Radiation Belt Sessions at the Fall 2009 AGU
At the Fall 2009 AGU, the following SM sessions were presented. The detailed schedule can be found at http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm09/.
SM02: Inner Magnetosphere Research: Where are we and Where are we Going?
Since the onset of the space age, significant progress has been made in understanding the characteristics of the interacting plasma populations and fields in the Earth's inner magnetosphere, its coupling to the ionosphere & outer magnetosphere, and its solar wind dependence. As a result, a systems approach is now being emphasized in inner magnetosphere research; both large-scale transport and local acceleration/losses via waves are believed to be important to the variability of inner magnetosphere particles. A variety of recent observations, however, are posing challenges to our further understanding of this complex region. These include the discrepancy between the observed EMIC wave locations and those predicted by theory/simulations, the effects of cold plasmasphere material circulation on the global magnetosphere dynamics, much debated roles of substorms in the evolution of the ring current and radiation belt, cross-latitude coupling, etc. We would like to use this special session as a forum for reflecting our current status, discussing future needs/directions, and pushing our boundaries in observations, theory and modeling of the inner magnetosphere. We welcome all presentations related to the physics of the inner magnetosphere; our goal is to provide a venue for innovative suggestions that could open the door for rewarding research. This is also particularly fitting in view of the forthcoming NASA RBSP mission. Conveners: Yihua Zheng, Maria Spasojevic, Robyn Millan
SM10: Dynamic Evolution of Earth's Radiation Belts: Observations, Modeling, Forecasting
Radiation belts consist of energetic electrons and ions moving under the influence of the electric and magnetic fields in the inner magnetosphere. Multiple local and global acceleration and loss mechanisms compete over a broad dynamic range to create a complex response to varying geomagnetic activity. Various mechanisms can affect radiation-belt acceleration and loss, including large-scale transient processes such as substorms or propagation of solar-wind shocks and discontinuities, wave-particle interactions with ULF and VLF/ELF waves, drift magnetopause losses, and variable convection rates. While a number of mechanisms have been identified as potentially important, their relative role in global control of the radiation belt structure and variability is not understood. The goal of this session is to progress to system-wide understanding of radiation belt physics. We invite observational, theoretical, and modeling and contributions providing insight in the dominant acceleration and loss processed that determine the evolution of the Earth's radiation belts. Special emphasis will be put on studies concentrating on coupling processes in the inner magnetosphere and preferential conditions in the solar wind and magnetosphere for acceleration and loss of particles using modeling and observations of waves and particles from THEMIS and previous mission. Conveners: Yuri Shprits, Alexander Ukhorskiy
