Project Grant 2224108

This National Science Foundation Project Grant award of $587,299 provides funding from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2026 to support collaborative research at the University of California, Los Angeles aimed at improving understanding of the impact of solar wind dynamic pressure on the Earth's ionosphere and space environment. Specifically, the award will fund investigations using Cluster satellite data and 3D global hybrid simulations to evaluate the physical processes behind ion outflows from the ionosphere that result from solar wind compression events. The simulations and observational data analysis are designed to establish a better understanding of temporal variations in ion fluxes in the cusp and lobes region resulting from compression. This research supports the education of a graduate student and aims to improve space weather forecasting models by incorporating knowledge of how solar wind compression affects ion outflows. The award is being provided under the National Science Foundation's Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), which supports basic research in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences to strengthen understanding of the integrated Earth system.