The following conferences and meetings have been organized and attended by members of the URSI Commission G:
1. Electromagnetic Scattering from Gases and Plasmas
Aussois, France, 20.-25. March 1994
Representative for Com. G: C. Hanuise, France
The idea of this workshop was, to bring laboratory and space plasma physicists together and discuss diagnostic techniques and the interpretation of corresponding results. The following topics were addressed:
The workshop was attended by about 40 scientists from 11 countries and was very successful. It was decided to hold a similar workshop after 3 years. From the presented paper, 19 were published in a special issue of the 'Jornal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics' (Volume 58, Number 8/9, 1996). A more detailed report about this workshop was published in 'The Radio Scientist and Bulletin', Vol. 5 , No. 3, p. 7.
2. Beacon Satellite Symposium
Aberystwyth, UK, 11.-15. July 1994
Representative for Com. G: R. Leitinger, Austria (Chairman of URSI WG G.2)
This symposium is traditionally organized by members of the URSI Commission G Working Group G.2 ('Beacon Satellites')
Primary topics were:
This symposium attracted 80 participants from 19 countries, 70 papers were presented orally and 26 as posters.
3. 8th International Symposium on Solar-Terrestrial Physics
Sendai, Japan,
5.-10. June 1994
Representative for Com G.: Dr. A.P. Mitra, India
Scope of this Symposium was to review the progress of the 'Solar Terrestrial Energy Program' (STEP) during the years 1991-1994 and to discuss future directions of research. Specific aereas pertaining to URSI activities were
The meeting was attended by more than 300 scientists. 50 invited papers and 280 posters have been presented, in addition 3 tutorials were given. A detailed report on this meeting was published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', No 271, December 1994, p. 23.
4. COSPAR - 30th Scientific Assembly
Session D4.1: Active Experiments in Space Plasmas
Representative for Com. G:
M. Rietveld, Germany (member of URSI WG G.3)
Hamburg, 20. and 21. July 1994
This two-day COSPAR Session contained papers on the following topics:
The sessions were attended by about 20-30 scientists on each day. 66 papers were presented (incl. 34 posters). The symposium was very successful in bringing together the various techniques and researchers from east and west.
Session C.4: The High Latitudes in the Internat. Reference Ionosphere
Representative for Com. G: W. Singer, Germany
Hamburg, 20. and 21. July 1994
Aim of this COSPAR Session was the improvement of the desription of ionospheric parameters at high latitudes with respect to IRI. Comparisons of IRI and data obtained by ground-based and space techniques from the auroral zone were presented. A very detailed report on this Session was published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', No. 272, March 1995, p. 26.
5. IV Suzdal URSI Symposium on Artificial Modification of the Ionosphere
Uppsala, Sweden, 15.-19. August 1994
Representative for Com. G: B. Thide, Sweden
This was the fourth meeting in a series of international URSI symposia on artificial modification of the ionosphere which were initiated 1986 in Suzdal, Russia. The following topics were covered:
6. Workshop on Low and Equatorial Latitudes in the Intern. Ref. Ionosphere
New
Delhi, India, 9.-13. January 1995
Representative for Com. G: D. Bilitza, USA ( Chairman of IRI)
This workshop was the first in a long tradition of IRI workshops which was held in India. The following topics were covered:
More than 60 scientists participated in this workshop and more than 70 papers were presented. A very detailed report about the workshop was published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', No. 273, June 1995, p. 49.
7. 9th International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy
Bali, Indonesia, 20.-24.
March 1995
Representative for Com. G: S. Fukao, Japan (Chairman of URSI WG FG.1)
This symposium adressed the equatorial aeronomy including the middle atmosphere. The major topics were:
The symposium was attended by more than 160 scientists from 19 countries, about 180 papers were presented. A report on this symposium was published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', No. 274, September 1995, p. 47.
8. URSI and STEP-GAPS Workshop on Non-Linear Processes
Warszawa, Poland,
24.-28. April 1995
Represent. for Com. G: A.W. Wernik, Poland (Chairman of URSI WG CGH.1)
The aim of this workshop was to bring together specialists, theoreticians and experimentalists working on nonlinear processes like turbulence, chaos, and wave interaction in laboratory and near earth plasma. Topics were:
The workshop was attended by 54 scientists from 9 countries. 45 papers were presented. A report of the workshop was published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', No. 273, June 1995, p. 49.
