2010 Summer Workshop

GEM will be holding its annual summer workshop at the Snowmass Conference Center in Snowmass, Colorado during June 20-25, 2010. A special student program will be held on Sunday, June 20.

Logistical information and workshop agenda can be found at the GEM Workshop Web Site.

Listed below are the call for presentations by various GEM focus groups before the Workshop. (Note: In the e-mail addresses below the symbol @ is replaced by " [at] ".)

GGCM Metrics and Validation

Conveners: Aaron Ridley <ridley [at] umich.edu> and Masha Kuznetsova <Maria.M.Kuznetsova [at] nasa.gov>

A new Dst index metrics study is added to the GEM Modeling Challenge organized by the GGCM Metrics and Validation Focus Group. Community Coordinating Modeling Center (CCMC) is supporting the Challenge. To participate in the Challenge please submit your model results using the web interface prior to June 1st, 2010.

The results of the Challenge will be discussed at the GGCM Metrics and Validation Session at the GEM 2010 Summer Workshop. Joint publication by all participants is planned. For more details, go to the Challenge Web site: http://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/support/GEM_metrics_08/

Please send questions, comments and suggestions to: Masha Kuznetsova (Maria.M.Kuznetsova[at]nasa.gov) and Aaron Ridley (ridley[at]umich.edu).

GGCM Modules and Methods

Conveners: Brian Sullivan (bsullivan [at]artemis.sr.unh.edu); John Dorelli (john.dorelli [at] nasa.gov)and Michael Shay (shay [at] udel.edu)

The GGCM Methods and Modules Focus Group will hold 2 sessions at the upcoming GEM Summer Workshop in Snowmass (June 20-25, 2010). The sessions will be at 10:30 and 1:30 on Wednesday.

The overarching goal of this focus group is to understand the physics of collisionless magnetic reconnection on magnetospheric length scales (100-1000 ion inertial lengths). We invite potential contributors to participate with short presentations on the following topics:

1. Scaling of reconnection with local and kinetic scale parameters in MHD, multifluid, and kinetic models.

2. Plasmoid instabilities in high Lundquist number current sheets

3. Dependence (or independence) of the dayside reconnection rate on solar wind parameters.

or any other topics of interest to the focus group. This is the final year of the GGCM Methods and Modules Focus Group. Looking forward, as this focus group comes to an end, a major goal for this year's sessions will be to agree on a way to present the most significant results of geophysical magnetic reconnection research to the greater GEM community and to identify a few outstanding questions to address as we plan for future focus groups centered on the multi-scale physics of reconnection in the magnetosphere. A more detailed description of the objectives of this focus group can be found at

http://gem.epss.ucla.edu/mediawikiwiki/index.php/FG2._GGCM_Modules_and_Meth ods

Potential Contributors are encouraged to contact Brian Sullivan (brian.sullivan [at] unh.edu) with the title of their presentation.

Plasma Entry and Transport into and within the Magnetotail (PET)

Conveners: Antonius Otto <ao [at] how.gi.alaska.edu>,Jay R. Johnson <jrj [at] pppl.gov>, and Simon Wing <Simon.Wing [at] jhuapl.edu>

We would like to invite contributions to the PET focus group at the upcoming GEM workshop in Snowmass on June 21-25, 2010. The sessions will be held in a workshop (NOT AGU) style in which each speaker will be allotted time for a 2-3 slides, in order to ensure enough time for discussion. In order to encourage this, at least one of the slides should deal with unresolved issues. Speakers are encouraged to end the presentation with outstanding questions rather than a summary of what has/have been accomplished. It is expected that there will be three sessions: (1) ion outflow effects on the plasma sheet; (2) Constraints on plasma sheet entry and transport; and (3) GEM challenge, northward and southward IMF.

All three sessions have been tentatively scheduled on Monday Jun 21 (See http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem/index.html for the definitive schedule). If you have not already done so, please send the title(s) and session(s) of your contribution(s) to us at your earliest convenience at the email addresses given above.

