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International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy

Welcome to another IUGG General Assembly the 21st General Assembly being held here in Boulder, Colorado. We appear to have numerous stimulating IAGA scientific sessions to experience. Not only will IAGA scientists discuss their work with colleagues from around the world but there is also ample opportunity to talk with, to exchange views with, and to initiate collaborative studies with scientific colleagues from other IUGG Associations one of the primary benefits of the IUGG General Assemblies.

As we begin this Scientific Assembly I wish to thank Prof. Juan Villas and his colleagues for organizing and conducting such a successful Scientific Assembly in Buenos Aires in 1993. They certainly continued the tradition of stimulating and productive IAGA Assemblies and set a good example for this meeting to follow.

Next I would like to thank the Nominating Committee for the hard work they invested in identifying a very good slate of nominations for the 1995-1999 term. The committee was chaired by Prof. D. Ian Gough and its members were Profs. Attia Ashour, Brian Fraser, Atsuhiro Nishida, and Christian Sucksdorf. Thank you all for a job well done.

Also thanks are due the Finance Committee for its inspection of and report on the state of IAGA finances; more on this topic later. The Finance Committee was chaired by Prof. Gordon Rostoker, and its members were Profs. Kaljui Eerme and Michel Menvielle. Again, thanks for a job well done.

This evening I will present a short status report on IAGA, IUGG, and the relations between the IUGG and the Associations. First let me present a report on IAGA activity. This information was provided by the Division chairs. I greatly appreciate and thank them for their timely and most useful input. Due to time and space limitations, I shall not be able to mention all the activities occurring in areas of IAGA interest over the past four years. I will present samples of this activity in order to give a sense of the wide variety of efforts being pursued by IAGA scientists. I apologize in advance if I have omitted your favorite topic(s), but time and space restrictions left little if any leeway.

Division I scientists participated in numerous meetings and workshops dealing with all four of their main topics of interest: theory of the Earth's magnetic field, electromagnetic induction, paleomagnetism, and rock magnetism. A new activity was developed to aid in the analysis and interpretation of data and in the testing of models and hypotheses. These were called mini-workshops and were dedicated to hands-on interpretation of field data. These small workshops, held in conjunction with larger meetings, were based on intensive examination of data sets distributed to participants some months earlier. A requirement for admission was the detailed examination of at least one of the data sets. Access to computing facilities, analysis and presentation software, and to the participants home computational facilities were made available. These mini-workshops have been quite successful, resulting in special issues of the Journal of Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity.

New scientific results from Division I include indications of extremely rapid field changes during geomagnetic polarity transitions, possible relationships between the nature of the non-dipole field and the preferred paths of transitional virtual geomagnetic dipoles, and analysis of paleomagnetic data suggesting the presence of a supercontinent in the late Precambrian era that was quite different from the now-familiar one of Pangaea.

Finally, many IAGA data bases for paleomagnetism and rock magnetism have been established and are described by Charles Barton in an upcoming issue of EOS.

Division II scientists have participated in a variety of new scientific thrusts. For example, data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite have provided, for the first time a global view of upper atmospheric winds, a view showing that there is great variability in the global-scale winds, including the tides and planetary waves, in addition to the previously known smaller-scale variability associated with gravity waves. UARS has also been helping to clarify the complex chemical processes of the middle atmosphere, for example by giving indications that the currently understood chemistry may indeed be able to account for the observed ozone densities around the stratopause, in contrast to earlier modeling studies that found an "ozone deficit."

Further there has been great excitement about the recognition that electrical phenomena in the stratosphere and mesosphere above major electrical storms are quite common. Even though upward-going lightning has occasionally been reported for over a hundred years, the advent of sensitive video cameras that can detect subvisual phenomena has brought to light stratospheric "blue jets" and mesospheric "red sprites." A number of theories are being developed to explain those phenomena, and their possible significance for the electrodynamics and chemistry of the middle atmosphere are being explored.

There is increasing evidence that various types of long-term change can occur in the middle and upper atmosphere, and that significant anthropogenic change may have already occurred. The ozone hole is a well-known example, but evidence has come out that mesospheric water vapor may have been increasing and that the mesopause region may have been cooling, accounting for an increased frequency of noctilucent clouds, a lowering of the height of mesospheric sodium and electron-density layers, and a possible increase of exospheric hydrogen.

