2023 Workshop: Dynamic ITM coupling during geomagnetic storms

Geomagnetic storms are an important driver of variability in geospace. Geomagnetic storms can cause dramatic fluctuations in the ionosphere and thermosphere's density, composition, and temperature. Increased high latitude energy input and precipitation causes heating and increased ionization, significantly altering dynamics. These effects can also propagate down into the lower atmosphere. The effects of geomagnetic storms are of particular interest because extreme events can affect spacecrafts, or electric transmission grids on earth. Changes in thermospheric density can dramatically change spacecraft drag. Ionospheric irregularities produced by geomagnetic activity can affect radio communication and GPS. Understanding the effects of geomagnetic storms on geospace dynamics and structure is important for understanding geospace conditions and coupling as a whole.
Coupling in the I-T system during geomagnetic storms is a broad and important topic. All regions of geospace are involved and affected by geomagnetic storms, making this topic well suited for a grand challenge session at CEDAR. Individual, isolated studies are not likely to make significant advances, so a forum for community collaboration is essential. A multi-year effort will allow focus on each relevant region. This session will encourage collaboration between experts in each region, enabling progress on coupling. This session will also create the opportunity for collaboration between modeling and observations, both within the CEDAR community and between the GEM and CEDAR communities. The modeling advances at the Center for Geospace Storms, a NASA DRIVE center focused on geomagnetic storms in all regions of geospace, are particularly relevant. With new missions on the horizon and recent developments in coupled geospace models, there are many opportunities for advancing the understanding of geomagnetic storms. Solar cycle 25 is currently ramping up and is expected to peak in July 2025, making this session particularly relevant now. So far, solar cycle 25 has exceeded predicted solar activity levels. This grand challenge session will help to coordinate efforts during this vital period for studying geomagnetic activity. In the next three years, there will only be more opportunities for new observations and discoveries, and the proposed workshop will help synergize efforts (e.g., by identifying observational and modeling campaigns).
The upper atmosphere is a complex system influenced by the deposited energy and momentum from below (tides, gravity waves, etc. ) and from above (solar and magnetosphere forcing). Although the behavior of the system during geomagnetically disturbed periods has been studied for many decades, significant knowledge gaps still exist. For example, What is the fundamental physics governing the coupling in the I-T system during geomagnetic disturbances? How do high latitude energy input and momentum transfer alter the mass circulation in the I-T system at different spatial and temporal scales? How do changes in the I-T system affect the coupling to the magnetosphere? How do magnetospheric forcing and atmospheric forcing contribute to the formation of ionospheric irregularities? What is the interplay of mechanical, chemical, and electrodynamic forcing in causing low-latitude storm effects?
How the science question will be addressed: The science questions will be addressed with modeling and observational studies.
Resources that exist, are planned, or needed: Space missions are important existing resources along with ground-based observatories such as ISRs, airglow imagers, GNSS, SuperDARN, ionosondes, magnetometers . Upcoming GDC and DYNAMIC missions are extremely relevant to these science questions. Coupled ITM models, such as MAGE, are also important resources.
How to measure progress: Progress can be measured through improved ability of models to capture observed storm-time phenomenon/irregularities and improved understanding of storm-time dynamics.