Goddard Space Science
Data Operations Office (SSDOO), is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Hughes
Science Data Centers Symposium. The symposium will be at the NASA/GSFC
National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC.)
The overall purpose of this symposium is to bring together a broad group of
predominantly space and Earth science data centers and data management
facilities to share visions, approaches, technologies, procedures, and
practices for improving the services we offer to researchers, educational
institutions, and the general public.
The theme for this year's symposium will be: "Science Data Center
Challenges in the New Millennium"
Abstracts are solicited and may be for either poster or oral sessions on
topics that include:
Abstract deadline: October 10, 1997. Additional information on the
conference as well as contact information and on-line registration can be
obtained through our web site at: http://www.stx.com/dcs97. Or contact
one of the following:
NOTE: The titles of the Fall 97 AGU special sessions SA01 and SA02 were
incorrect in the last EOS announcement. Please see the correct version
below.
SA01 - Ionosphere/Thermosphere Storms (joint with SM)
SA02 - Aeronomy and Dynamics of the Mesosphere and Thermosphere from UARS
Data Analysis and Modeling Studies
SA06: Composition, Thermal Structure, and Dynamics in the Topside
Ionosphere and Exosphere
SA07 - Establishing Metrics for the National Space Weather Program (jointly
with SM and SH)
SH04: Special Session: Coronal Mass Ejections, Heliospheric Disturbances
and Geomagnetic Storms
The session will consist completely of contributed talks and posters and we
encourage you to submit papers that we can try to understand the various
aspects of this complex system.
SM02: Science Closure and Enabling Technologies for Magnetospheric
Constellation Missions
The objective of Constellation is to synthesize an instantaneous "image" of
a part of the magnetospheric system, to resolve spatiotemporal ambiguities,
address cause and effect relationships, and study cross-scale coupling.
The aim is to resolve the major long-standing questions in the field of
magnetospheric physics, such as: what magneto-spheric system drives the
quiet and the active aurorae, what causes/triggers magnetospheric substorms
and storms, and how does the solar energy flow manifest itself through the
various parts of the magnetospheric system. These aims can be addressed in
several complementary ways all limited in total weight by the requirement
of a single Delta 7920 launch vehicle: by a large number (100) of "free
flying" probes equipped with a magnetometer, by a smaller number (50-60) of
~8kg autonomous probes that additionally have an ion and electron analyzer,
or by a smaller number (10-20) of spacecraft with either more comprehensive
instrumentation or with propulsion. In the latter category, a new type of
measurement is being considered, that entails sending a radio signal from
each spacecraft to all others, and measuring the total electron density
between spacecraft. This allows a reconstruction of the density (and total
B) on the common orbital plane in a tomographic fashion, with a resolution
of 1 Re. In addition, alternative strategies of telemetering the data are
being studied, that entail a laser beam sent from the ground to the
spacecraft and back. The beam is modulated at acoustical frequencies to
produce a carrier signal for data transmission.
The scientific community must respond to the challenge. Given that the
realization of a mission of that magnitude takes 5-7 years from the
definition phase, we are at the right time to be thinking hard about these
issues. The science community must clearly define the issues that will
require resolution in the post-ISTP era and the measurement techniques that
will allow closure from such a mission. At the same time improvements in
instrumentation that can reduce the cost or enhance the science return from
the mission (e.g., composition, waves and energetic particles albeit on a
subset of the probes) can be brought forth and discussed in the context of
the mission.
The session description is included below. Science and engineering talks
that pertain to all mission implementations are strongly encouraged.
Invited talks discuss the various mission implementations, but also address
the questions: how many spacecraft are needed, how can one reconstruct the
magnetospheric current systems from the mission, how science closure can be
reached, what new and upcoming technologies can enhance the mission or
reduce its cost.
