Karin Hauck
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ICON at AGU Fall Meeting

New Orleans, 11-15 Dec. 2017

AGU’s Fall Meeting is the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world.

Below are ICON or GOLD-related sessions, posters and the SPA Town Hall (Monday night).

Congratulations to Joe Huba, ICON Co-Investigator, who will be presenting the 2017 Nicolet Lecture on Tuesday.

MONDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2017

SA11B: Solar Eclipse Effects on the Upper Atmosphere I

08:00 - 10:00 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - 252-254

For the first time in 26 years, a total solar eclipse will occur in the North American on 21 August 2017. During the eclipse-induced sudden interruption in solar illumination, the upper atmosphere will undergo significant changes beyond what a normal sunset and sunrise process would generate. Although eclipse effects have been studied for many decades, recent major advances in modern observational techniques can provide timely new information on eclipse upper atmospheric system response. Global numerical models have become more capable of capturing important coupling processes on various scales. This session will review existing theories and knowledge of eclipse upper atmospheric effects, examine these against modern eclipse observations, in particular during 21 August 2017, and identify unresolved and challenging problems for future research. We welcome contributions addressing scientific questions of the ionospheric, thermospheric and mesospheric variations during a solar eclipse using ground-based and in situ measurements as well as numerical models.

SA12A: Dynamics and Coupling Processes of the Ionosphere and Thermosphere at Middle and Low Latitudes I

10:20 - 12:20 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R08

The ionosphere and thermosphere are very dynamic and strongly coupled over various spatial and time scales during both quiet times and geomagnetic storms. This session will address the recent progress, current understanding, and future challenges of thermospheric and ionospheric research at middle and low latitudes, and will focus on two areas. One area is equatorial ionospheric electrodynamics and disturbances, including plasma drift, equatorial spread F, plasma bubbles, and resultant scintillation. Another area is the response of the ionospheric-thermospheric system to geomagnetic storms, including penetration and dynamo electric fields, the variations of neutral and ion compositions on the bottomside and topside, atmospheric gravity waves and TIDs, and different drivers to the generation of storm-time disturbances. We welcome observational, theoretical, and modeling studies that improve our understanding and enable a better forecasting capability of thermospheric and ionospheric dynamics and coupling processes. Presentations on new instrument and observational methods are also encouraged.

SA13A-2271: Small Scale O+ Density Observations from WINCS/SWATS

13:40 - 18:00 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - Poster Hall D-F Andrew C Nicholas et al

The Winds-Ions-Neutral Composition Suite (WINCS) instrument, also known as the Small Wind and Temperature Spectrometer (SWATS), was designed and developed jointly by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for ionosphere-thermosphere investigations in orbit between 120 and 550 km altitude. The WINCS design provides the following measurements in a single package with a low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP): 7.6 x 7.6 x 7.1 cm outer dimensions, 0.75 kg total mass, and about 1.3 Watt total power: neutral winds, neutral temperature, neutral density, neutral composition, ion drifts, ion temperature, ion density and ion composition. The instrument has been operating on the STP-Sat3 spacecraft since November of 2013. This work will focus on a periods of fast cadence observations (0.3 s) and resulting spatial and temporal observations of the O+ density near 475 km.

SA13B: Monitoring Geospace Variations Through Remote Sensing I

13:40 - 15:40 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R01

Geospace (the ionosphere, thermosphere, plasmasphere and magnetosphere) is driven by energy and momentum inputs from the Sun, internal processes within these regions, and energy from the surface and lower atmosphere. Satellite-based remote sensing (X-ray, UV, visible, IR and radio frequencies) provides a cost-effective way to understand the system and its global response as well as those regions where in situ measurements are difficult. We welcome all contributions on imaging techniques, data analysis, modeling/simulations for geospace studies and future sensor improvement.

SA13B-03: Optical Imaging Observation of the Geospace from the International Space Station by ISS-IMAP

14:08 - 14:21     New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R01 Akinori Saito et al

