Conference: GEOSCOPR Workshop - Geospace Exploration and Observation with Scientific COllaboration in Polar Regions, towards IPY 2032

This award supports a community workshop on the Geospace Exploration and Observation with Scientific Collaboration in Polar Regions, which will be preparing the community to participate in the proposed International Polar Year 2032 research program. The overarching theme of the workshop is to address the status and prospects of Geospace sciences in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions by using these geographical areas for specific aeronomy and geospace research projects.

As observing platforms, the value of polar regions is critical to future progress in these fields. While fundamental aspects of the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling will be fully addressed, the workshop will focus specifically on making progress in the field of space weather research and hold discussions related to the solar forcing on climate change.

The expanse of the Antarctic continent provides access to some geospace regions that cannot be reached in the Northern Hemisphere because of the Arctic Ocean presence.

This workshop will focus on the following four overarching (and international by nature) goals: (1) Identify high level geospace/space weather research objectives in each country’s polar program towards IPY-2032 and respective SCAR activities; (2) Address coordination issues for available scientific resources and respective logistics by learning what near-term plans are for each country’s polar program (flights, traverses, ships, new deep-field instruments, observing infrastructure, etc.); (3) Define the areas of mutual interest and new international collaborations; and (4) Advocate for polar measurements in each polar program and develop respective research programs/campaigns that span multiple countries/programs.

The broader impacts of this workshop provide better perspectives for the U.S. scientists to participate in the polar observing systems, promote international collaboration, and provide an opportunity for the next generation of geospace scientists to interact with leaders in the field. The workshop will provide a forum to develop a blueprint for a unified scientific enterprise in space weather research and space climate understanding.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.