STEVE Community Workshop: Advancing Understanding of a New Atmospheric Phenomenon; Westford, Massachusetts; Fall 2020

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is to organize a two-day community workshop for guiding science investigations on a newly discovered upper atmospheric phenomenon named STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement). STEVE is a confined, mauve colored optical phenomenon in the night-sky below the latitude of the traditional (and well-known) auroral region. Properties and mechanisms driving STEVE remain an exciting and unresolved geospace community challenge. This workshop brings senior and early career scientists together with citizen scientists to share their understandings and plan for future observational and modeling activities to better understand the STEVE phenomenon. In this workshop, observational and theoretical geospace scientists and stakeholders will gather to disseminate STEVE research findings, identify outstanding questions, and formulate future research plans and collaboratory studies. The workshop will have two general foci: (1) serve as a venue for developing observation strategies, experimental campaigns and associated observation modes to fill in both synoptic and event-based data gaps; (2) organize modeling efforts, guided by known characteristics to date, to answer key community questions about STEVE physical morphology and dynamics. A post-workshop white paper organized by the workshop steering committee will efficiently capture community discussions, results, and future plans for advancing geophysical understanding of STEVE. This document can also form inputs to community science working groups that will help incorporate STEVE knowledge into physical understanding of the geospace system. Articles on workshop findings in community journals such as EOS will also maintain analysis and observational momentum. 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.