{"id":1899,"date":"2023-01-31T10:44:27","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T10:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=1899"},"modified":"2023-04-18T11:02:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T11:02:00","slug":"meeting-steve-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=1899","title":{"rendered":"Meeting STEVE Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Citizen scientists can not only contribute to discoveries, but they can also bring their unique skills to bear to make discoveries of their own and create powerful tools to advance open science. <\/span>Dr. Michael Hunnekuhl<\/span><\/a> is one such innovator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Dr. Michael Hunnekuhl presented a poster on his work at European Space Weather Week 2019. Photo by Hannahbella Nel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among atmospheric phenomena, <\/span>STEVE<\/span><\/a> (which stands for \u201cStrong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement\u201d) is one of those cool kids the world can\u2019t get enough of. The quirky <\/span>mauve arc<\/span><\/a> sits atop green stripes and runs east to west, appearing closer to the equator than regular aurora. While it has been observed for centuries by both laypeople and <\/span>scientists<\/span><\/a>, in 2018 a team of citizen scientists and scientists <\/span>published<\/span><\/a> the first modern scientific paper on it. This kind of collaboration continues to reveal <\/span>more<\/span><\/a> and more about STEVE.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But how many people have photographed this elusive character? Aurorasaurus Ambassador Dr. Michael Hunnekuhl aims to find out. By day he is a laser physicist, but for years he has also been interested in scientific and <\/span>historical<\/span><\/a> auroral and STEVE research. He has authored and coauthored a number of papers on the subject, including the historical analysis \u201c<\/span>Early Ground-Based Work by Auroral Pioneer Carl St\u00f8rmer on the High-Altitude Detached Subauroral Arcs Now Known as \u2018STEVE\u2019<\/span><\/a>\u201d and coauthored the scientific paper \u201c<\/span>The Mysterious Green Streaks Below STEVE<\/span><\/a>\u201d. He has been working to link the knowledge gathered by the aurora observer community with that of the scientific community by creating a database of STEVE sightings across the world and through time, and has regularly presented his findings at conferences.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Friday, January 13, we were lucky to have Michael give a <\/span>presentation<\/span><\/a> to the Aurorasaurus Ambassadors group, during which he provided a walkthrough of the new update. His goal is to make the collection of more than 1,000 observations available to scientists and citizen scientists alike, giving full access to all the data on the list. All observations in the list are citizen science observations, but in one of the commentary columns, additional observations with professional instruments are mentioned for some observations. S<\/span>uch a large number of data points can now be used for more discoveries and for advancing understanding of the phenomenon. <\/span>While the first edition was published only as a pdf, this version provides three filetypes for accessing the information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael’s herculean effort is collecting observations and permission from public sources, including citizen science sources and social media like Facebook, which contains many observations that never make it into more official databases. This is a tremendously difficult task, especially alone, and he is now being aided by fellow Aurorasaurus Ambassadors volunteering to help. You can aid this effort by submitting observations directly to a citizen science source like <\/span>Aurorasaurus<\/span><\/a> or the Finnish site <\/span>Taivaanvahti<\/span><\/a> (Skywarden Observation Service). Each sighting is then entered into the database and matched up with Kp and other scientific data. When possible, Michael contacts the observer for additional comments and validation, and each entry with a listed name is made with express permission. The list has been a multi-year labor of love, and in this post, we\u2019ll highlight <\/span>Version 2.2<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reading the Data<\/span><\/h2>\n

Michael has chosen to host his work on a platform called <\/span>Open Science Framework (OSF)<\/span><\/a>, created by the Center for Open Science. Rather than access to research being limited behind paywalls, OSF provides tools to make sure anyone can engage with data.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What things have you wondered about STEVE? Many people are filled with curiosity about the phenomenon. This dataset is especially exciting because, as Michael points out in his 2022 American Geophysical Union conference <\/span>poster<\/span><\/a>, it lays a foundation for scientists and citizen scientists alike to investigate big questions like:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Diagram<\/a>
Science questions that the STEVE Event List 2.2 can help to address. Credit: Michael Hunnekuhl, AGU Poster 2022<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Interest piqued? Let\u2019s look at how to access the data. On navigating to the <\/span>STEVE event list webpage<\/span><\/a> you\u2019ll see a lot of files in a dropdown on the left-hand side of the page. These include previous versions, so it\u2019s especially important to make sure the files you choose to explore are labeled 2.2.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

The STEVE event list 2.2 is divided into three filetypes, so you can choose to open or download it as a pdf, a text file, or an Excel spreadsheet. Click on the filename of your favorite type. The window will open a viewer:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

You can use the three vertical dots on the right side of the page to open a dropdown and download the file, making it easier to look through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

The columns have abbreviated titles, but never fear! Michael has provided a cheat sheet of the column names in <\/span>Supplement E – Data structure STEVE event list v2.2.pdf<\/span><\/i><\/a>. The entries are arranged in rows by date, starting in 1999. Make sure to scroll to the right, however; there are 44 columns! They\u2019re full of data detailing multiple expressions of observation date and time, measures of precision, ratings by expert volunteer reviewers (including fellow Aurorasaurus Ambassadors), scientific data comparisons, location, observer names (with permission), and more. The ratings represent reviews by aurora chasers experienced in recognizing STEVEs, and such meticulous attention to accuracy makes this a gold standard list. The spreadsheet is built so that columns can be sorted and filtered to assist with study, and Michael demonstrates this in his <\/span>walkthrough for the Ambassadors<\/span><\/a>, available to all on our YouTube page. It\u2019s a rich trove of information with enormous potential to catalyze the study of STEVE, painstakingly constructed and generously offered to the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To make such a multifaceted resource easier to use, Michael has also provided a range of supplemental documents:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n