USAP-DC

This project will support a longstanding scientific collaboration of U.S. universities to keep a vital network of sensitive monitoring instruments operating across Antarctica. By maintaining and restoring these ground-based observatories, the project will ensure continuous measurement of Earth''s magnetic field in the planet''s southernmost regions. This data is critical for understanding the powerful solar storms that can disrupt satellites, interfere with aviation communications, and threaten power grids. The project will make all its observations available to the global research community, providing an important foundation for better forecasting and preparedness. It will also train the next generation of space weather scientists through hands-on research, and connect the public to the excitement of polar science through planetarium activities and educational outreach. These activities will highlight how fundamental research in Antarctica protects the modern technologies that millions of Americans rely on daily. This project will operate, maintain, and restore the Antarctic PENGUIn (PG) magnetometer array, the only continuously operating network spanning the southern polar cap, cusp, and auroral zones. In coordination with conjugate sites in Greenland, the PG array will contribute to a unique global platform for investigating unresolved questions about interhemispheric asymmetries in high-latitude geospace dynamics during solar maximum. The work will address two core science objectives: 1) characterizing the drivers and spatial structure of magnetic perturbations during extreme space weather events, and 2) quantifying how interplanetary shocks and ultra-low frequency waves couple differently into the northern and southern hemispheres. The methodology will employ a targeted, observation-driven framework. It will analyze conjugate magnetometer data from benchmark events (e.g., the March 17, 2013 storm) and a catalog of 75–100 interplanetary shock events, integrating field-line tracing, upstream solar wind data, and ionospheric measurements to separate intrinsic ionospheric effects from external solar wind forcing. The project will extend a validated 2016 solar-minimum correlation climatology through Solar Cycle 25''s peak, tracking how hemispheric coupling evolves. The intellectual merit lies in filling the largest remaining gap in global geospace coverage, providing multi-decadal data continuity, and delivering statistically robust results on interhemispheric asymmetry that will reshape fundamental understanding of solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. The project will support early-career researchers, engage with the public via the University of Texas at Arlington Planetarium, and align with the polar and space weather research communities’ priorities. This award reflects NSF''s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation''s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Person	Role
Xu, Zhonghua	Investigator and contact
Sterne, Kevin T	Co-Investigator

Antarctic Astrophysics and Geospace Sciences

Award # 2535315

USAP-2535315_1

5-Data_Management_Plan_525.pdf

Repository	Title (link)	Format(s)	Status
NASA SPDF	Autonomous Adaptive Low-Power Instrument Platform (AAL-PIP) Ground-based Vector Magnetic	netCDF	exists