[GEM] THE GEM MESSENGER, Volume 25, Number 40

Wed Sep 16 18:11:46 PDT 2015

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     THE GEM MESSENGER
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Volume 25, Number 40
September 16, 2015

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Table of Contents

1. 2015 Summer Workshop Report: Storm-Time Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Convection (SIMIC) Focus Group
2. Announcement of JGR-Space Special Issue: “Big Storms of the Van Allen Probes Era”

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1. 2015 Summer Workshop Report: Storm-Time Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Convection (SIMIC) Focus Group
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From: Stan Sazykin (sazykin at rice.edu), Joseph Baker, Michael Ruohoniemi, Peter Chi, and Mark Engebretson

During the 2015 summer GEM workshop, the Storm-Time Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Convection (SIMIC) Focus Group chose to concentrate its attention on 2 selected intervals. Our goal is to use ground- and space-based observations in conjunction with numerical simulations during these intervals to understand how plasma distributions, convection electric fields, and current systems emerge and evolve in the inner magnetosphere and conjugate ionosphere during geomagnetic storms. The two storm intervals are March 17th, 2013 (a CME-driven storm) and November 1st, 2012 (a storm produced by a sheath).  We had two sessions with 18 presentations.

SIMIC FG uses a web-based collaboration site (http://www.wiggio.com) for sharing of results and discussions, and we refer the readers to that web site for more detailed examples of presentations during the workshop. Interpretation and analysis of the March 17th, 2013 and November 1st, 2012 events will continue at the upcoming mini-GEM workshop prior to the Fall AGU Meeting in San Francisco.

The presentations included event simulations with global MHD models (LFM and OpenGGCM), ring current/inner magnetosphere models (RCM-E, HEIDI, CIMI), coupled ring current-ionosphere models (SAMI3-RCM), ring current-global MHD (RAM-BATS-R-US) models, and the ionospheric TIEGCM model. The datasets brought to the discussions included AMPERE Birkeland currents, ground-based magnetic field perturbations, geosynchronous energetic particle fluxes from GOES and LANL spacecraft, THEMIS all-sky images and in situ spacecraft data, DMSP topside ionospheric measurements, SuperDARN ground-based radar data, various particle and fields measurements from Van Allen Probes instruments, and energetic neutral atom (ENA) TWINS data.

The following are some of the specific science questions that shaped the discussions:

1.	What are the observational signatures of bursty-bulk flow/entropy bubbles predicted by global MHD simulations (M. Wiltberger)?
2.	How do main-phase substorms contribute to the Dst index (S. Ohtani)?
3.	Is it possible to separate different types of storm-time penetration electric fields (impulsive changes due to solar wind pressure pulses, smooth global convection changes, and flow bursts) (L. Lyons)?
4.	What is the temporal and causal relationship between auroral streamers, bursts of convection, and intensification of SAPS flows (B. Gallardo)?
5.	Is there a consistent pattern in the relative locations of the plasmapause and the SAPS channel as seen by the Van Allen Probes instruments (F. Wilder)?
6.	What is the role of electron precipitation in the diffuse aurora and can the electron ring current fluxes be predicted with improved electron precipitation models (M. Chen)?
7.	What is the storm-time response of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) caused by penetration electric fields (G. Lu)?
8.	Can storm-time TEC structuring and plasmaspheric structuring be predicted with first-principles modeling (J. Krall)?
9.	What is the location of the ring current pressure peak as a function of MLT and storm phase (L. Smith)?
10.	What is the role of enhanced convection in the storm-time ring current formation (A. Glocer)?
11.	What are the relative roles of enhanced convection versus flow bursts in the formation of storm-time ring current (M. Liemohn)?
12.	Can observed SAPS be predicted with modeling (Y. Yu)?
13.	What is the role and occurrence characteristics of whistler waves (E. MacDonald)?
14.	What are viable mechanisms of prompt-penetration electric fields (R. Lysak)?
15.	Dynamics of ENA during storms (P. Valek)?
16.	What creates observed multiple sheets of Birkeland currents (B. Anderson)? 

These science questions will continue to form the main scope of the focus group.

In addition, the SIMIC group had one session joint with the Tail-Inner Magnetosphere Interactions (TIMI) focus group. The primary focus of that session was on ionospheric signatures of transient flow features flows and entropy bubbles. The summary of this session was included in the report of the TIMI focus group distributed separately.

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2. Announcement of JGR-Space Special Issue: “Big Storms of the Van Allen Probes Era”
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From: Sasha Ukhorskiy (ukhorskiy at jhuapl.edu)

Manuscripts are invited for a special issue of JGR-Space Physics entitled “Big Storms of the Van Allen Probes Era.” 

The overarching goal of the Van Allen Probes mission is to understand dynamic variability of the radiation belts and ring current in response to varying solar wind driving. Over the last three years the Probes have collected comprehensive field and particle measurements over the inner magnetosphere during more than 50 geomagnetic storms, including the two biggest storms of the decade on March 17, 2015 (Dst=-225 nT) and June 23, 2015 (Dst=-195) characterized by dramatic variability of the energetic particle environment. 

This collection will document new understanding of radiation belts and ring current processes built on the synergy of multi-point measurements. We invite contributions that combine data from multiple ongoing constellation missions, ground-based observatories, and state-of-the-art models to develop system-wide understanding of the inner magnetosphere during large geomagnetic storms of the Van Allen Probes mission.

Manuscripts should be submitted through the JGR-Space Physics web site. For additional information please contact: jgr-spacephysics at agu.org.

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The Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) program is sponsored by the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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