Physical Processes in the Cusps: Plasma Transport and Energization

Conveners: K.J. Trattner(trattner [at] mail.spasci.com), N. Omidi (omidi [at] solanasci.com) and D. Sibeck (david.g.sibeck [at] nasa.gov)

Presentations are solicited for the CUSP Focus Group to be held during the 2010 Summer GEM workshop in Snowmass Colorado. This is the last year of the Cusp Focus Group who's main objective is to utilize observations, modeling, and theory of the cusp and its role in particle acceleration and plasma transport. Based on the topics in earlier years and the discussions during the mini-workshop held during the 2009 Fall AGU, the Focus Group addresses the following topics:

1. Plasma transport into the cusp.

2. Energization of ions in diamagnetic cavities.

3. Origin of waves observed in the cusp and their role in particle scattering and acceleration.

4. Interaction of FTE's with the cusp.

5. The source region of energetic ions and electrons observed in the cusp.

6. Ionospheric signatures of such processes such as Poleward Moving Auroral Forms

It is the ultimate goal of the workshop to enhance our understanding of the cusp physics, its coupling to other parts of the system such as the bow shock, magnetopause and the ionosphere and the important role it plays in dayside transport and energization. Observational and theoretical contributions to this session are hereby solicited.

Those interested in these topics are invited to attend and contribute through showing a few slides and/or participation in the discussions. Information regarding hotel reservations and travel arrangements will be posted on the GEM website (http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem) in the near future.

Those wishing to give a presentation or with questions regarding the workshop should contact the conveners: trattner [at] mail.spasci.com, omidi [at] solanasci.com or david.g.sibeck [at] nasa.gov.

Near Earth Magnetosphere: Plasma, Fields and Coupling

Conveners: Focus Group co-chairs: Sorin Zaharia <szaharia [at] lanl.gov>, Stan Sazykin <sazykin [at] rice.edu> and Benoit Lavraud <Benoit.Lavraud [at] cesr.fr>

The Near Earth Magnetosphere: Plasma, Fields and Coupling Focus Group will hold 3 sessions at the upcoming GEM Summer Workshop in Snowmass (June 20-25, 2010).

We invite potential contributors to participate with short presentations on the following topics:

1). Effect of plasma on storm-time electric and magnetic fields

2). Plasma sheet effect on ring current dynamics

3). Electric fields in the near-Earth magnetosphere (potential and inductive)

4). Coupling of physics-based inner magnetosphere with global magnetosphere models

or any other topics of interest to the focus group. It is the ultimate goal of the focus group to improve physical knowledge and modeling of the near-Earth (closer than 10 RE) magnetosphere and its coupling with the outer magnetosphere; a more detailed description of the focus group objectives can be found at

http://gem.epss.ucla.edu/mediawikiwiki/index.php/FG8._Near_Earth_Magnetosphere:_plasma%2C_fields%2C_and_coupling

Potential contributors are encouraged to contact Sorin Zaharia (szaharia at lanl.gov) with the title of their presentation.

Space Radiation Climatology

Conveners: Paul O'Brien (paul.obrien [at] aero.org);Geoff Reeves (reeves [at] lanl.gov), Bob Weigel (rweigel-at-gmu.edu), and Reiner Friedel (friedel-at-lanl.gov)

It's almost time for the GEM Summer Workshop, joint with CEDAR. The Space Radiation Climatology Focus Group (FG9) will meet for three breakout sessions: two on Thursday June 24th: 1:30-3:30 and 3:30-5, and one on Friday, the 25th, 10:30-12:15. We will be discussing the past year's results in reanalysis, data assimilation, climatology models, and long-term data/analysis. One of our sessions (the first one) will be joint with the new radiation belt focus group.

We already have a number of exciting talks lined up, but there's plenty of room for more. We encourage interested parties to send talk ideas to Paul O'Brien, Bob Weigel, and/or Reiner Friedel (Geoff will not be able to attend this year). If you are presenting an FG9-related poster, please sign up for the **Thursday** Poster Session and advertise on the Wiki. http://www.virbo.org/GEM_FG9_2010

To view the FG9 email archive or to join the email group, go to http://groups.google.com/group/gem-2007-space-radiation-climatology-fg9

Diffuse Auroral Precipitation

Conveners: Richard Thorne <rmt [at] atmos.ucla.edu>

The Diffuse Aurora Focus Group plans to hold 4 breakout sessions at the 2010 GEM meeting in Snowmass this summer. Potential contributors are invited to contact the session chairs listed below with a title of their talk, and prepare a brief presentation for the workshop.

