PHM5760 - STUDIES IN THE UPPER POLAR ATMOSPHERE

Module Identifier

PHM5760

Module Title

STUDIES IN THE UPPER POLAR ATMOSPHERE

Academic Year

2003/2004

Co-ordinator

Dr Eleri Pryse

Semester

Semester 2

Pre-Requisite

Successful Completion of Year 3 of the MPhys Scheme

Course delivery

Lecture

130 lectures

Seminars / Tutorials

30 exercises

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	AGF301 Combined: Written Examination + Project Report	50%
Semester Assessment	AGF304 Combined: Oral Examination + Field Report	50%

Learning outcomes

After taking this module students should be able to:

describe the relationship between the solar wind and the Earth''s magnetosphere.
identify the different regions in the polar and auroral zones.
describe the main electric current systems relating the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.
describe the fundamental theories of incoherent scatter processes and signal processing.
give a technical description of the EISCTA Svalbard radar.

Brief description

The module, which is delivered and assessed at UNIS located in Longyearbyen, Svlabard, consists of 2 parts:
AGF-301 Upper Polar Atmosphere
AGF-304 Radar Diagnostics of Space Plasma

These qualify for 30 ECTTS which are equivalent to 60 Aberystwyth Credits.

Content

AGF-301 The Upper Polar Atmosphere

(15 ECTS ~ 30 Aberystwyth Credits)
This course describes the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere and the consequences of these processes for the ionised region of the upper atmosphere i.e. the ionosphere. Energy, particles and momentum transferred from the solar wind manifest themselves in the upper polar atmosphere, particularly as the aurora, but also in terms of powerful electric currents and wind systems (ion winds as well as winds in the neutral gas). Central Elements in this course are the descriptions of the Earth's magnetic field, the magnetosphere, ionisation processes and the formation of the ionosphere.

AGF-304 Radar Diagnostics of Space Plasma

(15 ECTS Credits ~ 30 Aberystwyth Credits)
This course contains fundamental theories of signal processing and incoherent scatter processes and gives an introduction to radar technology. A technical description of the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) including transmitter, receivers and antenna design is given. On the basis of theoretical models for incoherent scattering cross-section a presentation will be given on the main principles for conducting plasma experiments with an incoherent scatter radar and the plasma parameters that can be described from the autocorrelation functions observed by such a radar.

Transferable skills

Observations carried out at the Adventdalen Auroral Station

Reading Lists

Books
A Brekke Physics of the Polar Upper Atmosphere
R M Measures Laser remote Sensing, Fundamentals and Applications
M A Janssen Atmospheric remote sensing by microwave radiometry
T Nygren Introduction to incoherent scatter measurements

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7