CaNoRock STEP PhD School 2019 on Auroral electrodynamics and their Space Weather effects

Knowledge gap:
Plasma turbulence and irregularities are very common in the F region ionosphere, both in the equatorial and in the Polar Regions. The irregular density structures of the order of a few kilometers to a few meters are of significant importance for space weather applications, as they can degrade the quality of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals and high frequency (HF) radio communication.
In order to develop forecast models of GNSS space weather there is a need to understand the underlying physics. In general, the most dynamic phenomena occurring at high latitudes are due to the coupling between the solar wind and the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. This is reflected in the level of scintillations observed, which have been shown to be strongest when islands of enhanced plasma density called polar cap patches reach the nightside auroral oval, especially in combination with upward field-aligned currents.
Auroral electrodynamics may include waves, velocity shears, currents and particle precipitations. Assessing their role in creating auroral density structures and their impact on ionospheric scintillations is essential in the context of space weather. In this PhD school, we will address this issue and by combining unique data sets from in-situ and ground-based instruments. Our aim is to fill several knowledge gaps about auroral electrodynamics and their effect on Space weather.