1. Relationship between auroral phenomenology and scattering mechanisms [Co-chairs, Binbin Ni (bbni[at}atmos.ucla.edu) and Robert Michell (rmichell[at]swri.edu)]

• Monday June 21: 10:30-12:15:

2. Modulation of DA brightness by large-scale magnetospheric processes. [Co-chairs, Marilia Samara (marilia.samara[at]swri.org) and Jacob Bortnik (jbortnik[at]gmail.com )]

• Monday June 21: 1:3-3:00:

3. Spatial and temporal extent and spatio-temporal occurrence of DA/scattering mechanisms [Co-chairs, Toshi Nishimura (toshi[at]atmos.ucla.edu) and Richard Thorne (rmt[at]atmos.ucla.edu)]

• Monday June 21: 3:30-5:00:

4. Importance of the DA for Geospace at the system level. Plans for next year. [Chair, Richard Thorne (rmt[at]atmos.ucla.edu)]

• Tuesday June 22: 10:30-12:15:

Plasmasphere-Magnetosphere Interactions (PMI)

Conveners: From: Jerry Goldstein <jgoldstein [at] swri.edu> and Maria Spasojevic <mariaspasojevic [at] stanford.edu>

The Plasmasphere-Magnetosphere Interactions (PMI) focus group will hold several sessions at the 2010 GEM Workshop, during 20-25 June 2010.

We invite short presentations (several slides) related to any of the PMI's broad topics:

+ Wave-Particle Interactions

+ Plume Dynamics & Recirculation

+ Plasma Density Structure & Evolution.

Specific topics of interest:

• Dynamics of energetic particles
• Wave theory and observations
• Simulations or models of acceleration or loss
• Morphology and dynamics of cold plasma density
• Global circulation of plasmaspheric plumes
• Dayside distribution of cold plasma ions
• Fine scale plasma structure and flow turbulence.
• Plume plasma and magnetospheric reconnection.

or any other topic you feel would be of interest to the PMI focus group.

If you would like to present, please e-mail your tentative title/topic to:

JGoldstein [at] swri.edu.

Substorm Expansion Onset: The First 10 Minutes

Conveners: Vassilis Angelopoulos (Vassilis[at] ucla.edu); Kazuo Shiokawa (Shiokawa [at] stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp) ; Andrei Runov (arunov [at] igpp.ucla.edu) and Shin Ohtani (Ohtani [at] jhuapl.edu)

Our focus group, "Substorm Expansion Onset: The First 10 Minutes", will have 4 sessions at the upcoming GEM Workshop in Snowmass (June 20-25, 2010). They are scheduled on June 24 (Thu) and 25 (Fri).

We have four topical areas identified, which are:

1. Onset timing: observations/theory/simulations (Angelopoulos)

2. How do onset signatures propagate to near Earth and to the ground? (Runov)

3. Ground-space mapping of physical processes before/during/after onset (Ohtani)

4. Substorm processes near transition between stretched and dipole field lines (Shiokawa)

We would like to invite you to participate, and if you have any request or question, please contact the person of the topical area of your interest, whose name is in the parentheses for each topic.

The description of our focus group is posted at: http://gem.epss.ucla.edu/mediawikiwiki/index.php/FG12._Substorm_Expansion_Onset:_The_First_10_Minutes

Modes of Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Energy Transfer

Convener: Larry Kepko (larry.kepko [at] unh.edu) and Bob McPherron (rmcpherron [at] igpp.ucla.edu)

The Modes of Magnetospheric Response focus group will hold three sessions at the upcoming GEM Workshop (June 20-25) in Snowmass, CO, covering the following topics:

1. Dayside observations during sawtooth events, the role of polar cap saturation, and implications for the magnetospheric response. Specifically, are particle injections on the dayside dispersionless or dispersive? Can sawtooth observations be understood as substorms that penetrate deep into the inner magnetosphere, or do sawtooth represent a fundamentally different state of the magnetosphere? We particularly encourage participants to bring data that addresses the issue of dayside injection and/or dipolarization.

2. Non-linear coupling and the role of pre-conditioning in determining the response mode. Example topics and questions include: Systematic errors in activity indices; Seasonal effects on coupling functions; mass-loading effects on convection; The storm/substorm/SMC relationship.

3. Magnetospheric response and solar wind energy transfer during the extreme solar minimum.

This focus group has as its aim the improvement of knowledge of the physical mechanisms that provide different dynamical modes of response of the magnetotail to the solar wind. These include substorms, steady magnetospheric convection, sawtooth injection events, pseudo breakups, and poleward boundary intensifications. A complete description of the FG and its goals can be found at http://bit.ly/beGmTF

Schedule Change

To minimize overlap with the "First 10 Minutes" focus group the "Modes of Magnetospheric Response" has been moved to the following dates and times:

Wednesday 6/23, 10:30 am - 12:15 pm, and 3:30-5:00 pm Thursday 6/24, 10:30 am - 12:15 pm

Please contact us if you are interested in presenting in one of the sessions [Larry Kepko (larry.kepko [at] unh.edu) and Bob McPherron (rmcpherron [at] igpp.ucla.edu)]:

1. Dayside observations during sawtooth events, the role of polar cap saturation, and implications for the magnetospheric response. Specifically, are particle injections on the dayside dispersionless or dispersive? Can sawtooth observations be understood as substorms that penetrate deep into the inner magnetosphere, or do sawtooth represent a fundamentally different state of the magnetosphere? We particularly encourage participants to bring data that addresses the issue of dayside injection and/or dipolarization.