The magnetospheric constellation mission entails a large number of
identical probes, performing in situ and coordinated remote sensing
measurements. Science and engineering studies summarized in the "Heelis
report" on Geospace Multiprobes conclude that in today's technological and
fiscal reality it is possible to discuss several implementations of this
mission concept. Contributions from theory, simulation, data assimilation,
and modeling on measurement strategies and science closure of the major
outstanding questions in the field are encouraged. Which pertinent emerging
technologies can further enhance science return and/or reduce mission cost?
Papers on instrument and satellite component miniaturization, novel
propulsion, tracking and data acquisition techniques are requested.
The International Symposium on Dynamics and Structure of the Mesopause
Region (DYSMER) will be held in March 1998 at the Radio Atmospheric Science
Center (RASC), Kyoto University, Japan.
This symposium will be devoted to the dynamics and structure of the
mesosphere and lower thermosphere, with particular emphasis on the wave
propagation, interaction, and instability processes that shape this region.
It is our hope to bring together a diverse group of experimentalists,
modelers, and theoreticians having a common middle atmosphere dynamics
focus. The symposium will enable us both to assess our current
understanding of the diverse dynamical processes defining the structure and
variability of the mesopause region and to share ideas on how best to
further our understanding of this region and its coupling to higher and
lower altitudes.
This symposium is primarily organized within the framework of PSMOS
(Planetary Scale Mesopause Observing System) of SCOSTEP, and it will have
joint scientific co-sponsorship by ICMA (International Commission on the
Middle Atmosphere) of IAMAS, the Society of Geomagnetism and Earth,
Planetary and Space Sciences (SGEPSS), the Meteorological Society of Japan,
and the Communications Research Laboratory (CRL.) Funding will chiefly be
provided by SCOSTEP and RASC.
Advisory Board: C. H. Liu, Susumu Kato, Hiroshi Oya
Program Committee: Peter Dyson, David C. Fritts (co-chair), Shoichiro
Fukao, Hiroshi Fukunishi, Maura E. Hagan, Kiyoshi Igarashi, Saburo
Miyahara, Chikao Nagasawa, Akio Nomura, Shoichi Okano, Yuri Portnyagin,
Gordon G. Shepherd (co-chair), Hisao Takahashi, Toshitaka Tsuda (secretary)
Topics: The main topics of the symposium will be radar/optical
observations, modeling and theory of atmospheric wave and turbulence
processes near the mesopause, and the implications of these processes for
transport and diffusion. Specific topics will include:
The meeting format will be informal, with both invited and contributed
talks. Ample time will be allocated for presentations and discussions to
ensure productive interactions and sharing of ideas, including group
discussions of PSMOS working groups.
Invited Speakers: F. Vial, M. E. Hagan, J. M. Forbes, S. Miyahara, K.
Kobayashi, R. S. Liebermann, R. L. Walterscheid, R. A. Vincent, D. C.
Fritts, S. D. Eckermann, F.-J. Luebken, J. Hoeffner, R. Hill, W. K.
Hocking, C. D. Warner, U.-P. Hoppe, A. H. Manson, S. K. Avery, S. E. Palo,
C. S. Gardner, C.-Y. She, H. Takahashi, M. J. Taylor, G. G. Shepherd, W. E.
Ward, A. Pogoreltsev, Ma Ruiping
WEB page: A web page has now been established to provide more information
on the symposium. As they are received, titles and brief outlines of the
invited talks will become available on this page. General information on
the location, accommodation and the abstract submission will also be
informed. The address is :
http://www.kurasc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/radar-group/psmos/DYSMER/index.html
Call for Papers: You are kindly invited to contribute to this symposium.
Please send title, author(s), affiliation(s), e-mail address and one-page
abstract of your presentation(s) to the following address by an ordinary
mail or through e-mail no later than October 31, 1997.
December 13, 1997, San Francisco
Motivated by the feeling that the coming to an end of the GEM boundary-
layer campaign has deprived the community of a valuable interaction forum,
we suggest this one-day meeting, after the end of the Fall AGU meeting, as
a way to continue and boost the activities within the field of dayside
transients initiated by the GEM program.
