Below a list of links to the institutes of the participants of SPECIAL.

Please submit your link by 18 February at the latest.

Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium

BIRA-IASB is a governmental Institution that conducts experiments and theoretical studies in the field of physics and chemistry of the Earth and planetary upper atmospheres, of magnetospheres and interplanetary medium.

Space Plasmas and Radiation Belt Environment Group, Brussels, Belgium

The Space Plasmas and Radiation Belt Environment Group at the Belgian Institute for space Aeronomy is directly interested in kinetic plasma theory with applications to directional discontinuities in collisionless plasma, solar wind, polar wind, magnetopause, plasmasphere and Earth's radiation belt models.

Dept of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel

Dr Colin Price is part of the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences at TAU. His group focuses on lightning research in the VLF and ELF range, and the the relationships between atmospheric electricity and global climate change. The TAU group runs a Schumann resonance site in the Negev Desert, for studying the variability of global lightning activity. The TAU team is also interested in sprites/elves and other ELF/VLF transients.

Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory (SGO), Sodankylä, Finland

SGO provides a wealth of geomagnetic and ionospheric data: magnetic observatory since 1914; ionosonde since 1957; chain of 10+ riometers between Helsinki and Svalbard since 1965. SGO has more than 10 years of experience in developing VLF receivers and conducting VLF measurement campaigns together with ionospheric observations by radio tomography, incoherent scatter radars (EISCAT), and cameras.

Arctic & Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), St Petersburg, Russia

The Main Scientific Center of Russian Federation - Arctic & Antarctic Research Institute is a govermental multidisciplinary institution that conducts experiment and theoretical studies of the natural phenomen (climate, sea ice conditions, polar oceanography, polar upper atmosphere and space research etc.) in the polar regions of the both hemisphere.
The Geophysical Department of AARI is involved in the studies of behaviour of the polar magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere as well as of the solar terrestrial relations in the forms of the space disturbances influence on the climate and hydrometeorological regime of the polar regions.

Institut für Geophysik, Frankfurt/Main University, Germany

The Institut für Geophysik at Frankfurt/Main University represents four different solid Earth programs: applied geophysics, geodynamics, rock physics and theoretical seismology.

Atmspheric Research Group, Institut für Geophysik, Frankfurt/Main University, Germany

The atmospheric research group is part of the applied physics program and has an expertise in atmospheric electrodynamics, in particular with lightning flashes, sprites, and the global circuit.

Max-Planck-Institute für Aeronomie (MPAe), Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

The Max-Planck-Institut fuer Aeronomie is an institute of the German Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for basic research. Fields of research are the upper atmopshere, the ionosphere, the magnetosphere, the sun and heliosphere, planets and comets. Special interest is on solar-terrestrial and solar-planetary relations. The institute is located near Goettingen on the countryside.

Geodetic and Geophysical Research Institute, Hungary

The Geodetic and Geophysical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences conducts in its Department for Aeronomy experimental and theoretical investigation of the middle and upper atmosphere in the field of atmospheric electricity - atmospheric electric field, point discharge currents, Schumann resonances, in the field of ionospheric physics - study of the effect of galactic cosmic rays and energetic particles in the lower and middle atmosphere, analyses of the interaction between the neutral and ionized upper atmosphere, study of ionospheric irregularities.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Cambridge, UK

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a government-funded research laboratory, and a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. The BAS mission is to carry out high quality research in a wide variety of disciplines, biology, geology and physical sciences. BAS operates a range of manned and unmanned observatories in Antarctica from its headquaters in Cambridge.
Within the Physical Sciences Division, research is carried out at all altitudes, from surface meteorology to the interaction of the magnetosphere with the solar wind. The major foci of geospace research are reconnection and substorms. Global Change is the over-arching theme of the research below 120 km altitude.

Service d'Aeronomie, France

The Service d'Aeronomie of CNRS is a governmental institution depending on CNRS, University of Paris 6-Jussieu and University of Versailles-Saint Quentin. It is also part of the new Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace. It is devoted to the study of the atmospheres (Earth and planets) and of the solar environment. It is based both in Verrieres-le-Buisson and Paris.

Service d'Aeronomie, Dynamic and Climate of the Middle Atmosphere (DCAM), France

The team called "Dynamic and Climate of the Middle Atmosphere" DCAM is focusing on the study of dynamical and physical processes occuring in the middle atmosphere, among which the processus which may be responsible for the influence of solar activity on the atmosphere and the climate. The study of the variability at all scales (GW, PW, QBO, solar) has been pursued in parallel with the detection and attribution of long trem trends in the stratosphere.

Electromagnetics and Plasma Technology Laboratory, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan

Electromagnetics and Plasma Technology Laboratory at the Kyushu Institute of Technology is working on various aspects of Electromagnetics and Plasmas with the emphasis on space-related fields. Computational as well as experimental works on gas discharge in atmospheric air and rarefied gas around spacecraft are conducted including upper-atmospheric ionisation caused by lightning-generated electromagnetic pulse.

