Space physics in Svalbard: A study of the energy input in the polar ionosphere using SuperDARN

• Main Authors: Baddeley, Lisa, Bland, Emma, Lorentzen, Dag A., Herlingshaw, Katie, Clausen, Lasse B. N., Miloch, Wojciech, McWilliams, Kathryn, Yukimatu, Akira Sessai
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2021
• Subjects: Ionosphere; space physics; radar; space weather; aurora; Svalbard; Breinosa
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4293795; https://zenodo.org/record/4293795

This is chapter 2 of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2020 (https://sios-svalbard.org/SESS_Issue3). The chapter provides an overview of Norwegian space physics infrastructure in Svalbard (owned either individually or through collaborations) with a particular focus on the Svalbard SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network) radar. This new radar, located on Breinosa near the Kjell Henriksen Auroral Observatory (KHO), is the only Norwegian-owned radar in a global network of more than 30 radars. They are designed for studying flows and turbulence in the upper atmosphere (100-300 km altitude), driven by interactions between the magnetic fields of the Sun and the Earth. The Svalbard SuperDARN radar fills an important gap in the spatial coverage of SuperDARN and complements the other research infrastructure mentioned in the report. The radar operated continuously from October 2016 – October 2018, before being damaged by a large ice storm. It will be rebuilt in 2021. The report highlights the important scientific achievements of the radar, with an emphasis on localised upper atmospheric processes and studies of a more global nature.