Over the past four years, Division III scientists have seen the International Solar-Terrestrial Program (ISTP) finally, and slowly, take shape. It began in late 1992 with the successful launch of the first flagship of this program, the GEOTAIL satellite, built by the Japanese Institute for Space and Astronautical Sciences. Still working exceptionally well, GEOTAIL has fulfilled the deep tail portion of its mission and has been lowered to its final orbital position of roughly 9 Re perigee and 30 Re apogee. GEOTAIL, together with the first of the ISTP ground arrays, the Canadian CANOPUS array, formed the beginnings of the ISTP program. In late 1994 they were joined by the NASA WIND satellite, placed in an orbit to measure solar wind properties in detail and thereby providing solar wind input to the magnetosphere. Scientific results from GEOTAIL in the Earth's distant magnetic tail regions include size and strength estimates of flux ropes, filamentary characteristics of the tail, non-convective behaviors of tail plasma, and acceleration of ionospheric atomic and molecular ions to several hundred keV in energy.

SAMPEX, a low altitude satellite launched by NASA, has returned new and novel data on radiation belts, cosmic rays, and energetic electrons. For example a component of the radiation belts consisting of anomalous cosmic rays has been discovered and is being studied. This and the many other new results emanating from the SAMPEX satellite provide yet more dramatic examples of the value of small, inexpensive satellites to the space physics community.

ASTRID, a small low altitude Swedish satellite, has returned the first data from instrumentation designed to image macro-scale regions of magnetospheric charged particles by measuring neutral atoms created in the charge-exchange process. Along these same lines there has been dramatic development in instrumentation to obtain global images of the magnetosphere and its component parts. It is possible that at some future IAGA meeting we will get to see global pictures of the magnetosphere. In this regard ASTRID has been an initial and a hopeful step.

Division IV scientists share the excitement of Division III scientists with launch of the WIND satellite. The new and sophisticated instruments are providing better-than-ever observations of solar wind plasma ion composition and charge-states, ion and electron phase space characteristics, and time variability. Similar improved data is being received on the interplanetary magnetic field, waves, and energetic solar particles-all these improvements required to better (or in many cases, just develop) our understanding of the generation and propagation of shocks in the interplanetary medium, and the stimulation and operation of acceleration processes from the sun to the heliopause.

Speaking of the heliopause, there remains a continuing anticipation (and excitement) as the constellation of Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft continue their journey towards the solar system boundary with the galactic-medium. You've seen the results from the spacecraft inferring heliopause positions ranging from many tens to less than 200 AU. In addition, researchers using data from these spacecraft, ingeniously have inferred properties of the local galactic medium from observations of hydrogen and helium pick-up ions. Here we have the first direct observation of local galactic properties that can be compared directly with the views of the astrophysicists!

Finally the launch and flight of the ESA Ulysses spacecraft through the interplanetary medium, past Jupiter, through the high latitude heliosphere, and over the poles of the sun has been (and continues to be) a highly exciting mission for Division IV scientists. For example, data obtained over the solar poles indicate that at the very least the high latitude connection to the galactic medium is more complex than envisioned earlier.

IAGA's Division V members have had a busy four years and have experienced the appearance of new systems and capabilities that will change the way we handle and disperse our data. First let me note that the INTERMAGNET network continues to grow with more than 50 observatories now participating in the program. Five geomagnetic information nodes (GIN) have been established to provide rapid and easy access to the data. The GINs are located in Edinburgh, Golden, Kyoto, Ottawa, and Paris. By taking advantage of and using contemporary technology, the INTERMAGNET program is succeeding in greatly improving the access to large magnetic field data sets and in this way greatly improving observatory science. This forward looking approach will improve the credibility of the observatory network in the eyes of those outside IAGA.

Division V organized a workshop on magnetic observatories held in September 1994. It was successful with problems being presented and discussed openly and cooperative efforts identified that will contribute to the raising of observational standards into the future.

Along this line, IAGA through Division V leadership (and in particular David Kerridge) has been encouraging, through Program Outreach, institutions in richer countries operating observatories to aid similar organizations in countries where support is at less than critical levels. This initiative has had some success but is limited by the limited resources available any-where for geomagnetic observatories. Even were it more successful, Program Outreach was viewed only as a short-term fix to this problem. The long-term solution still requires follow-up discussions, proposals, and implementation by the world-wide observatory community. I believe that IAGA should remain at the fore-front of this effort and become its primary standard bearer.

As far as applications of geomagnetic data go, the concept of space weather is having new life breathed into it. Recent examples of the need for space weather alerts, warnings, and forecasts include power outages, transformer damage, and satellite failures. Improved space environment data is available from the launch of two new NOAA geostationary weather satellites and from real-time solar wind data available from the WIND satellite. INTERMAGNET has under study the goal of providing near-real time magnetic data for use in operational space weather forecasting.

