This project will attempt to understand the long term (150 year) behavior of the auroral oval, and by extension, of the solar wind by examining and analyzing historical auroral observations. The sources of data include Greenland meteorological observations, ship logs from polar exploration cruises, books and articles form Arctic and Antarctic expeditions and Canadian and American stations. The principal Investigator is the leading U.S. researcher of historical geomagnetic effects. It is possible that the results of this study will be useful in designing future systems, such as satellite communications systems, that are effected by auroral phenomena. The project is jointly supported by the Division of Polar Programs and the Division of Atmospheric Sciences.