Dept of the Terrestrial Physics, State University of St.-Petersburg, Russia

The State University of St.-Petersburg (Russia), grounded in 1724 as an Academic University, has 18 faculties. The Physical Faculty at the University conducts theoretical and experimental investigation in practically all fields of the modern Physics. The Department of the Terrestrial Physics at the Faculty conducts studies in two fields: Physics of the Solid Earth (headed by Prof. Troyan V. N.), and Solar-Terrestrial Physics (the head is Prof. Pudovkin M. I.).
The 'Space - Earth weather' group at the Laboratory of the Solar-Terrestrial Physics consists of 5 persons: Pudovkin M. I., Prof.; Zaitseva S. A., Senior Res. Worker, Ph.D.; Morozova A. L., Ass. Prof., Ph.D.; Plenkina I. A., Ph.D. student, MS; Akhremtchik S. N., PhD student, MS.
The main topic of studies is effects of cosmic rays (of the galactic and solar origin) variations in the atmospheric transparency and cloudiness variations, and in the state of the lower atmosphere.

Department of Earth Sciences - Meteorology, Uppsala University, Sweden

Uppsala University belongs to the Swedish government. The university conducts research and educations covering a lot of fields. Faculty of Technology and Natural Sciences conducts research and educations in a lot of fields within natural sciences. Department of Earth Sciences conducts research and educations within fields of the Earth and atmosphere. In the Meteorology programme the main study is of the atmosphere.

Plasma Physics & High Power Electronics Department, Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS), Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

The Plasma Physics & High Power Electronics Department is one of departments of the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS), Nizhny Novgorod. The main problem which unites our researches is development of methods for generation of powerful (particularly, microwave) radiation and investigation of its interaction with plasma, including space plasmas.
The group of Ionospheric and Magnetospheric Plasma, and the group of Atmospheric Physics deal with theory and applications of particle- wave interaction, atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling, electrohydrodynamics and atmospheric electricity, dynamics of ozone and other minor costituents of the atmosphere. In particular, we are conducting experiments on the microwave sounding of the atmosphere, as well as field research and laboratory modeling of atmospheric electric processes.

Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), Sweden

IRF conducts experimental and theoretical researches in space plasma and atmospheric physics. It has 4 divisions in Kiruna, Uppsala, Umeå and Lund.

Atmospheric Research Programme (AFP) of IRF, Kiruna, Sweden

AFP is also a part of Environment and Space Research Institute (MRI). AFP is focusing on study of ozone in meso- and stratosphere, strato- and mesospheric clouds, coupling between different atmospheric layers, fair-weather atmospheric electricity. Radars, optical methods, sounding rockets and balloons are used. Continuous measurements of trace gases, atmospheric winds, air-earth electrical currents are made there.

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), St. Petersburg, Russia

The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) is a governmental Institution that conducts oceanological, hydrometeorological, geophysical, hydrological, and ice researches in polar regions in Arctic and Antarctic.

AARI - Department of Geophysics, St. Petersburg, Russia

The Department of Geophysics at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute is concerned with studies of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling, magnetic substorms development, links between space weather on the Earth's weather, and influence of space weather on high-tech systems. The department is responsible for Russian network of geophysical observations in Arctic and Antarctic.

Space Physics Group, University of Houston, Texas, USA

Mission Statement    The mission the Space Physics Group of the Physics Department at the University of Houston is to conduct original research in the areas of atmospheric electricity, upper atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, space physics and aeronomy. The term space physics as used here incorporates the disciplines of ionospheric physics, magnetospheric physics, space plasma physics, solar heliospheric physics and cosmic rays physics. In addition, it is also the mission of the space physics group to provide instruction in these topics to the students of the University of Houston. The main objective of this aspect of our mission is providing a source of qualified, trained personnel to the space-oriented employers of the Houston area. Finally, it is the mission of the group to provide knowledgable consulting services in these areas and topics to all elements of the Houston community that request such support.
Research Objectives    As a group, we have conducted experiments to measure and image electron bremsstrahlung beneath auroras, to measure electron bremsstrahlung accompanying both natural and triggered VLF events, auroral zone electric fields, plasmapause electric fields, electric fields at high altitude due to thunderstorms, and the electromagnetic radiation spectrum of lightning at high altitude, VLF magnetic fields accompanying active experiments in the ionosphere, dc plasma properties in the ionosphere near pulsating aurora, ionospheric electric fields near the magnetospheric cusp, and ground level atmospheric electric field and air-Earth current at the South Pole.
See also: Sprite Campaign Page; this page contains a complete description of the Sprites 99 balloon campaign. I hope to include bibliography links sometime soon.

SEVEM (Survey of ELF and VLF Experiments in the Magnetosphere), Brussels, Belgium

This site displays a documented catalogue of missions/satellites that surveyed the electromagnetic VLF and ELF environment in the terrestrial magnetosphere since 1959. The orbital parameters are given for each satellite, as well as contact persons, bibliographical references concerning the experiments and preliminary results. The location where the data are stored is also given.