Through the leadership of Division V, IAGA continues to produce magnetic field models, catalogs, and guide books. The 1995 revision of the IGRF will be agreed to here in Boulder. An IAGA Catalog of Regional Magnetic Survey, Chart, and Model Descriptions, with entries for 82 countries, appeared in June 1995. Two guide books, The IAGA Guide for Magnetic Observatories by Jankowski and C. Sucksdorff and The IAGA Guide for Magnetic Repeat Station Surveys by L. Newitt, C. Barton, and J. Bitterly are due out this year.

That covers briefly a sample of the activities engaging IAGA scientists over the past four years. Let me now spend a few moments on the IUGG and its relation to IAGA and our sister Associations. As mentioned above, the IUGG consists of an eight-member Bureau and a fifteen-member Executive Committee (EC) made up of the Bureau and the seven Association Presidents. The EC met in Boulder in July 1994 and are meeting here again during this Assembly. These meetings have continued the very positive spirit of cooperation that was established in earlier EC meetings.

It was agreed (and finalized at this meeting) to transfer $50K from the Bureau budget to the Associations. Following some adjustments to the algorithm devised to allocate funds to the Associations (agreed to by all the Associations), IAGA's new allocation for the 1995-1999 period will be $116K an increase of some $8K. In addition each Association will receive a $20 surcharge for each of its registrants at this Assembly. This will provide $15K-$20K for IAGA. This represents a significant improvement in our financial picture over the past four years.

The next IUGG EC has the following budget policy items to finalize during the 1995-1999 term: i) allocate funds to the Associations according to the algorithm mentioned above (this will result in a somewhat larger allocation for IAGA) and ii) settle on the transfer of an additional amount of funds from the Bureau to the Associations (this will shift the division of Bureau and Association funding further towards the historical values of 20-30 years ago, i.e., 60% to the Associations and 40% to the Bureau).

As noted above, the IUGG EC consists of fifteen members, eight Bureau members and the seven Association Presidents. The present EC agreed that the Associations should have a majority vote when policy and financial matters are considered. Consequently it has been proposed to the IUGG Council that the number of IUGG Bureau members be reduced by one and that the role of the Past-President be changed from a voting to a non-voting member, thereby providing the Associations a one vote majority on a thirteen member EC. (Note: at their meetings in Boulder, the Council has rejected by a very narrow margin the one-member reduction in the Bureau membership). However it approved the change in the role of the Past-President. The EC now is a fourteen member committee consisting of seven Bureau members (President, Vice-President, Secretary General, Treasurer, and three at-large members, and the seven Association Presidents). I will finish this report with some brief comments on data availability and IAGA (IUGG) resources.

The enormous increase in data and data rates that our observations now provide, the tremendously expanded capability to store large data sets easily and efficiently, the ability to transfer data in numerous formats over electronic networks, and the dramatic capabilities provided by the services of Internet (WWW, Netscape, etc.) have changed the way that data are handled and accessed. IAGA scientists are utilizing these evolving capabilities and are beginning to change (permanently, I believe) the ways that they process, store, and distribute data. IAGA must remain in the forefront of this effort and should establish an active working group in this area responsible for exercising the Internet capabilities on behalf of IAGA (e.g. establish an IAGA home page), guiding IAGA into this exploding field of data access and re-examining the role of World Data Centers in this new era of data availability and access. Simultaneously IAGA must fulfill its responsibilities to those who may not have access to these capabilities. This is a difficult challenge and one worthy of IAGA's best efforts.

Finally let's consider resources. On the surface our present financial picture looks much improved over that of four years ago. This is due mainly to i) the new IUGG allocations, ii) the surcharge expected from this Assembly, and iii) the holding of fewer IAGA Executive Committee meetings during the 1991-1995 term. This is a positive development but there are ominous signs on the horizon. You are all familiar with the cutbacks that are occurring in many nations in not only our areas of science but in all scientific areas. In this climate, I do not believe that funding for international organizations such as IUGG will go untouched and that budget reductions will occur in the future, possibly in the near future. To date I have seen no plans being developed as to how best to cope with budget reductions and still maintain the goals of the organization. IAGA should begin serious discussions between the Executive Committee and the Division Chairs to identify ways of fulfilling IAGA's main responsibilities on a significantly reduced budget. This is another difficult challenge and its solution is, I believe, critical to the continued existence of IAGA (and the IUGG).

It has been an honor and a privilege being your President these past four years. It has also been my good fortune to have been able to work with an exceptional Secretary General, Michael Gadsden, and a talented, dedicated Executive Committee; Vice-Presidents Masaru Kono and Juan Villas, members Ibrahim Eltayeb, Gaston Fischer, Giovanni Gregori, Oleg Troshichev, Robert Vincent, and Roger Gendrin (Ex Officio). I wish the new President and Executive Committee well and I look forward to seeing you in Uppsala, Sweden in 1997.

D. J. Williams

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