The Role of Auroral Imaging in Understanding Ionosphere-Inner Magnetosphere
Interactions

J.F. Spann (NASA/MSFC/NSSTC, Huntsville, AL 35805), G. Khazanov, and 
S.B. Mende

The more ways we probe the ionosphere and inner magnetosphere, the better we
can understand their interaction. For example, the multifaceted imaging of
geospace with the IMAGE mission complements the more traditional in situ
measurements made with many previous missions. Together they have enabled new
knowledge of the ionosphere-magnetosphere (IM) coupling. The role of imaging
the aurora in understanding this interaction has received renewed attention
recently. Based on in situ data, such as FAST or DMSP, and our recent
theories, we believe that imaging multiscale features of the aurora is a key
component to gaining insight into the processes and mechanisms at work. This
talk will explore how auroral imaging can be used to provide improved insight
of the dynamics of IM interaction on micro and meso scales, with an emphasis
on the current limitations and future possibilities of quantitative analyses.

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Presentation at the Yosemite Conference of Inner Magnetospheric Interactions,
3 - 6 February 2004, Yosemite, California, USA