Paul E. Morris
ATM Division of Atmospheric Sciences
GEO Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:
January 15, 2008
Expires:
December 31, 2012 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:
$3990034
Investigator(s):
John Foster jfoster@haystack.mit.edu (Principal Investigator)
Anthea Coster (Co-Principal Investigator) John Holt (Co-Principal Investigator) Philip Erickson (Co-Principal Investigator) Frank Lind (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 MASSACHUSETTS AVE
Cambridge, MA 02139 617/253-1000
NSF Program(s):
UPPER ATMOSPHERIC FACILITIES
Field Application(s):
0205000 Space
Program Reference Code(s):
OTHR, EGCH, 1323, 0000
Program Element Code(s):
4202
ABSTRACT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will continue a program of upper atmosphere research using the radar and distributed ground-based instruments that comprise the Millstone Hill Observatory (MHO) in Westford, Massachusetts. The Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar facility consists of two 2.5-MW UHF transmitters, a fully steerable 46-meter antenna, and a zenith directed 68-meter fixed antenna. The Observatory is situated at 55° latitude, such that its extensive field of view for ionospheric observations encompasses the full extent of mid-latitude, sub-auroral, and auroral features and processes. The radar will be operated for about 1000 hours per year in support of international World Day experiments and community-directed research programs. Radar and system maintenance and minor upgrades will be carried out, along with wide-ranging scientific analysis of the data to support scientific usage. User support will receive major emphasis including efficient access to the observed and analyzed parameters, information, scheduling, and database access on the WWW, community-interaction workshops, and education and outreach activities. The research conducted by the scientific staff of MHO will encompass a broad range of topics involving processes and dynamics of the thermosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere, as well as investigations of plasma waves and magnetic storm effects. Scientific emphasis will include magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling in the vicinity of the plasmasphere boundary layer, space weather effects and processes over the continental US, ionosphere-thermosphere coupling, and upper atmosphere climatology. Radar and ancillary data from MHO will be deposited in the CEDAR data base at NCAR for community use and will be made available online via the MADRIGAL database. Student and external investigator participation in these research activities, and the inclusion of Millstone Hill Observatory data in external studies will also be supported. MHO team members will continue educational activities through our Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Research Experiences for Teachers participation. The program incorporates community input and outreach activities through workshops at the annual CEDAR and URSI meetings and will encourage and support visiting students and instruments at MHO. Analysis and data distribution techniques developed for use at MHO will continue to be made available for community use and every effort will be made to make these analysis products compatible with the broad user community needs.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
(Showing: 1 - 18 of 18).
Balan, N; Alleyne, H; Walker, S; Reme, H; Lucek, E; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N; Fazakerley, AN; Zhang, SR; van Eyken, AP.
"Response of the magnetosheath-cusp region to a coronal mass ejection,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.112,
2007,
Basu, S; Basu, S; Makela, JJ; MacKenzie, E; Doherty, P; Wright, JW; Rich, F; Keskinen, MJ; Sheehan, RE; Coster, AJ.
"Large magnetic storm-induced nighttime ionospheric flows at midlatitudes and their impacts on GPS-based navigation systems,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.113,
2008,
Coster, AJ; Colerico, MJ; Foster, JC; Rideout, W; Rich, F.
"Longitude sector comparisons of storm enhanced density,"
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
v.34,
2007,
Foster, JC; Rideout, W.
"Storm enhanced density: magnetic conjugacy effects,"
ANNALES GEOPHYSICAE,
v.25,
2007,
p. 1791
- 1799.
Holt, JM; Zhang, SR.
"Long-term temperature trends in the ionosphere above Millstone Hill,"
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
v.35,
2008,
Huang, CS; Yumoto, K.
"Quantification and hemispheric asymmetry of low-latitude geomagnetic disturbances caused by solar wind pressure enhancements,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.111,
2006,
Huang, CS; Yumoto, K; Abe, S; Sofko, G.
"Low-latitude ionospheric electric and magnetic field disturbances in response to solar wind pressure enhancements,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.113,
2008,
Lei, J; Wang, W; Burns, AG; Solomon, SC; Richmond, AD; Wiltberger, M; Goncharenko, LP; Coster, A; Reinisch, BW.
"Observations and simulations of the ionospheric and thermospheric response to the December 2006 geomagnetic storm: Initial phase,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.113,
2008,
Lei, JH; Roble, RG; Wang, W; Emery, BA; Zhang, SR.
"Electron temperature climatology at Millstone Hill and Arecibo,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.112,
2007,
Lu, G; Goncharenko, LP; Richmond, AD; Roble, RG; Aponte, N.
"A dayside ionospheric positive storm phase driven by neutral winds,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.113,
2008,
Mendillo, M; Smith, S; Coster, A; Erickson, P; Baumgardner, J; Martinis, C.
"Man-made space weather,"
SPACE WEATHER-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS,
v.6,
2008,
Skone, S; Coster, A.
"Potential for issuing ionospheric warnings to Canadian users of marine DGPS,"
SPACE WEATHER-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS,
v.6,
2008,
Tsugawa, T; Otsuka, Y; Coster, AJ; Saito, A.
"Medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances detected with dense and wide TEC maps over North America,"
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
v.34,
2007,
Tsugawa, T; Zhang, SR; Coster, AJ; Otsuka, Y; Sato, J; Saito, A; Zhang, Y; Paxton, LJ.
"Summer-winter hemispheric asymmetry of the sudden increase in ionospheric total electron content and of the O/N-2 ratio: Solar activity dependence,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.112,
2007,
Zhang, SR; Holt, JM.
"Ionospheric climatology and variability from long-term and multiple incoherent scatter radar observations: Climatology in eastern American sector,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.112,
2007,
Zhang, SR; Holt, JM.
"Ionospheric variability from an incoherent scatter radar long-duration experiment at Millstone Hill,"
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS,
v.113,
2008,
(Showing: 1 - 18 of 18).
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