In addition to the system of global-scale quasi-steady currents involved in
the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere, more
localized and short term processes occur in the outer magnetosphere. The
study of the variety of different transient (less than 30 min duration)
signals at the dayside magnetopause and its boundary layers and, in
particular, their ionospheric response are believed to provide crucial
information about the mechanisms of the coupling between the solar wind and
the magnetosphere. This provides the main definition of the research topic
chosen as the focus for this meeting.
The workshop will provide a forum for defining the critical issues in the
field, for in-depth informal discussions of current problems, and for the
initiation of collaborative efforts.
PRELIMINARY AGENDA
Questions to be addressed:
Questions to be addressed:
Questions to be addressed:
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Please indicate your interest to participate to one of the organizers below
as soon as possible.
Special Topic: Sprites and Ionospheric Effects of Lightning
Recent observations of enhanced upper atmospheric airglow phenomena
(sprites, jets, etc.) associated with tropospheric lightning activity have
generated widespread interest as evidence of new geophysical processes.
Studies have progressed rapidly from observational characterizations to
quantitative theoretical models which describe many of the known features
of these events. Even so, new aspects of upper atmospheric electrical
effects continue to emerge and many fundamental questions about their
nature and dynamics remain.
To stay abreast of this exciting and rapidly changing field, a special
session covering sprites and related upper atmospheric effects of lightning
is planned. This area of research necessitates broad interdisciplinary
collaboration and it is hoped that a wide spectrum of papers will be
contributed to the session.
The Conference is planned with the participation of governmental,
university and private organization and with the endorsement of the United
Nations Secretariat for the International Decade for Natural Disaster
Reduction (IDNDR.)
Organized by : the IUGG Chile National Committee and the IASPEI Commission
for the IDNDR, IASPEI Commission for the IDNDR. Co-sponsored by: the
International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior
(IASPEI) and the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of
the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI.)
THE CONFERENCE: On the occasion of the XXI General Assembly of the
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) in Boulder, Colorado
in June of 1995, Chile was proposed as host of a major IDNDR conference to
highlight the ability of modern technology to lessen the risk in large
urban and industrial areas from earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. The
co-sponsors are the International Association of Seismology and Physics of
the Earth s Interior (IASPEI) and the International Association of
Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI.) The 1998
Conference is planned to respond to the United Nations call for all
governments, universities and private organizations to strengthen their
IDNDR activities on natural disaster reduction.
OBJECTIVES: Recent rapid advances in the relevant technological systems
can now be implemented in a practical way that is relatively inexpensive
and robust. Particularly, modems connected to telephone, radio and
satellite links with monitoring digital instruments (e.g., earthquake
accelerographs) in and around critical structures in densely populated
areas allow easy access to fast low-cost PC computers. These can be
networked to historical databases of population, lifelines, governmental
response plans, etc. Preliminary experience with such smart systems gained
in Los Angeles, Mexico City and Japan, for example, will be discussed at
the 1998 Chile Conference.
DIRECTED TO: To be effective, natural hazard mitigation policies and
practices must be integrated into the mainstream of community and
governmental activities. Thus major technical upgrades for preparation and
response to natural hazards must involve responsible local government,
utilities and national Emergency Services Organizations. The Conference
will be organized to ensure working interaction between scientific,
engineering, government, business and emergency service professionals. The
emphasis will be on information, dissemination and risk reduction.
THEMES:
PROGRAM: Lectures on each major topic will be by selected distinguished
experts. Short Papers for oral or poster presentation are also invited.
Discussion groups of attendees will be organized on the present status and
future directions of practical implementation of instrumental monitoring
systems for risk mitigation. A volume of abstracts will be published.
There will be pre-and post-conference excursions. The official languages
will be English and Spanish.
The 32nd Scientific Assembly of COSPAR will be held at the Nagoya Congress
Center, Nagoya, Japan. This Assembly is open to scientists of all nations.
The Inaugural Ceremony is scheduled to be held late Monday afternoon, 13
July l998.
