[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXV, Issue 5

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXV, Issue 5
Jan.23,2018

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Table of Contents

1. AOGS 2018 Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to January 26

2. TESS Session: Future Innovative ISR techniques leading to new insight

3. TESS Session: Solar Wind Drivers of Space Weather: Anticipating Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter

4. TESS Session: Sources for Suprathermal Ions 

5. SESSION: STP14 Special Session on Space Weather

6. NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) - Application Deadline March 1, 2018

7. 2018 ISR Summer School

8. SCOSTEP/VarSITI Newsletter Vol.16

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Announcement Submission Website: http://goo.gl/forms/qjcm4dDr4g


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AOGS 2018 Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to January 26

From: AOGS Secretariat (admin at asiaoceania.org)

Abstracts for the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) 15th Annual Meeting are being accepted at the following website through January 26:

http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2018/public.asp?page=abstract.htm

AOGS 15th Annual Meeting
03 to 08 JUN, 2018
Honolulu, Hawaii
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2018/


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TESS Session: Future Innovative ISR techniques leading to new insight

From: Jesper W Gjerloev (jesper.gjerloev at jhuapl.edu)

Session ID#: 40132
Session Description:
The purpose of this session is to present potential future uses of the existing Incoherent Scattering Radar (ISR) facilities as well as discuss how innovative techniques can provide new physical insights for Space Sciences. For decades, the ISR’s have proven to be a powerful tool for obtaining key measurements from the near-Earth environment. Rather than reviewing the well-known and successful past of the ISR’s, this session invites papers that propose new uses of the existing capabilities and also possible expansions of them. We encourage speculative and innovative ideas.

Primary Conveners:Jesper W Gjerloev, Applied Physics Laboratory Johns Hopkins, Laurel, MD, United States 
Conveners:Christiano Garnett Marques Brum, Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, PR, United States, Alessandra Abe Pacini, InSpace LLC, Takoma Park, MD, United States and Philip John Erickson, MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA, United States


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TESS Session: Solar Wind Drivers of Space Weather: Anticipating Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter

From: Simon Plunkett, Kelly Korreck, Leila Mays, Doug Biesecker (simon.plunkett at nrl.navy.mil)

We would like to invite contributions to a session on "Solar Wind Drivers of Space Weather: Anticipating Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter" at the upcoming Triennial Earth-Sun Summit meeting (https://connect.agu.org/tess2018/home). The deadline for abstract submissions is Tuesday, 20 February 23:59 ET. 

Session Description:

Solar wind variability is the major driver of space weather disturbances at Earth. Our ability to provide accurate and timely space weather forecasts depends critically on observations and modeling of the propagation of solar wind structures through the heliosphere from the Sun to the Earth. There are two major sources of uncertainty in current heliospheric models, the first being the lack of detailed knowledge about the boundary conditions near the Sun that form the ambient solar wind though which disturbances such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) must propagate en route to Earth, and the other being the properties of CMEs and shocks in the low corona. The upcoming Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions will provide unprecedented remote sensing and in-situ observations of the region of space where the solar wind is born and where CMEs are initiated.

We invite contributions that discuss how observations from these missions, and associated theoretical and modeling research, will improve fundamental understanding of the origins of the solar wind and CMEs, and will contribute to development of the next generation of space weather forecasting models, including both heliospheric and geospace models.

Conveners: Simon Plunkett (Naval Research Laboratory), Kelly Korreck (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), M. Leila Mays (NASA GSFC), Doug Biesecker (NOAA SWPC)


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TESS Session: Sources for Suprathermal Ions 

From: Yuan-Kuen Ko (yuan-kuen.ko at nrl.navy.mil)

We invite your contribution to the session “Sources for Suprathermal Ions” (https://agu.confex.com/agu/2018tess/preliminaryview.cgi/Session40387)
at The Triennial Earth–Sun Summit that will be held on May 20-24, 2018 at the Lansdowne Resort and Spa in Leesburg, VA (https://connect.agu.org/tess2018/home). 

Session Description:
Suprathermal ions (ions of a few times the solar wind plasma energy up to 100s of keV per charge) are known to play a significant role as the seed population in the acceleration to high energy particles by coronal mass ejection (CME) shocks. In the quest for a reliable prediction of the properties of large solar energetic particle (SEP) events, one crucial element is a quantitative understanding of how the suprathermal particles are produced and distributed in the solar corona and the solar wind, especially as a sustained source. Another crucial element is a quantitative understanding of how the variation in the suprathermal seed population contributes to the variation in SEP properties. This session invites contributions from theories, models and observations that aim toward this aspect of research.

Session conveners: Yuan-Kuen Ko (yuan-kuen.ko at nrl.navy.mil), George C. Ho (George.Ho at jhuapl.edu), Nariaki Nitta (nitta at lmsal.com)

Abstract submission deadline: February 20, 2018

The Triennial Earth-Sun Summit (TESS) is a joint meeting of the Space Physics and Aeronomy Section of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Solar Physics Division (SPD) of the American Astronomical Society. 


