MIST
Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial
Characterising meso-scale ionospheric flow structures
By Gareth Chisham (British Antarctic Survey)
Measuring and understanding ionospheric plasma flow vorticity aids the study of ionospheric plasma transport processes, such as convection and turbulence, which form an important component of magnetosphere to atmosphere space weather models. This plasma flow is dominated by the large-scale convection driven by solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.
This study (https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JA032887) exploits a recently-developed technique that allows the removal of this large-scale component from probability density functions (PDFs) of ionospheric vorticity measured by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN). Following this removal, the residual PDFs are symmetric double-sided functions that describe the meso-scale vorticity component that derives from processes below the large scale, such as turbulence. The character of this meso-scale component varies with location in the polar ionosphere, as shown in the figure. The ability to characterise the meso-scale flows in different regions helps to improve our understanding of the meso-scale processes occurring there. Models of ionospheric plasma flow are an important component in larger-scale system models. However, at the present time, these plasma flow models only consider the large-scale convection flow. Understanding, and being able to model, meso-scale ionospheric vorticity will help improve the accuracy of these models.
This figure presents schematic representations of the typical probability density functions (PDFs – f(ω))
of meso-scale ionospheric vorticity (ω) that are observed in different regions of the polar ionosphere:
(a) Dayside cusp; (b) Auroral region; (c) Polar cap; (d) Sub-auroral region.
Publication:
Chisham, G., and Freeman, M.P., The spatial variation of large- and meso-scale plasma flow vorticity statistics in the high-latitude ionosphere and implications for ionospheric plasma flow models. J. Geophys. Res., 129, e2024JA032887, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JA032887
Autumn MIST 2024
Autumn MIST this year will be held on Friday 29th November at The Exchange in Birmingham (3 Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 2DR - near Birmingham New Street). We are hosting Autumn MIST outside of London for the first time, allowing us to use a venue that will be able to accommodate our growing community.
Abstract submission and registration are now closed.
Venue Information (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/the-exchange):
The Exchange is a 10-15 minute walk from Birmingham New Street station, which is the recommended mode of transport for attendance.
There is no on site parking at the venue - the closest parking is (limited) on street parking on Bridge Street. To find accessible parking, please check this website: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/the-exchange/plan-your-visit. We would also like to note that there is a clean air zone in place around the centre of Birmingham, that comes with associated costs for driving.
Food will be provided in the form of welcome refreshments, two coffee breaks and a buffet lunch.
Poster and Talk Presentations:
Talks will be 12 minutes in length, including questions. We suggest that talks should target 10 minutes, allowing two for questions. Due to a packed schedule we will have to stick to time throughout the day, please plan your talks accordingly.
There will be two poster sessions during the day, and the poster boards will support portrait A0 posters only. As the poster sessions are not as long as we’d like, we are putting together a repository of posters online for people to browse. This will only be available to registered attendees, and only until the 31st December 2024.
Please check your emails to find the links to submit your talk and poster online. Talks must be submitted online (by the 28th November), while posters may be uploaded to a secure repository if you wish to share your work with the community.
MIST Buddies:
We are aware that Autumn MIST welcomes a range of attendees, many of whom are new to the community and may be attending their first conference. Following last years success, we will be running a "MIST Buddies" scheme this year that informally partners new members with their peers, with an emphasis on PhD students. The purpose of the partnerships is to give new community members a contact point for the day and someone that can give them a helping hand in networking and getting to know the community. We would love to hear from you if you are (a) a new member that would like a partner or (b) willing to be a MIST Buddy.
To get involved please complete the online form (supplied by email) by Friday 22 November. Thank you in advance for helping make the community more welcoming and supportive.
Name Tags:
As trialed last year, we will not be providing name badges and lanyards. Instead we would like for everyone to bring your favourite lanyard and name badges and reuse those. We would also like to have a lanyard amnesty where people can bring a spare lanyard for those who may have forgotten or do not have a lanyard. There will be a small number of stickers available on the day to make your own name tag if needed.
Code of Conduct:
All attendees must follow the MIST/RAS Code of Conduct, which can be found here: https://www.mist.ac.uk/community/conduct-and-support. Details on reporting breaches of the code of conduct will be provided on the day. Thank you in advance for contributing to a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Tips for students:
Last year's student rep on MIST council, Sophie Maguire, wrote an excellent article with lots of advice for first time attendees: https://mist.ac.uk/students-corner/344-tips-for-autumn-mist-2023.
The pub:
After events such as Autumn MIST, it is usually the case that people move to a local pub once the conference has finished. Please do not feel intimidated by this. Everyone is more than welcome to come along and it is a really great platform to get to know people and have some more informal discussions. The official pub for Autumn MIST will be the Purecraft Bar & Kitchen (https://maps.app.goo.gl/QpkyEa9SGnsgqQKb6).
Announcement of New MIST Councillors.
We are very pleased to announce the following members of the community have been elected unopposed to MIST Council:
- Rosie Johnson (Aberystwyth University), MIST Councillor
- Matthew Brown (University of Birmingham), MIST Councillor
- Chiara Lazzeri (MSSL, UCL), Student Representative
Rosie, Matthew, and Chiara will begin their terms in July. This will coincide with Jasmine Kaur Sandhu, Beatriz Sanchez-Cano, and Sophie Maguire outgoing as Councillors.
The current composition of Council can be found on our website, and this will be amended in July to reflect this announcement (https://www.mist.ac.uk/community/mist-council).