2. Non-linear coupling and the role of pre-conditioning in determining the response mode. Example topics and questions include: Systematic errors in activity indices; Seasonal effects on coupling functions; mass-loading effects on convection; The storm/substorm/SMC relationship.

3. Magnetospheric response, state of the magnetosphere, and solar wind energy transfer during the extreme solar minimum.

Magnetosheath Studies

Convener: Steven Petrinec (steve.petrinec [at] gmail.com) and Katariina Nykyri (nykyrik [at] erau.edu)

Magnetosheath focus group will hold sessions at the next GEM workshop on 21-25th of June, 2010 in Snowmass Village Colorado. We invite short presentations related to any of the focus group topics.

The Primary Objectives and Expected Activities of the FG:

1. To produce more comprehensive models of large scale magnetosheath flow and field patterns, and geometry of the magnetosheath region

2. To improve understanding of magnetosheath plasma instabilities and wave particle interactions: Spatial distribution and characteristics

3. To develop a better understanding of the effects on magnetospheric dynamics due to processes occurring in the magnetosheath and due to characteristic magnetosheath properties.

The focus group proposal with specific science questions can be found at http://gem.epss.ucla.edu/mediawiki/pdf/GEM_FG_MSheath_proposal.pdf.

We especially encourage data-analysts utilizing in-situ spacecraft measurements from Themis and Cluster missions, theoretical modelers, global and local modelers to participate in this workshop and present your findings. We also encourage presentations of studies of magnetosheaths around other solar system bodies, as they relate to the terrestrial magnetosheath.

See GEM website for further details: http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem/

Radiation-Belt and Waves Modeling (RBWM)

Conveners: Yuri Shprits, UCLA (yshprits [at] atmos.ucla.edu); Scot Elkington, LASP (Scot.Elkington [at] lasp.colorado.edu); Jacob Bortnik, UCLA (jbortnik [at] atmos.ucla.edu);Craig Kletzing, U. Iowa (craig-kletzing [at] uiowa.edu)

The Radiation-Belt and Waves Modeling (RBWM) focus group will hold several sessions at the 2010 GEM Workshop, during 20-25 June 2010.

We invite short presentations (several slides) related to any of RBWM's broad topics:

- Wave excitation, propagation and distribution (ULF, VLF, etc.)

- Dynamical modeling of the radiation belts (acceleration, loss, etc.)

- Wave-particle interactions (linear, nonlinear, non-resonant)

The RBWM focus group kicks off this year, and aims to achieve a first- principles understanding of the coupled dynamic variability of the radiation-belts, and the wave environment that controls it. A few sample questions that are of particular interest to this focus group are:

- what are the physical processes responsible for wave excitation?

- what are the spatiotemporal distributions of various plasma waves and what are their relative roles in producing acceleration/loss?

- what are the roles of linear, nonlinear, and non-diffusive wave- particle interactions in RB dynamics?

- what are the quantitative effects of transport via interactions with ULF waves?

- what is the role of the seed population in radiation belt dynamics?

- why do some storms produce flux increases, decreases, or no variation?

If you would like to learn more about this focus group, or submit a presentation, please use the following resources:

Wiki page http://gem.epss.ucla.edu/mediawikiwiki/index.php/FG:_Radiation_Belts_and_Wave_Modeling

We look forward to your participation

Radiation Belts and Wave Modeling (RBWM) session description:

We will have 6 sessions this year: You can submit the title of your presentation online by following the link below to reserve a time slot during each individual session. We invite potential contributions and encourage to limit presentations to approximately 5 min.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEhELVhvSXg5VS1HQmd3dzhCY3BaMGc6MQ

Tues PM 1: RBWM 1 -- Dynamical modeling of the radiation belts (Model development, verification, validation) (Scot Elkington and Yuri Shprits)

During this session we will discuss the development of new and improvement of existing models of particle transport, scattering, and acceleration in the radiation belts. We will discuss future plans for model inter-comparison and for comparison of models with observations.