Optical imaging observation of the mesosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, and plasmasphere was carried out from the International Space Station (ISS) with ISS-IMAP (Ionosphere, Mesosphere, upper Atmosphere, and Plasmasphere mapping) mission instruments. ISS-IMAP instruments was installed on the Exposed Facility of Japanese Experiment Module of the ISS in August, 2012, and removed in August, 2015. They are two imagers, Visible-light and Infrared Spectrum Imager (VISI) and Extreme UltraViolet Imager (EUVI). VISI made imaging observations of the airglow and aurora in the nadir direction. It had two slits perpendicular to the trajectory of ISS, and the movement of ISS made the two-dimensional observation whose field-of-view width is 600km at 100km altitude. It covered the wave length range from 500nm to 900nm. The airglow of 730nm (OH, Alt. 85km), 762nm (O2, Alt. 95km), and 630nm (O, Alt. 250km) were mainly observed besides the other airglow, such as 589nm (Na) and 557 (O). EUVI made imaging observation of the resonant scattering from ions. It had two telescopes, and observed the resonant scattering of He+ in 30.4nm, and O+ in 83.4nm in the limb direction. VISI captured the airglow structures whose wavelength from 80km to 500km. The concentric wave structures were frequently observed in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. They are strong evidence of the vertical coupling between the lower atmosphere and the upper atmosphere by vertical propagation of the atmospheric gravity waves. The other airglow structures, such as mesospheric bores, were also detected by ISS-IMAP/VISI. The meso-scale structures in the ionosphere, such as plasma bubbles, and traveling ionospheric disturbances were also observed. EUVI revealed the longitudinal structures of He+ in the top side of the ionosphere. It was attributed to the neutral wind in the thermosphere. In the presentation, the outline and results of the ISS-IMAP's VISI and EUVI observations will be discussed.

SA14A: Monitoring Geospace Variations Through Remote Sensing II

16:00 - 18:00 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R01

Geospace (the ionosphere, thermosphere, plasmasphere and magnetosphere) is driven by energy and momentum inputs from the Sun, internal processes within these regions, and energy from the surface and lower atmosphere. Satellite-based remote sensing (X-ray, UV, visible, IR and radio frequencies) provides a cost-effective way to understand the system and its global response as well as those regions where in situ measurements are difficult. We welcome all contributions on imaging techniques, data analysis, modeling/simulations for geospace studies and future sensor improvement.

SA14A-02: Geospace Imaging from the Ionospheric Connection Explorer

16:13 - 16:28 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R01 Thomas J. Immel et al

The Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, is a new NASA Explorer mission that will explore the boundary between Earth and space to understand the physical connection between our world and our space environment. This connection is made in the ionosphere, which has long been known to exhibit variability associated with the sun and solar wind. However, it has been recognized in the 21st century that equally significant changes in ionospheric conditions are apparently associated with energy and momentum propagating upward from our own atmosphere. ICON’s goal is to weigh the competing impacts of these two drivers as they influence our space environment. We describe the specific science objectives that address this goal, as well as the means by which they will be achieved. The instruments selected and the overall performance of the science payload will be presented and discussed. The first evaluation of on-orbit instrument performance, if available, and the expectation for future scientific research, will also be discussed.

TH15D: (SPA Town Hall): Space Physics and Aeronomy Agency Night

18:15 - 19:15 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - 228-230

We urge you to meet with representatives from NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to become better informed about current and pending programs and recent developments at both Agencies that address the SPA research areas. This is your Townhall; this one hour session provides an opportunity to learn about future plans for the discipline and to provide feedback to the funding agencies.

This year we solicit questions from the SPA community in advance. You have the chance to ask questions anonymously by submitting them to aguspaagencynight2017@gmail.com You must submit your questions by November 15, 2017 for consideration. You will also have a chance to ask questions in person during the Town Hall.
Not all questions submitted will be asked due to time constraints. Questions may be edited for content and form. We will also allocate some time so that the audience will be able to ask questions directly during the meeting.

The minutes of Agency Night will be published on the SPA website.

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

SA23B: The 2017 Nicolet Lecture

13:40 - 14:40 New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - La Nouvelle AB

The Marcel Nicolet Lecture honors the life and work of physicist and meteorologist, Marcel Nicolet. The Nicolet Lecture is also a part of the Bowie Lecture series, which was inaugurated in 1989 to commemorate the 50th presentation of the William Bowie medal, which is AGU’s highest honor and named for its first president. Nicolet is a past recipient of the William Bowie medal.

13:50 SA23B-01 SAMI3: The Evolution of an Ionosphere/Plasmasphere Model (Invited)

Joseph Huba, US Naval Research Laboratory, Plasma Physics Division, Washington, DC, UNITED STATES

The development of the Naval Research Laboratory ionosphere/plasmasphere model SAMI3 is described. The emphasis is on the challenges of building such a model and the decision making process in choosing the appropriate numerical algorithms to solve the underlying first-principles physics equations. Some of the numerical issues discussed are the numerical grid, semi-implicit and finite volume transport schemes, and flux corrected transport. These will be juxtaposed with the attendant scientific inquiries and results. Some of the physics issues highlighted are the prediction of an electron density `hole' in the topside (1500 km) equatorial ionosphere, the regional and global modeling of equatorial spread F, metal ions in the E region, and plasmaspheric plumes.