Deadline for Receipt of Abstracts: 9 January 1998
Topics of the approximately 80 meetings and symposia will cover the
following areas:
Papers will be published in Advances in Space Research.
Chairperson of the Scientific Program Committee is: Prof. Y. Kamide, STEL,
Nagoya University, Japan
For additional information contact: COSPAR Secretariat, 52 bd de
Montmorency,
POLAR CAP OBSERVATORY
at RESOLUTE, CANADA
That an important goal of the study of external influences on the Earth's
environment and technological systems is to achieve a thorough
understanding of the effects of solar perturbations on the upper atmosphere
in the Arctic Polar Cap, a region magnetically connected to outer space;
The possibility that, as the result of a congressional directive, this
Polar Cap Observatory radar may have to be installed at another site
located outside the average limits of the polar cap, thus invalidating the
original scientific objectives of this instrument,
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON SOLAR TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS
LOCATION UPDATE
Senator Christopher Bond (Chairman, Senate VA, HUD and Independent
Agencies Subcommittee which includes the NSF)
Senator John McCain (Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation which includes the NSF)
Representative Bob Livingston (Chairman, House Appropriations Committee)
Representative Jerry Lewis (Chairman, House VA, HUD and Independent
Agencies Subcommittee which includes the NSF.)
Thank you.
CEDAR Science Steering Committee
jes@newton.haystack.edu
(Approved by SCOSTEP, August 1997.)
INTERNATIONAL SOLAR CYCLE STUDIES (ISCS)
Project Summary
P. Brandt, Germany; I. Chertok, Russia; E. Cliver, USA; M. Dryer, USA; E.
Flueckiger, Switzerland; K. Harvey, USA; S. Kahler, USA; M. Kojima,
Japan; G. Kuklin, Russia; H. Kunow, Germany; P. Lantos, France; M. Pick,
France; B. Sanahuja, Spain; E. Sarris, Greece; R. Schwenn, Germany; G.
Smolkov, Russia; M. Storini, Italy; J. Sykora, Slovakia; R. Thomson,
Australia; B. Tsurutani, USA; and I. Veselovsky, Russia.
Working Group Summaries
Coordinators: C. Froehlich (Switzerland), J. Pap (USA)
WORKING GROUP 2. SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELD VARIABILITY STUDY: FROM THE LOWER
ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE INNER CORONA
Coordinators: S. T. Wu (USA), R. Harrison (UK)
WORKING GROUP 3. SOLAR EMISSIONS: ORIGINS AND TRANSPORT THROUGH THE HELIOSPHERE
Coordinators: G. Simnett (UK), D. Webb (USA)
Project Documentation
Solar activity has long been observed to occur in approximate 11-year
cycles. The advantage of this knowledge is the ability to plan, over a
short time scale, specific programs aimed to increase our knowledge of the
solar activity cycle. Solar cycle 22 has been one of the shortest cycles
in history with the expected minimum, based on the smoothed sunspot number,
to have occurred in late 1996.
The three working groups under this proposed study will be coordinating
their efforts. Results from Working Group 1 will be transmitted to Working
Group 2; results from Working Group 2 will be transmitted to Working Group
3. Together these three groups provide a seamless environmental study from
the interior of the Sun to Earth's magnetosphere. Participants in this
project are willing to cooperate with any other SCOSTEP study of the
magnetosphere, ionosphere, or upper atmosphere, offering suggestions on the
transfer of solar energy and emissions to the magnetosphere.
This the first SCOSTEP scientific program that seeks to not only
investigate the underlying phenomena leading to the onset and maximum of
the solar cycle, but also to extend the new scientific knowledge to
societal problems. The scientific results are anticipated to be useful in
many areas of our society -- from the planning of long-term spacecraft
missions, to improved satellite operations, to links to ozone depletion,
and even to climatic changes. Each improvement in our understanding of the
solar cycle will aid humankind in one or more ways -- as well as giving
rise to new and exciting scientific problems to be studied in the future.