Tues PM 2: RBWM 2 -- Dynamical modeling of the radiation belts (Preparing Radiation Belt models for RBSP data) (Scot Elkington and Yuri Shprits)

During this session we will concentrate on comparing model results with observations from RBSP and other missions such as ORBITALS, ERG, and BARREL.

Wed AM 2: RBWM 3 -- Wave-particle interactions (Particle scattering and transport) (Scot Elkington and Yuri Shprits)

We will discuss quasi-liner and non-liner pitch-angle, energy, and radial scattering and will discuss other potentially important acceleration and loss mechanisms operating in the radiation belts.

Wed PM 1: RBWM 4 -- Wave excitation, propagation, and distribution (ULF) (Jacob Bortnik and Craig Kletzing)

We will discuss excitation, propagation and distribution of ULF waves. We would like to invite contributions concerning modeling and observations.

Wed PM 2: RBWM 5 -- Wave excitation, propagation and distribution (VLF) (Jacob Bortnik and Craig Kletzing)

We will discuss excitation, propagation and distribution of VLF waves. We would like to invite contributions concerning modeling and observations.

Thur AM 2: RBWM 6 -- Planning session (Jacob Bortnik, Scot Elkington, Craig Kletzing, and Yuri Shprits)

We will discuss future plans of model development, validation, and verification. We will discuss potential future GEM challenges and will outline a plan for future GEM meetings.

Dayside FACs and Energy Deposition--Dayside FED

Delores Knipp (delores.knipp [at] gmail.com); Stefan Eriksson (eriksson [a]t lasp.colorado.edu), Geoff Crowley (gcrowley [at] astraspace.net), Ramon Lopez (rlopez [at] uta.edu)

We would like to invite contributions to the Dayside FAC and Energy Deposition (FED) focus group at the upcoming GEM workshop in Snowmass on June 21-25, 2010. This new focus group is organizing to explain the relation between enhanced dayside Poynting flux and field-aligned currents, sources of field-aligned currents in the solar wind and magnetosphere and their impacts in the ionosphere-thermosphere system. The GF goals and other information are at:

http://gem.epss.ucla.edu/mediawikiwiki/index.php/FG:_Dayside_FACs_and_Energy_Deposition

The FED focus group will hold two sessions at the upcoming GEM Workshop (June 20-25) in Snowmass, covering data, theory, modeling aspects of the following topics:

- Dayside Poynting Flux, Joule Heating and Their Relation to Field Aligned Currents

- Particle Energy Deposition on the Dayside

- Dissipation of Magnetospheric Energy in the Dayside Thermosphere

- Thermospheric Density Enhancements and Traveling Atmo/Iono- spheric Disturbances

- Solar Wind Drivers for Extreme Dayside Poynting Flux Events

We will discuss the types of NSF GEM investigations to bring this forward toward a conclusion by 2012.

The sessions will be held in a workshop (NOT AGU) style in which each speaker will be allotted time for a 3-4 slides, in order to ensure enough time for discussion. At least one of the slides should deal with unresolved issues. Speakers are encouraged to end their presentation with outstanding questions that could provide a basis for a session at next year's joint GEM-CEDAR meeting.

Both sessions have been tentatively scheduled on Monday Jun 21 (See http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem/index.html for the definitive schedule). If you have not already done so, please send the title(s) and session(s) of your contribution(s) to us at your earliest convenience at the email addresses listed below.

Delores Knipp (delores.knipp [at] gmail.com)

Stefan Eriksson (eriksson [a]t lasp.colorado.edu)

Geoff Crowley (gcrowley [at] astraspace.net)

Ray Lopez (rlopez [at] uta.edu)

[Special breakout session] Comparative Planetary Magnetospheric Physics

Conveners: Larry Kepko (larry dot kepko at nasa dot gov) and Mike Liemohn (liemohn at umich dot edu)

We invite all interested GEM attendees to participate in a special "comparative planetary magnetospheric physics" breakout session at the upcoming GEM workshop on Tuesday from 3:30-5:00 pm. The focus will be on how to utilize the knowledge gained from examining similar physical processes in the different systems to further the goals of GEM. These processes include MI coupling, dayside interactions, solar wind energy coupling, etc., and span the entirety of the GEM focus areas. We do not anticipate formal presentations. Rather, this is an open forum for discussion. Please bring your thinking caps!

GEM will also have two related plenary session tutorials, one by Margaret Kivelson, "Learning about Earth's plasma processes from studies of other magnetospheres," on Tuesday morning and a second by Jim Slavin, "Reconnection in planetary magnetic tails," on Thursday morning.