9. Atmospheric Research and Applications using the GPS/GLONASS System
Copenhagen, Denmark, 8.-9. June 1995
Representative for Com. G: P. Hoeg, Denmark (Chairman URSI WG AFG.1)
The global positioning systems GPS and GLONASS were developed to give a precise position and an accurate time anywhere on Earth and it's vicinity by monitoring signals from several of the satellites of the system. Using this for research purposes has lead to several new aspects for monitoring ionospheric and atmospheric properties which were the topic of this workshop:
10. 7th MST Radar and ISAR2 Workshop
Hilton Head, USA, 5.-8. November 1995
Representative for Com. G: J. R^ttger, Sweden (member of URSI WG G.3)
The seventh workshop on Technical and Scientific Aspects of Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere (MST) Radar and the second International School of Atmospheric Radar (ISAR2) were held together as a major activity of the URSI Commission G Working Group FG1 ('Middle Atmosphere') Within ISAR2 eight lectures were given covering various topics of radar techniques, data reduction and interpretation.
The workshop covered the following topics:
The total number of participants was 127, 124 papers were given orally, 29 as posters. A plenary session was held on the last day of the workshop to summarize the highlights. Recommendations/Resolutions were adopted. A detailed report on MST7/ISAR2 will be published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', No. 278.
11. COSPAR - 31st Scientific Assembly
Session C1.1 Coupling and Energetics in Stratosphere-Mesosphere-
Thermosphere-Ionosphere System
Representative for Com. G: J. R^ttger, Sweden (member of WG G.3)
Birmingham,
UK, 14. - 21. July 1996
Symposium C1.1was the largest symposium held during the Birmingham Scientific Assembly, consisting of 109 papers distributed over 3.5 days of oral presentations (15-18 July 1996) and a poster session (19 July 1996). The program included fifteen solicited review papers, 48 contributed oral and 46 contributed poster papers, ar-
ranged into sessions by Main Scientific Organizer, J. Roettger (Sweden), and Deputy Organizers, R.H. Picard (USA) and E.S. Kazimirovsky (Russia).
The symposium dealt with all aspects of the energy and momentum budget of the middle atmosphere, the lower thermosphere, and ionosphere, including densities and fluxes of energy and momentum in all their forms - such as dynamical, chemical and radiative - at all spatial and temporal scales. Vertical and horizontal coupling and interaction, forcing from above through the solar wind - magnetosphere interaction and from below due to atmospheric waves and turbulence, and related meteorological processes were incorporated, as well as chemical reactions, phase changes, and radiative processes. The symposium encompassed high, middle and low latitudes under disturbed and quiet conditions. Papers on theory, modelling, experimental applications, and observational results from ground-based, in-situ, and
space remote-sensing techniques, covered also by international programmes and campaigns, were incorporated.
A more detailed report about this symposium will be published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin'.
Session C4.2: Quantitative Desriptions of Ionospheric Storm Effects and
Irregularities
Birmingham, UK,
14. - 21. July 1996
Representative for Com. G: B. Reinisch (Vice-Chair Comm. G)
The current International Reference Ionosphere model, IRI 95, does not include ionospheric storm effects. This two-day symposium was addressing the need of incorporating ionospheric storm effects in the IRI model. Seven subsessions and a poster session dealt with specific aspects of the modeling problem. Selected papers of this two-day session will be published in Advances in Space Research (ASR).
A more detailed report about this symposium will be published in 'The Radio Science Bulletin', 1997.
All the above 11 meetings have been attended by many Commission G members and have been sponsored in mode B.
In mode A Commission G sponsored:
In addition to these meeting activities several of the Commision G Working Groups held business sessions on various occasions and issued their own newsletter. Six newsletters were additionally issued for the whole Commission G community by the Chairman.
Commission G members in addition convened/organized sessions on various other national and international conferences.
Kristian Schlegel
(Chair Commission G)