RESEARCH PROGRAM PLANS: WORKING GROUP 1:
The total radiative output of the Sun establishes Earth's radiation
environment and controls Earth's temperature and atmospheric composition.
Therefore, the accurate knowledge of solar radiation received by Earth, and
its temporal variations, is critical to understanding the role solar
variability plays in climate change. Although the value of the integrated
solar energy flux over the entire solar spectrum, hence total irradiance,
is known with high precision, we only know the solar energy flux within
about a ±0.2% absolute accuracy. The knowledge of the spectral irradiance
below 300 nm is only >1%. On the other hand, it is well known that coronal
mass ejections are responsible for many major effects on Earth. These
coronal mass ejections, if accompanied by fast and powerful interplanetary
shocks can result in major magnetic disturbances on Earth. These phenomena
are related to the Sun and its activity cycle. Thus, the study of solar
phenomena with respect to the solar cycle is needed to understand the solar
influence in its full consequences.
RESEARCH PROGRAM PLANS: WORKING GROUP 2:
RESEARCH PROGRAM PLANS: WORKING GROUP 3:
APPENDIX A:
SPACECRAFT EXPECTED TO BE IN OPERATION
1998-2002
In addition to these specific spacecraft and space probes, related
investigations will continue on the International Space Station and Space
Shuttle.
INTERBALL-2 with subsatellite MAGION-4. The subsatellite is at
changeable distances to the mother spacecraft. The INTERBALL satellite
program is a series of satellites for the study of Earth's magnetosphere,
solar wind and the heliosphere.
APPENDIX B
EXPECTED TO BE IN OPERATION 1998-2002
APPENDIX C
April 97, France; August 97, Uppsala.
1998 - SOHO/COSPAR (Nagoya) and/or SCOSTEP meeting in Taiwan during Western
Pacific AGU.
1999 - IUGG meeting in UK and/or 1st ISCS Workshop.
APPENDIX D
1997: 2 K$ 1998: 6 K$
CSSP/CSTR MEETING
June 4-6, 1997
jgluhman@sunspot.ssl.berkeley.edu
Authors K. Ya. Kondratyev, G. A. Nikolsky and E. O. Shultz provided a
recent paper to the SCOSTEP Secretariat. Published in the journal
Meteorology & Atmospheric Physics, 61, 119-126 (1996), the paper is titled:
"Hourly to Decadal Time Scale Variations of the Spectral and Total 'Solar
Constant'". Results described in the paper lead the authors to conclude
that solar activity was notably higher at the end of the 1930s with an
effective output about 0.4% higher and Northern Hemisphere temperatures
about 0.4 degrees C higher than in the first decade of the 20th century.
Dr. W. Schröder, Science Edition
Hechelstrasse 8, D-18777 Bremen-Roennebeck, Germany
winglee@geophys.washington.edu
Michael Prather
mprather@uci.edu
Mauricio Peredo, Nicola Fox, Barbara Thompson
ISTP Project Representatives
peredo@istp1.gsfc.nasa.gov ; fox@lepmfs.gsfc.nasa.gov
SCIENTIFIC DATA: ACCESS vs. COPYRIGHT?
Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
SCOSTEP, c/o National Geophysical Data Center
NOAA, 325 Broadway, Boulder 80303, USA
PRESENT PRACTICE FOR HANDLING SCIENTIFIC DATA
"VALUE" and "COST" of DATA
ACTION
Time is short! Acts, Treaties and Directives will be imposed
soon!
SCOSTEP Directory Changes
AMPTE IRM Data
Available on World Wide Web
Each file also contains time and spacecraft location in GSE coordinates.
This work was funded by the Space Physics Data System.
