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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
149
8
Report of the Panel on AtmosphereIonosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions
8.1 SUMMARY OF AIMI SCIENCE PRIORITIES AND IMPERATIVES FOR THE 2013-2022 DECADE
Informed by observations and modeling efforts that have occurred during the past decade, there is
increasing recognition among scientists of the atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere (AIM) system as a
complex and active element of space weather, and as a region where important science questions with
broad applicability across our solar system can be answered. Earth’s space environment, or geospace,
is unique in many ways: the interconnected behavior of the plasma and neutral gas in the AIM system,
the strong signature of lower atmospheric conditions in space, and the development of massive plasma
structures with embedded variability at multiple scales are just a few examples. The pursuit toward understanding energy transfer and physical manifestations in near-Earth space has yielded and will continue to
offer insights into fundamental processes that occur at other planets and bodies in our solar system and
indeed throughout the universe. There are also practical reasons to study the AIM system. The space-based
assets for observation and communication of human activities all operate in geospace and therefore must
be designed or otherwise protected from the hazards and unpredictability that this energetic, nonlinear
system produces. Advances in scientific understanding of the AIM system enable the development of a
capability for the prediction of geospace conditions.
In this chapter, the decadal survey’s Panel on Atmosphere-Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions
(AIMI) articulates its science goals and aspirations for the decade ahead and suggests an implementation
strategy to achieve that vision. Building on the significant accomplishments of the previous decade, the
panel presents an interlinked and achievable research program to address the most compelling science
questions in the field. Summarized below are the AIMI panel’s science priorities, imperatives, and recommendations to the survey committee for the 2013-2022 decade.
The three major AIMI science priorities for the 2013-2022 decade are as follows:
AIMI Science Priority 1. Determine how the ionosphere-thermosphere system regulates the flow of
solar energy throughout geospace.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
149
8
Report of the Panel on AtmosphereIonosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions
8.1 SUMMARY OF AIMI SCIENCE PRIORITIES AND IMPERATIVES FOR THE 2013-2022 DECADE
Informed by observations and modeling efforts that have occurred during the past decade, there is
increasing recognition among scientists of the atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere (AIM) system as a
complex and active element of space weather, and as a region where important science questions with
broad applicability across our solar system can be answered. Earth’s space environment, or geospace,
is unique in many ways: the interconnected behavior of the plasma and neutral gas in the AIM system,
the strong signature of lower atmospheric conditions in space, and the development of massive plasma
structures with embedded variability at multiple scales are just a few examples. The pursuit toward understanding energy transfer and physical manifestations in near-Earth space has yielded and will continue to
offer insights into fundamental processes that occur at other planets and bodies in our solar system and
indeed throughout the universe. There are also practical reasons to study the AIM system. The space-based
assets for observation and communication of human activities all operate in geospace and therefore must
be designed or otherwise protected from the hazards and unpredictability that this energetic, nonlinear
system produces. Advances in scientific understanding of the AIM system enable the development of a
capability for the prediction of geospace conditions.
In this chapter, the decadal survey’s Panel on Atmosphere-Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions
(AIMI) articulates its science goals and aspirations for the decade ahead and suggests an implementation
strategy to achieve that vision. Building on the significant accomplishments of the previous decade, the
panel presents an interlinked and achievable research program to address the most compelling science
questions in the field. Summarized below are the AIMI panel’s science priorities, imperatives, and recommendations to the survey committee for the 2013-2022 decade.
The three major AIMI science priorities for the 2013-2022 decade are as follows:
AIMI Science Priority 1. Determine how the ionosphere-thermosphere system regulates the flow of
solar energy throughout geospace.