William Lotko

Research Interests

Geospace environment; space plasma physics, modeling, simulation; magnetohydrodynamics; electromagnetic fields and waves

Education

• BS, Engineering Physics, University of Kansas 1973
• MS, Physics, University of Missouri 1976
• PhD, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles 1981

Awards

• Fellow, American Geophysical Union

Professional Activities

• Senior Research Associate, High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research (current)
• Co-Investigator, NASA Drive Center for Geospace Storms (current)
• Founding member, Dartmouth Society of Fellows (2014-17)
• Team member, International Space Science Institute, Bern, Team Investigation of Global Conductance Pattern and its Influence on the Dynamics of Geospace (2013-14)
• Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics (2005–11)
• Chair, Senior Review of the NASA Mission Operations and Data Analysis Program for the Heliophysics Extended Missions (2013)
• Research Area Coordinator and Focus Group Co-Chair, NSF Geospace Environment Modeling Program (current)
• Panelist, National Research Council, Decadal Strategy for Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society (2010–11)
• Project Team Leader, NASA Living With a Star Targeted Research & Technology Program (2007–11)
• Co-Investigator, Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (2002–13)
• Bern, Auroral Plasma Physics (1999-2002)
• Member, American Geophysical Union (Lifetime)

Selected Publications

• Universal time influence on stormtime magnetosphere ionosphere coupling (2026), S. Ghag et al., AGU Advances.
• Science opportunities in the TRACERS back orbit: Ionospheric signatures of magnetotail reconnection (2026), D.G. Dorelli et al., Space Science Reviews.
• Efficiency of electromagnetic energy transfer from solar wind to ionosphere through magnetospheric ultra-low frequency waves (2025), Y. Lin et al., Geophys. Res. Lett.
• Global evolution, energetics, and origins of auroral streamers (2025), X. Yang et al., Geophys. Res. Lett.
• Statistical characterization of Joule heating associated with ionospheric ULF perturbations using SuperDARN data (2025), Y. Shi et al., J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics.
• Why doesn't the observed field-aligned current saturate with increasing interplanetary electric field? (2024), X. Yang et al., Geophys. Res. Lett.
• Ionospheric control of magnetotail reconnection (2014), W. Lotko, R.H. Smith, B. Zhang, J.E. Ouellette, O.J. Brambles, J.G. Lyon, Science, 345(6193), 184–187, doi:10.1126/science.1252907.
• Properties of outflow-driven sawtooth substorms (2013), J.E. Ouellette, O.J. Brambles, J.G. Lyon, W. Lotko, B.N. Rogers, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics 118, 3223–3232, doi:10.1002/jgra.50309.
• Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society (2013), W. Lotko (contributing author, Panel on Atmosphere-Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions), National Academy Press, ISBN: 978-0-309-16428-3.
• Enhancement of thermospheric mass density by soft electron precipitation (2012), B. Zhang, W. Lotko, O. Brambles, M. Wiltberger, W. Wang, P. Schmitt, J. Lyon, Geophys. Res. Lett. 39, L20102, doi:10.1029/2012GL053519.
• Magnetosphere sawtooth oscillations induced by ionospheric outflow (2011), O.J. Brambles, W. Lotko, B. Zhang, M. Wiltberger, J. Lyon, R.J. Strangeway, Science 332, 1183, doi:10.1126/science.1202869.
• The magnetosphere-ionosphere system from the perspective of plasma circulation: A tutorial (2007), W. Lotko, J. Atmos. Solar-Terr. Phys. 69(3), 191–211, doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2006.08.011.
• Inductive magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling (2004), W. Lotko, J. Atmos. Solar-Terr. Phys., 66(15–16), 1443–1456, doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2004.03.027.
• Auroral Plasma Physics (2003), W. Lotko (contributing author) edited by G. Paschmann, S. Haaland and R. Treumann. International Space Science Institute, vol. 15, Springer, ISBN: 978-1402009631.

News

Generating Sawtooth Oscillations
Sep 25, 2014

Seven Faculty Members Named as Society of Fellows Mentors
Sep 24, 2014

Dartmouth's Engineering School Completes Largest-Ever Fundraising Campaign
Mar 07, 2011

In the News