CEDAR email: International ionosphere/upper atmosphere observational campaigns in 2016

[zbqjz]

Dear colleagues,

I am sending this note to call your attention to the upcoming 2016 MERINO (MEridian ciRcle INternational Observation) campaigns along the 120Eo/60WoMeridian Circle and invite your participation in the coordinated international observations
Previous international coordinated campaigns have shown the importance of global networks of ground-based upper atmospheric /ionospheric measurements as an essential constituent of the arrays needed to solve the complex, nonlinear, coupled atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere (A-I-M) systems. The meridian circle of 120Eo/60Wo longitude across American and Asian longitude sectors is of particular geophysical interest arising from the fact of opposite large offsets associated with geomagnetic field configuration and 12-hour time difference.
We are suggesting two MERINO campaigns in 2016. The first will be in spring spanning the period from March 15 to April 15. A second campaign will take place likely during Sep-Oct. These are follow-ups to successful prior campaigns conducted during 2014 and 2015. The March 2015 campaign enabled us catch the biggest-ever solar storm for the current solar cycle. As before, our main goal is to examine how difference the upper atmosphere/ionosphere behaviors during both the quiet and storm period for the eastern and western hemispheres under opposite geographic-magnetic coordinate offset. To reveal the underlying processes that drive vertical coupling and horizontal variability, dedicated and coordinated observations are essential. With increasing number of the observational data available around the meridian circle of 120Eo/60Wo recently, the following specific topics might be of particular interest: (I) East-West differences in the upper atmosphere/ionosphere over the US and East-Asia region during the magnetic storm of different magnitude. (II) A system-wise perspective of large scale traveling ionospheric disturbance (TID) and medium scale TID from the high latitude to the equator. (III) Regional difference of the ionospheric plasma irregularity/ scintillation. (IV) Interhemispheric difference of the upper atmosphere/ionosphere along 120Eo/60Wo meridian. 
The anticipated ground-based upper atmospheric observational facilities consist of Chinese Meridian Project observatories and other instruments in China, and US-NSF geospace facilities (in particular, incoherent scatter radars) in American sectors, optical and radio instruments facilities from Japan, Korea, Brazil, India, Australia, Russia, and South-Asian countries. Our focus is the 120Eo/60Wo meridian, however, observations from surrounding areas can put us on an appropriate context, and therefore are strongly encouraged to participate as well.
Data collected from the campaigns will be made available at the Meridian Project database center, the Madrigal/CEDAR database, and other local data inventories. We are looking forward to interested parties in participating data consume, modeling, and science analysis.
 
Coordinators:
Biqiang Zhao (zbqjz at iggcas.ac.cn) 
Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences
 
Shunrong Zhang (srzhang at haystack.mit.edu)
Haystack/Millstone Hill Observatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2016-02-25 



Prof. Zhao Biqiang (赵必强)
Email:zbqjz at mail.iggcas.ac.cn


Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, 100029, CHINA


ResearcherID: A-2374-2012
URL: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/A-2374-2012
 
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