An international team chaired by Prof. Qinghe Zhang has been selected as one of the six supported teams in 2016 by ISSI-BJ
An international team focuses its interests on “Multiple-instrument observations and simulations of the dynamical processes associated with polar cap patches/aurora and their associated scintillations”, which is led by Prof. Qinghe Zhang and has been selected as one of the six supported teams in 2016 by ISSI-BJ (International Space Science Institute in Beijing). The team includes 15 scientists from China, USA, Canada, UK and Norway. The members have very rich experience in the observations from GPS TEC/scintillation receivers, Incoherent scatter radar (ISR), SuperDARN radar, all-sky imagers and space-based instruments, and in the simulations of the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere (M-I-T) coupling processes.
The aim of this ISSI-BJ team is to understand the dynamical processes associated with the polar cap patches and aurora and their impact on M-I-T coupling processes, through coordinated investigations of multiple ground-based and space-based observations (including data from GNSS Receivers, ISRs, SuperDARN, all sky imagers, MMS / THEMIS / Cluster / DMSP / SWARM satellites, etc.). The team also will address the impact of polar cap patches and aurora on GNSS navigation and communications, as well as scintillation modeling and forecasts.
The International Space Science Institute in Beijing (ISSI-BJ) is an institute of advanced studies, which isjointly established by the National Space Science Center (NSSC) and the International Space Science Institute (ISSI), where scientists from all over of the world meet in a multi- and interdisciplinary setting to reach out for new scientific horizons. ISSI-BJ is a close cooperation partner of ISSI in Bern. The main mission of ISSI-BJ is to contribute to the achievement of a deeper scientific and technological understanding of future space missions as well as of the scientific results from current and past missions through multidisciplinary research, possibly involving whenever felt appropriate, ground based observations and laboratory experiments. The Program of ISSI-BJ covers a widespread spectrum of space science disciplines, including solar and space physics, planetary science, astrobiology, microgravity science and Earth observation from space. It offers a complement to the ISSI program with special emphasis on future scientific opportunities. The ISSI-BJ program is also expected to build an international team including members who are interested in our specific topic with open mindedness, no national boundaries, and freedom from politics, which will offer opportunities for the members to establish and strengthen long-term international cooperation. ISSI-BJ selected 5-6 international teams to support from all of the proposals from all over of the world.
Prof. Dr. Qing-He Zhang (http://space.wh.sdu.edu.cn/bencandy.php?fid=36&id=595) led the group of Polar ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling at Institute of space Sciences of Shandong University. The group focuses on various features specific to the polar ionosphere and aims to understand the dynamical processes associated with these irregularities and their impact on M-I-T coupling processes and impact of these irregularities on GNSS navigation and communications, as well as scintillation modeling and forecasts. The group has also built a geomagnetic observatory in the campus of Shandong University, Weihai (SDW) with the magnetometer (LEMI-018) and installed the GPS ionospheric scintillation and TEC monitors (GPStaion_6) in Shandong areas.