Lynn Kistler
Lynn.Kistler@unh.edu
GOES IMAGER CONTRACT AWARDED
Lou Mayo
Jim Green
December 8-12, 1997, San Francisco, CA
Ionosphere/Thermosphere Storms represent an extreme form of space weather,
which can best be studied through coordinated analysis of disturbed
intervals with good data coverage. Observations from distributed and
clustered ground-based instruments, and measurements from space-borne
experiments under the auspices of the ISTP and other programs, provide
comprehensive data sets which can constrain and improve the increasingly
complex global and regional models of the Earth's upper atmosphere. Papers
dealing with any aspect of thermosphere/ionosphere storms, from a modeling
or observational perspective are welcome for this special session.
Convener: Michael Buonsanto
mjb@oceanus.haystack.edu
Measurements made with the instruments flying on the Upper Atmosphere
Research Satellite (UARS) have provided a wealth of information on the
aeronomy and dynamics of the middle atmosphere including the mesosphere and
lower thermosphere. The UARS satellite affords spatial and temporal
sampling of these regions of the Earth's atmosphere that is heretofore
unprecedented. These unique diagnostics provide important insight into the
underlying physics and chemistry. Many UARS instruments have continued to
operate since the satellite was launched in 1991, so studies of variability
on numerous time scales are possible. Papers which focus on phenomena
elucidated by UARS middle atmospheric diagnostics are solicited for
contribution to this special session.
Conveners: Raymond Roble
Maura Hagan
The exosphere and topside ionosphere are intimately coupled through
chemical and dynamic processes, and successful attempts to study these
regions require good spatial and temporal coverage of both neutral and
ionized species. Recent observational efforts such as the POLITE topside
world day campaign have emphasized the availability of such coordinated
data sets. These studies can provide valuable insights into long-standing
topics such as light ion morphology, conjugate hemisphere influences, hot
neutral oxygen, solar cycle variation of exospheric hydrogen, and refilling
of the nighttime F region ionosphere. They can also serve as valuable
constraints on the complex full-hemisphere models currently available.
Papers dealing with any aspect of the topside ionosphere and neutral
exosphere, whether they focus on models, observations, or both, are welcome
for this special session.
Convener: Philip Erickson
Among the critical elements in a successful National Space Weather Program
is the need to establish metrics against which quantitative goals can be
defined and against which progress can be measured. This represents an
important transition from traditional approaches to science in which
understanding is the principal motivation. We now look to this
understanding to be quantified in terms of accuracy, timeliness and skill,
and applied to developing prediction methodologies involving processes on
the Sun, in the interplanetary medium, and in the Earth's magnetospheric,
ionospheric, and thermospheric domains -- including all the coupling
mechanisms. With regard to prediction accuracy, timeliness and skill, this
special session asks: Where are we? Where do we want or need to be? What
are the parameters and events to be predicted? What are the priorities?
Where are the critical uncertainties or unknowns in our scientific
knowledge that stand in the way of genuinely quantifiable predictions? What
are the most critical observables currently unavailable in the solar,
interplanetary, magnetospheric, and ionospheric/thermospheric domains?
Exactly why are they critical? What are the major shortfalls in our models
and measurements, and to what quantifiable degree do those shortfalls
impact our prediction capabilities? And so on! It is the intent of this
session to begin the necessary process of setting model and measurement
standards, unveiling the unknowns and uncertainties, quantifying their
impact on prediction methodologies, and establishing a metric for where we
are today and what are the meaningful, attainable and quantifiable goals
for the future. The ultimate goal addresses the completely coupled system,
with each subdiscipline in the solar-terrestrial chain being a user or
provider of predictions from or for neighboring subdisciplinary domains.
The session will cross all discipline boundaries in solar-terrestrial
physics, involving invited and contributed papers and poster presentations.
Conveners: E. P. Szuszczewicz
E. Hildner
R. A. Wolf
The successful operation of the Geotail, Polar, SOHO, Ulysses, Wind and
Yohkoh satellites has provided a wealth of coordinated observations on a
range of solar and heliospheric structures and phenomena. Coronal mass
ejections have been observed from their birth at the Sun, detected in
interplanetary space and observed at the Earth. Their effects at the
Earth's magnetosphere have also been observed. The goal of this session is
to provide a forum where observations and theories of these different
manifestations of solar-terrestrial physics can be discussed.
