The Atmosphere

Monitoring Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling and Space Weather in the  Polar Regions

Principal Investigator: Brian Fraser
Organisation: University of Newcastle, Australia

This project provides a better understanding of the volatility of near-Earth space, a plasma region populated by ionised gas embedded in the geomagnetic field.  Energy from the Sun must pass through many important regions and boundaries to reach Earth, including the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.  The dynamic behaviour of this plasma system, now referred to as “space weather” is of vital importance to life on our planet, and its effects are best studied at high latitudes, e.g. the aurora.  Space weather can disrupt the operation of satellites, radio and GPS navigation and power distribution systems.  The results of this project will provide important input parameters to global magnetospheric circulation models currently under development for space weather forecasting.  In particular, it will study the dynamics and topology of the southern high latitude cusp and polar cap, geomagnetic field regions open to direct solar influence.  Ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves will be used as tracers to study plasma dynamics and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.  Scott Base magnetometer and optical imager data, in conjunction with international observations from Australian bases, USA-UK-Japan-China polar cap remote sites provide the basic dataset.

Recent Publications:
Ables, S.T. and Fraser, B.J. Observing the open-closed boundary using cusp-latitude magnetometers. Geophysical research letters 32: doi:10.1029/2005GL022824. 2005. View Abstract.

Liu, Y.H. Fraser, B.J. Liu, R.Y. Ponomarenko P.V. Conjugate phase studies of ULF waves in the Pc5 band near the cusp. Journal of geophysical research 108: doi:10.1029/2002JA009336, 2003. View Abstract.

Fraser, B.J. Recent developments in magnetospheric diagnostics using ULF waves. Space science reviews 107 (1-2): 149-156, 2003. View Abstract.