A new Programme Planning Group on Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere reseArch (AGATA) was approved by SCAR Delegates at the XXXVII SCAR Delegates Meeting in September 2022.
The AGATA programme aims to significantly advance the current knowledge of the Antarctic atmosphere and geospace, also in the bi-polar, interhemispheric context. It will contribute to answering the outstanding scientific questions within atmospheric and space physics that were identified by the 1st SCAR Antarctic and Southern Ocean Science Horizon Scan:
- How are different atmospheric layers coupled in the polar regions?
- How does the upper polar atmosphere respond to increased geomagnetic activity, including energy transfer from space into the ionosphere?
- How can we improve the understanding of the Antarctic atmosphere by radio signals from the GNSS or other satellites, and from ground-based radars?
These questions will be addressed with a multi-disciplinary and multi-instruments approach, and by bringing together communities that investigate the polar atmosphere and geospace. AGATA will take advantage of existing and planned instrumentation in Antarctica, but also in the Arctic and satellite-based observations, and will aim for coordinated research efforts and data exchange.
AGATA will hold the first meeting of its core members online on 22 December 2022.
To achieve its aims, AGATA needs a membership that covers a broad range of expertise, beginning with an initial core group of around 30 researchers. Anyone interested in joining the group should contact the group leaders.