Athabasca University Initiatives Supporting THEMIS

Abstract

Since the installation of a UCLA ‘small’ magnetometer in 1998, Athabasca University has made great strides in installing infrastructure in Canada for space science, culminating with the recent expansion of Athabasca University Geophysical Observatory (AUGO). Much of this activity results in an infrastructure very useful in the context of THEMIS, with a plethora of instruments at Athabasca (54.72 N, 246.7 E, CGM (2005) 62.0, 306.5, L=4.55) and magnetic instruments at several locations. Installations in 2007 will provide yet more magnetometers, and unique interpretation methods are available.

AUGO houses the fluxgate ‘small’ magnetometer sampling at 1 Hz, although this is near the Meanook standard observatory and may be moved. In addition there is an induction coil sampled at 64 Hz. Optical equipment includes a THEMIS camera, KEO and OMTI multispectral allsky imagers (including Hβ), a “Rainbow” color camera, and an Hβ line-profiling spectrometer. A GPS scintillation receiver is operated by Susan Skone of UofC. NLC collaborates with AU to run a ‘small’ magnetometer at Slave Lake and an older instrument at Paddle Prairie near the GOES West footpoint. The AUTUMN project has magnetometers near Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, and Lethbridge, forming an Alberta chain when used with other magnetometers further north. The final AUTUMN magnetometer was installed at Inuvik in 2006. Older (EDA) instruments under test in Saskatoon (UofS/SuperDARN) are available for deployment in 2007, likely in Alberta.

The University of Tokyo STEP magnetometers have been kept running and two placed online in real time. These systems, at Ft. Nelson and Ft. St. John in B.C., and in LaRonge, Saskatoon, and Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan, bracket the Alberta chain. These sites include 10 Hz induction coils. Several other STEP instruments are still also working. In eastern Canada, a magnetometer is online at Val d’Or, north of the standard observatory in Ottawa. One is installed but inoperative at Nemiscau, in an attempt to make a chain including PBQ. An exciting development is the very probable completion in 2007 of the northern part of an east coast Hudson Bay chain, through collaboration with the “Polaris” seismic/MT project. If funding can be obtained, the best potential for yet better coverage is revival of STEP sites in eastern Canada.

We thank collaborators at many sites who support our operations. David Boteler of NRCan and Mark Moldwin of UCLA facilitated development in eastern Canada, Eric Donovan and Brian Jackel of University of Calgary operation and placement of AUTUMN, and Brian Martin of King’s University College AUTUMN siting.