ICONIC

In this project "Ionospheric electric currents and their dependence on interplanetary magnetic field: measurements and modeling in different spatial scales" (ICONIC) we aim to understand how ionospheric electric currents respond to solar wind. We will use ground-based magnetometers, satellites as well as the novel EISCAT 3D radar.

Project information

Project duration

-

Funded by

Multiple sources

Project coordinator

University of Oulu

Contact information

Project leader

Project description

Emerging research project on the focus area Changing climate and northern environment
Focus institute: Kvantum
Faculty: Science

One of the most important goals in space physics is to produce reliable predictions of space weather in the near-Earth space. Space weather is driven by solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) which drive electric currents in the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere, the ionized part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Predicting and understanding ionospheric currents is important for the modern technological society because they can drive hazardous geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) in powerlines and transformers and produce blackouts. In this project we will address the following three challenges in space weather modeling: (1) Modeling auroral particle precipitation (2) Ionospheric response to IMF By component (3) Small-scale (<100 km) structure of ionospheric currents during substorms.

Doctoral researcher Jussi Laitinen
Email: jussi.laitinen at oulu.fi