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

SA32A-02: Longitudinal Ionospheric Variability Observed by LITES on the ISS

10:34 - 10:48    New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R08 Andrew Stephan et al

The Limb-Imaging Ionospheric and Thermospheric Extreme-Ultraviolet Spectrograph (LITES) is an imaging spectrograph designed to measure altitude profiles (150-350 km) of extreme- and far-ultraviolet airglow emissions that originate from photochemical processes in the ionosphere and thermosphere. During the daytime, LITES observes the bright O+ 83.4 nm emission from which the ionospheric profile can be inferred. At night, recombination emissions at 91.1 and 135.6 nm provide a direct measure of the electron content along the line of sight. LITES was launched and installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in late February 2017 where it has been operating along with the highly complementary GPS Radio Occultation and Ultraviolet Photometry – Colocated (GROUP-C) experiment. We will present some of the first observations from LITES in April 2017 that show longitudinal patterns in ionospheric density and the daily variability in those patterns. LITES vertical imaging from a vantage point near 410 km enables a particularly unique perspective on the altitude of the ionospheric peak density at night that can complement and inform other ground- and space-based measurements, and track the longitude-altitude variability that is reflective of changes in equatorial electrodynamics.

SA33B-05: Anticipated Observation of Waves and Tides by the GOLD Mission Using a GCM and GLOW model

14:35 - 14:48    New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R08 Katelynn Greer et al

One of the major scientific objectives of the GOLD mission is to address the significance of atmospheric waves and tides propagating from below on the thermospheric temperature structure. Here we examine the modes of tides and spectrum of waves that will be observed by GOLD in geostationary orbit. The GOLD instrument is an imaging spectrograph that will measure the Earth’s emissions from 132 to 162 nm. These measurements will be used to image thermospheric temperature and composition near 160 km on the dayside disk at half-hour time scales. TIE-GCM is used to produce a realistic model atmosphere, where different wave and tidal components can be easily extracted, and GLobal AirglOW (GLOW) model produces the emissions in the spectral bands observed by GOLD.

SA34A-09: How does the predicted geomagnetic main field variation alter the thermosphere-ionosphere storm-time response?

17:47 - 18:00   New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - R08 Astrid Maute et al

Earth’s magnetic main field plays an important role in the thermosphere-ionosphere (TI) system, as well as its coupling to Earth's magnetosphere. The ionosphere consists of a weakly ionized plasma strongly influenced by the main field and embedded in the thermosphere. Therefore, ion-neutral coupling and ionospheric electrodynamics can influence the plasma distribution and neutral dynamics. There are strong longitude variations of the TI storm response. At high latitude magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is organized by the geomagnetic main field, leading in general to stronger northern middle latitude storm time response in the American sector due to the geomagnetic dipole location. In addition, the weak geomagnetic main field in the American sector leads to larger local ExB drift and can alter the plasma densities. During geomagnetic storms the intense energy input into the high latitude region is redistributed globally, leading to thermospheric heating, wind circulation changes and alterations of the ionospheric electrodynamics. The storm time changes are measurable in the plasma density, ion drift, temperature, neutral composition, and other parameters. All these changes depend, to some degree, on the geomagnetic main field which changes on decadal time scales.

In this study, we employ a forecast model of the geomagnetic main field based on data assimilation and geodynamo modeling [Aubert et al., 2015]. The main field model predicts that in 50 years the South Atlantic Anomaly is further weakened by 2 mT and drifts westward by approximately 10o. The dipole axis moves northward and westward by 2o and 6o, respectively. Simulating the March 2015 geomagnetic storm with the Thermosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) driven by the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE), we evaluate the thermosphere-ionosphere response using the geomagnetic main field of 2015, 2065, and 2115. We compare the TI response for 2015 with available satellite data, e.g. Swarm and COSMIC, and discuss the changes in the TI response due to the predicted main field changes to identify regions of potential increase and decrease in the storm time response.

Thursday, 14 December 2017

SA43B-2661: On the Uncertainties of the Hot Oxygen Geocorona: Ground-based 732.0-nm Observations

13:40 - 18:00     New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - Poster Hall D-F Brian J Harding et al

Although it is well established that Venus and Mars both have a significant hot oxygen geocorona, the evidence for a hot oxygen geocorona on Earth is sparse. Recent theoretical estimates suggest the concentration of hot oxygen at the exobase is ~0.1-1% of the thermal oxygen concentration, while the observational evidence (largely from the 1980s) suggests ~1-20%. There is also disagreement about the effective temperature of the hot atoms (1500-6000 K). Hot oxygen is known to affect satellite drag, ambient thermospheric temperature and circulation, and ion temperature. We show results from a recent effort to replicate the initial observation of the hot oxygen geocorona [Yee et al., 1980], using ground-based observations of the shadow height variation of the 732-nm O+ emission.

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ICON skin is based on Greytness by Adammer
Background image, courtesy of NASA, is a derivitave of photograph taken by D. Pettit from the ISS, used under Creative Commons license