Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory |
Current Research Activities
Research at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory includes the following on-going projects and international activities.
| KAIRA | The Kilpisjärvi Atmospheric Imaging Receiver Array will be deployed in summer 2011. It is a broad-band VHF radio receiver, which can be used for atmospheric studies using transmissions from a range of radars in the vicinity as well as for radio astronomy within the LOFAR project. |
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| SLICE | The Sodankylä-Leicester Ionospheric Coupling Experiment (SLICE) is essentially a meteor radar deployed by the University of Leicester, UK, at Sodankylä and operated by the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. |
| NICE | Negative Ion Chemistry Effects in mesospheric active heating experiments (NICE) is a project to quantify the role of the negative ion chemistry in the high-latitude mesosphere by combining optimised RF heating experiments in the ionospheric D region with detailed, coupled modelling of the ion-neutral chemistry. |
| CHAMOS | Chemical Aeronomy in the Mesosphere and Ozone in the Stratosphere (CHAMOS) originated from the development of the Sodankylä ion-neutral chemistry model (SIC) at SGO, aims to study the effect of energetic particle precipitation (e.g. aurora) on the ozone budget of the mesosphere and stratosphere. |
| SIC | Sodankylä Ion-neutral Chemistry model (SIC); detailed computer model of the chemistry of the ionospheric D and E regions (50-120 km) developed at SGO. |
| THERMES | Thermosphere and Mesosphere affecting the Stratosphere (THERMES) is a project for estimating cosequences of solar forcing on the mesosphere/lower thermosphere and their impacts on the stratosphere. |
Besides the on-going projects listed above, the main research areas of SGO are:
- General aeronomy and atmospheric chemistry
- Incoherent scatter radar measurements and analysis
- Development of radar and measurement theory
- Applications of tomographic methods in ionospheric research
- VLF measurements and analysis
- Artificial effects in near-Earth space
- Ionospheric heating experiments using the EISCAT Heating facility
SGO is part of the Center of Excellence in Inverse Problems.
We invite interested students to do their bachelor's and master's theses at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. See the available thesis topics, and get in touch for more information!