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SESSION: STP14 Special Session on Space Weather

From: Nariaki Nitta (nitta at lmsal.com)

We solicit abstracts for a special session on space weather at the 14th Quadrennial Solar-Terrestrial Physics Symposium (STP14) in Toronto, Canada (9-13 July 2018, see http://www.scostepevents.ca).  It is encouraged you submit your abstract from http://www.scostepevents.ca/sessions-and-abstracts/abstract-submission/ without waiting for the deadline of 15 February. The session description is shown below. We look forward to a lively and productive session.

Session 4.2 Space Weather

Conveners: Nariaki Nitta (Lockheed Martin ATC), Kazuo Shiokawa (Nagoya U)

Plenary Speaker: Delores Knipp (U Colorado)

Invited Speakers: Mamoru Ishii (NICT), Meng Jin (LMSAL and SETI)

Space weather represents short-term variations of conditions in the heliosphere that affect planets such as our own Earth. Interest in space weather has grown significantly in recent years as we get better informed of its possible impact on our highly technology-dependent society. Space weather is ultimately attributable to the Sun, whether the central role is played by transient phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections or by high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes. These then drive processes in interplanetary space and the planet’s atmosphere. We tend to expect big space weather events while solar activity is high. Interestingly, during the weak solar cycle 24, we witnessed a few extreme events, which may have been comparable to the so-called Carrington event. They could have caused disastrous effects on terrestrial assets if they had occurred days earlier and been directed to Earth. The primary purpose of this session is to discuss recent progress in our understanding and prediction capabilities of space weather, made possible by the availability of advanced coordinated data and the development of innovative theory and modeling. We particularly welcome studies of recent major space weather events such as those in September 2017.


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NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) - Application Deadline March 1, 2018

From: Taifa Simpson (tsimpson at usra.edu)

This announcement reflects recent increases to the NPP annual base stipend and the annual travel allowance provided to fellows.

The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers US and international scientists the opportunity to advance their research while contributing to NASA's scientific goals.  The NPP supports fundamental science; explores the undiscovered; promotes intellectual growth; and encourages scientific connections.

Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA's missions in earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics, space bioscience, aeronautics and engineering, human exploration and space operations, and astrobiology.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree requirements. U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and foreign nationals eligible for J-1 status as a Research Scholar may apply.

UPDATED! Stipends now start at $60,000 per year, with supplements for high cost-of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and $10,000 per year is provided for professional travel.

Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and November 1.

For further information and to apply, visit: 

https://npp.usra.edu/

Questions: npphelp at usra.edu


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2018 ISR Summer School

From: Elizabeth Kendall (elizabeth.kendall at sri.com)

2018 ISR Summer School
University of Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
21-27 July 2018

The 2018 ISR Summer School will be held July 21-27 at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. The school provides students with hands-on experience in designing and running experiments at incoherent scatter radar facilities. During this summer school, students will have the opportunity to run experiments with the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar (ISR) and use data from multiple ISR observatories, such as Poker Flat (PFISR), Arecibo and Jicamarca. The school will be structured to provide presentations in the morning and hands-on experience in experiment design and analysis in the afternoons. The morning lectures will include an introduction to the theory of incoherent scatter, radar operations, ISR analysis techniques, and the Madrigal database. The afternoon exercises will involve working closely with ISR facility staff in the topic areas of proposal design, experiment execution, and data analysis. All students will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with experienced scientists from multiple institutions.

The ISR summer school is suitable for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and attendance is limited. For most students attending institutions within the United States, travel, housing and meals will be provided. For post-docs and students outside of the United States, funding will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All students who wish to apply for the ISR summer school must follow the application instructions at the summer school web site:

http://www.amisr.com/workshop 

The 2018 ISR summer school is sponsored by the National Science Foundation through its Geospace Facilities Program within the Geosciences Directorate and is organized by SRI International. For more information about the school, please contact summerschool at esd.sri.com 

The deadline for application submission is 01 March 2018.
Notice of acceptance will be sent to participants by 30 March 2018.


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SCOSTEP/VarSITI Newsletter Vol.16

From: Kazuo Shiokawa (shiokawa at nagoya-u.jp)

SCOSTEP's VarSITI (Variability of the Sun and Its Terrestrial Impact, 2014-2018)

VarSITI Newsletter volume 16 has now been published.  The PDF file is available at 
http://newserver.stil.bas.bg/varsiti/newsL/VarSITI_Newsletter_Vol16.pdf
Below are the contents of this volume.  

Contents of VarSITI Newsletter Volume 16

Articles
1. A new database of radiation doses at commercial flight altitudes due to solar particle storms is linked to GLE database
2. ISEST Working Group 5: Bs Challenge
3. Database of Directivity Functions of Neutron Monitors
4. Creation of a Database for Atmospheric and Whistler Events Detected in the Russian Far East

Highlights on Young Scientists
1. Jackson McCormick/ USA
2. Mateja Dumbovi/ Austria

Meeting Reports
1. IRI 2017 Workshop, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan,
November 13-17
2. ISEST (International Study of Earth-Affecting Solar Transients) Workshop in 2017

Upcoming Meetings

Short News
1. Continuation of the German ROMIC project


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