Conveners: K. P. Dere
R. A. Howard
Edmond C. Roelof
This special session at AGU is aimed at incorporating the science
community's feedback on the design of the "constellation" mission. The
current implementations of the mission evolved from the recent Science
Definition Team meeting on geospace multiprobes. The engineering studies
from GSFC which characterized the mission "feasible within the Solar
Terrestrial Probe line" give the science community the "green light" to
engage in discussions on various aspects of the mission.
Conveners: Vassilis Angelopoulos
Rod Heelis
March 16 - 20, 1998, Kyoto, Japan
Atmospheric tides
Gravity waves and turbulence
Mean winds and planetary waves
GCM and mechanistic models
Radar observations; MF, meteor, MST, and IS radars
Lidar observations; Rayleigh and resonance lidars
Airglow observations; FPI, MI and CCD imagers
Satellite and rocket measurements.
Toshitaka Tsuda
(First Announcement - Call for Indication of Interest)
We plan for 3 2-hour sessions on the topics listed below. To introduce the
topic and focus the discussion, each session will start with a 30 min
overview talk/introduction (speakers to be announced later -- suggestions
are welcomed.) No other formal presentations will be planned. Instead
attendants are encouraged to contribute to the discussion on a 'few
view-graph' basis.
Different observed signatures: when do they and when do they not represent
different physical phenomena?
Transients and large-scale dynamics of the high-latitude ionosphere: what
are the relations and how can we study them?
Selection criteria (different instruments, different locations): is there a
problem?
Global transients (e.g., SIs and SSCs): what makes them special?
Identifying the events in the solar wind: what have we seen, what are we
looking for and what can we do to better see them?
Effects of the bow-shock and magnetosheath: how important are they and how
do we study them?
Magnetospheric measurements: how can we use satellite data in this region?
Collaboration between observers and modelers/theorists: what do we need
from each other and how can we make sure to get it?
Proper classification: how do we go about it, and how important is it as a
tool to identify generation mechanisms?
This is a NON-budget arrangement! SRI (or alternatively University of
California, Berkeley) has kindly agreed to make a room available, but each
participant will have to arrange their own transport, lunch, etc.
Eftyhia Zesta (ezesta@sec.noaa.gov)
Therese Moretto (moretto@dmi.dk)
January 5-9, 1998, Boulder, CO
Keith Groves
groves@plh.af.mil
FOR EARTHQUAKE, TSUNAMI AND
VOLCANIC HAZARDS
April 27 - 30, 1998, Santiago, Chile
REGISTRATION FEES (in US$): Before October 1, 97 After October 1, 97 1. Active Participants 300.00 350.00 2. Accompanying Persons 100.00 120.00 3. Students 80.00 100.00
For additional information contact:
IUGG Chile National Committee, P. O. Box: 4-D, Santiago, Chile
Fax:
56-2-698-8278 Tel.: 56-2-26962188
email: igm@reuna.cl
July 12-19, 1998, Nagoya, Japan
The Earth's Surface, Meteorology, and Climate
The Earth-Moon System, Planets, and Small Bodies of the Solar System
The Upper Atmospheres of the Earth and Planets, including Reference Atmospheres
Space Plasmas in the Solar System, including Planetary Magnetospheres
Research In Astrophysics
Life Sciences as Related to Space
Materials Sciences in Space
Fundamental Physics in Space
Satellite Dynamics
Scientific Ballooning
Space-Borne Geophysical Data for Global Change Studies
Science and Engineering Aspects of Solar System Exploration
Chairperson of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is:
Prof. A. Nishida, ISAS, Kanagawa, Japan
75016 Paris, France.
Tel: (33 1) 45 25 06 79; Fax: (33 1) 40
50 98 27;
email: COSPAR@paris7. jussieu.fr; or
http://www.mpae.gwdg.de/COSPAR/ COSPAR.html