Recent results of the cedar storm study

The CEDAR storm study is a cooperative effort to study specific storm-intervals with particularly good data coverage. The aim is to involve interested scientists with F-region/thermosphere data or modelling capabilities in coordinated efforts to understand the coupled upper atmosphere regions at different heights and on a global scale. The major storms studied to date occurred in March 1990, June 1991,November 1993, and May 1995. In this paper the objectives and organization of the CEDAR Storm Study are described, and results from several recent projects are reported. These include attempts at a global description of high latitude ion convection related to magnetosphere changes; Joule and particle heating, neutral winds, temperatures, and composition; plasmaspheric irregularity imaging; ionospheric model validation; the relationship between SAR arcs, subauroral ion drift (SAID) events, and the ionospheric trough; high latitude patches and blobs; ionospheric storm effects observed by radio and optical tomographic techniques; upper thermosphere neutral winds at high and middle latitudes; and effects of energy transfer into the lower thermosphere and mesosphere on neutral winds. (C) 1997 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.