Inter-hemispheric asymmetry in the high-latitude electrodynamics and its impact on the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere
Our understanding of geospace often assumes the northern and southern hemispheres respond symmetrically to Sun–Earth interactions—but this is not the case. Our studies investigate inter-hemispheric asymmetries (IHAs) in the high-latitude electrodynamics and their impacts on the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere (M-I-T) system, using multi-satellite observations and advanced numerical model simulations. The work addresses three key questions: (1) Why are the ionosphere and thermosphere different between hemispheres? (2) How do these differences influence the geospace environment? and (3) How can we better detect and quantify these asymmetries across scales? Our results show that the IHA is not a minor phenomenon but has important implications for understanding the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere.
Dr. Hong is an NCAR ASP Postdoc Fellow I at HAO, hosted by Drs. Kevin Pham, Wenbin Wang, and Gang Lu. He received his Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Texas at Arlington in August 2025, where he was advised by Dr. Yue Deng. His research focuses on understanding inter-hemispheric asymmetries in the ionosphere-thermosphere and their impacts on geospace, through a combination of observational data and numerical models, including the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) and the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM). Now at HAO, Dr. Hong will investigate mass transfer between the ionosphere-thermosphere and the magnetosphere using coupled TIEGCM and HIDRA-SAMI3 simulations.