PASI School on the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Upper Atmosphere

4-9 October 2010, San Juan, Argentina

Roster of Lecturers

  • Dr. Mangalathayali Abdu (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Brazil) is the recipient of the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal. He will offer a lecture on coupling processes in the equatorial and low latitude ionosphere.
  • Dr. M. Joan Alexander (NorthWest Research Associates/CoRA Division, USA) will address satellite observations of gravity waves in the Southern Hemisphere from the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)
  • Dr. Francisco Azpilicueta (GESA, Facultad de Cs. Astronómicas y Geofísicas, UNLP, Argentina) is an expert in ionospheric TEC (Total Electron Content) global modeling based on GPS measurements and Altimetry satellites. During the last years he has been studying the semi annual and annual anomalies on the global TEC during a full solar cycle. His lecture will focus on this topic.
  • Dr. Guy Brasseur (National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA) is a senior scientist at NCAR and former director of NCAR’s Earth-Sun Science Laboratory. will lecture on observations and modeling of long-term trends in the MLT, with emphasis on techniques for discriminating between anthropogenic effects and natural variability.
  • Prof. Claudio Brunini (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina) heads the laboratory of Space Geodesy and Aeronomy (GESA) at UNLP. His lecture will describe his work with SIRGAS (Geocentric Reference Frame for the Americas), an international project of the geodetic community that aims to implement the Terrestrial Reference Frame by managing a network of continuously operational GNSS receivers totalling around one hundred sites in the Caribbean, Central, and South American region.
  • Dr. Barclay Clemesha (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Brazil) has developed Na LIDAR technology in Brazil for decades; his lecture will focus on the use of laser technology to monitor the MLT.
  • Dr. Lars Dyrud (Center for Remote Sensing Inc, USA) will present an introduction to meteors and meteoroids in general, but will focus on the plasma physics and chemistry of meteor interactions with the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The lecture will also cover meteor observation techniques and the use of meteor radars for remote sensing of upper atmospheric winds and temperatures.
  • Dr. David Fritts (NorthWest Research Associates/CoRA Division, USA) will present a lecture on the modeling of nonlinear dynamics of large-amplitude gravity waves, including breaking and turbulence generation, momentum and heat transport, momentum deposition, and other nonlinear effects. Dr. Fritts is the co-I on two NSF-funded projects that involve the deployment and operation of a meteor radar in Tierra del Fuego, and has been involved in promoting international collaborations through American student participation in this project. He has also participated in measuring campaigns of Spread-F in the equatorial ionosphere carried out in Brazil.
  • Dr. Rolando Garcia (National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA) has worked on theoretical, modeling, and observational aspects of the dynamics of the MLT. He will lecture on the general circulation and wave phenomena of the MLT, emphasizing the relationship among theory, modeling, and the latest satellite observations.
  • Prof. Wayne Hocking (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, Canada) is an expert in the areas of turbulence and radar design, and has been the originator of several key measurement techniques, including turbulence procedures, meteor temperatures and meteor momentum fluxes. His lecture will focus on these topics.
  • Dr. Diego Janches (NorthWest Research Associates/CoRA Division, USA) has recently installed a new-generation meteor radar for atmospheric dynamics and meteor studies funded through NSF. He will lecture on the observed properties of meteoroids and their impact in the aeronomy of the MLT.
  • Dr. Ruth Lieberman (NorthWest Research Associates/CoRA Division, USA) will present a review of tidal theory and middle atmosphere observations. The observational part will emphasize differences in the sampling and interpretation of tides measured from between ground-based versus satellite platforms.
  • Dr. Daniel Marsh (National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA) is an expert on modeling of the chemistry and physics of the MLT. He will lecture on the theory, modeling and observations of noctilucent clouds in the Earth’s mesosphere.
  • Dr Carlos Martinis (Center for Space Physics, Boston University, USA) is an expert in the area of optical diagnostic of thermospheric and ionospheric disturbances. He studies nighttime ionospheric processes at low and mid latitudes, like Equatorial Spread-F, medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances, and Midnight temperature maximum effects. He is actively involved in the study of geomagnetically conjugate processes at low and mid latitudes with optical capabilities developed by Boston University in the American sector. His lecture will focus on these topics.
  • Prof. John M.C. Plane (Department of Chemistry, University of Leeds, UK) has worked extensively on the modeling of meteoric metals in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT). He will lecture on MLT metal chemistry.
  • Dr. Anne K. Smith (National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA) is a leading expert on the study of the chemistry of the OX and HOX chemical families in the MLT. Her lecture will focus on what is known about the oxygen-hydrogen chemical system in the upper atmosphere and, in particular, on how it is studied.
  • Dr. Michael Taylor (Utah State University, USA) is an expert on optical instrumentation for upper atmosphere observations. He will present a lecture on the use of optical imaging techniques to investigate mesospheric physics and dynamics.
  • Dr. Cesar Valladares (Boston College, USA) in an expert in GPS and ionosondes, and the recipient of an NSFMRI award to develop one of the most ambitious distributed arrays throughout South America to study the equatorial ionosphere. His lecture will focus on the Low-latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (LISN) that is being deployed in South America.
  • Dr. Ronald Woodman (Geophysical Institute, Peru) is the current president of the Peruvian Geophysical Institute, and has been the director of the Jicamarca Radio Observatory in Peru. He will lecture on the theory and use of incoherent scatter radar for MLT observations.