TIMEDThermosphere • Ionosphere • Mesosphere • Energetics and Dynamics

TIMED-GUVI for Nowcasting

by

R. A. Goldberg and J. B. SigwarthNASA/GSFC

andL. J. PaxtonJHU/APL

R2O Workshop. NASA/GSFC15-18 October 2007

Approach

Provide an introduction to the TIMED-GUVI instrument.

Define the region of the atmosphere measured by GUVI.

Define some of the complexities of the atmosphere which complicate studies using GUVI data.

Demonstrate where GUVI becomes a useful and important instrument for measurement and prediction.

Show how GUVI could be applied to nowcasting.

The TIMED Satellite

TIMED: Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics & Dynamics

SABER latitudinal coverage Example of an orbit

•Mission launched on December 7, 2001.•Circular Orbit, 625 km, 74.1° Inclination. •Data available since January 25, 2002.•4 instruments: GUVI, SEE, TIDI, SABER.

GUVI is Designed to Produce Space Environment Productsfor Nowcasting of the Mesospheric- Thermospheric-

Ionospheric (MTI) Environment

GUVI was launched from Vandenberg AF Base on December 7, 2001. It has been operating continuously since launch.

GUVI measures the far ultraviolet emissions from the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

GUVI software can convert the radiance observations into sensor data records for context and imaging and into environmental data records for use by operators interested in nowcasting of space weather.

The key products areElectron Density Profiles (day and night)Neutral Density Profiles (day)Auroral Energy Deposition Rate (day and night)Auroral Oval Location (day and night)

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

TIMED Delta II Launch, 12/07/01

GUVI is a Hyperspectral Imager

GUVI Focuses on the Space Weather in the Earth’s Upper Atmosphere

GUVI Regime

This is the region where radio signals are affected by the ionosphere and satellite’s experience atmospheric drag.

How Predictable is the State of the Upper Atmosphere?

Add the Earth’s Magnetic Field

Put the System in Geospace: Add the Solar Wind and Interplanetary Magnetic Field

Add Geomagnetic Storms Which Occur Throughout the 11 year Solar Cycle.

For RF Users Scintillation is a Significant Concern

Ionospheric Disturbances are Created in the Auroral Region and Propagate Toward the Equator

The Challenge is to Capture the Physics in a Way that Addresses Related Needs

GUVI data are recorded on S/C and downlinked

Data reformatted for processing

Calibration applied to convert from counts to radiance

Radiance data are regridded into superpixels - Sensor Data Records (SDR or LC1)

Each regions data are processed to produce the Environmental Data Records (EDR or L2)

Pixels are separated by region: Day, Night, and Aurora

Each pixel is located on the Earth

GUVI data are ingested by models to produce higher level forecast and nowcast products (L3)

GUVI EDRs

GUVI can provide intensity maps and environmental parameters to a user. The SDRs are calibrated and geolocated and will be ingested by GAIM. EDRs have been processed to produce “space weather” products that can

provide space situational awareness.

Day Night Aurora O/N2 on disk Electron Density Profile (EDP) Q,E0 images O, N2, O2 on limb Total Electron Content (TEC) Auroral Boundary Exospheric temperature (T exo)

Height of Peak in F region (HmF2)

Height and peak density of Auroral E -region

Qeuv Number Density of Electrons at F-region Peak (NmF2)

Ionospheric Conductances

Cross-hatched area indicates GUVI coverage on one orbit - over 10,000 ionospheric observations per orbit.

The Position and Extent of the Auroral Oval Is Important

GUVI provides a day/night all-weather, all conditions capability to image the oval.

The auroral maps the location of ionospheric disturbances – these disturbances will create “blind spots” for over-the-horizon radars.

Current scenarios put aircraft and missile tracks through the auroral region where ionospheric disturbances exist, the IR background clutter is enhanced and ionospheric disturbances are created that propagate down to lower latitudes.

Current operational models for forecasting the position of the oval are “data starved”. GUVI would decrease the revisit time for imaging the oval – especially important during disturbed conditions.

Auroral oval location

Current ovation modelGUVI swath

Geomagnetic Disturbances Cause Scintillation Events Down to Mid- and Low Latitudes

Geomagnetic storms, solar flares, and ionospheric disturbances routinely create widespread intense scintillation for periods of hours, or days. These can reach mid- and low latitudes. These events have a high degree of short term predictability.

S4 Amplitude Scint - L BAND

Disturbance seen in Magnetic Field - SYM-H (or Bz)

S4 Amplitude Scint - UHF

Drift Velocity m/s of electrons

Source: Basu, 2002

Basic Research Projects Told Us that Our Ionospheric Images Should Map Scintillation

Correlation between nightglow image, TEC and scintillation. Data collected from a collocated imaging system and GPS SCINTMON on the Haleakala Volcano on Maui, HI. Scintillations are seen (as an increase in the S4 index in the top-right panel) when the look direction from the receiver to the satellite (the green square on each image) passes through the dark region of the image (from airglow.csl.uiuc.edu/Facilities/RENOIR/)

One of the Current Challenges is to Predict Ionospheric Scintillations on a Global Basis

Observations from ground-based sites of the amount of scintillation in the signal received from an orbiting beacon provides a local measure - but you have to have a ground station there.

Note the lack of current coverage in areas of concern as well as lack of mid-latitude coverage.

Illustration of existing and proposed SCINDA sites from http://www.kirtland.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070404-101.pdf

GUVI Observations Show the Location and Extent of Ionospheric Irregularities

In this image individual orbits of data are shown mapped onto the globe.

The bright bands are the equatorial ionization crests from the Appleton anomaly.

Smaller scale dark bands are equatorial bubbles – holes in the ionosphere that affect HF propagation. These ionospheric bubbles are one of

the most important phenomena to be investigated by the upcoming C/NOFS mission.

GUVI and C/NOFS will be working together to develop a global forecasting capability.

The existence of scintillation has an impact on the ability of aircraft to communicate, navigate or maintain surveillance. The images are shown in an

intensity scale that reflects Total Electron Content (TEC)

Far Ultraviolet Observations Actually Map Where Scintillation Occurs

WBMOD and GUVI images of the equatorial ionosphere. The GUVI images show the location of ionospheric irregularities not adequately predicted by WBMOD.

Observed scintillations

What GUVI Can Provide for Space Weather Operators

It can provide the global context at fixed local solar times (neutral atmosphere and ionospheric parameters).

It can provide the location and extent of bubbles.

It can map composition changes. It can determine the locations of the

ionization crests, their magnitude, and the altitude profile of the mid- and low-latitude ionosphere.

It can provide 3D images of the bubbles.

It can provide high latitude inputs and maps of auroral activity.

Near realtime data is now being provided to the Air Force.

Image of the aurora over the USA, during the October 2003 superstorm.

This is a daylight image, obtained in the far ultraviolet.

One Can Bridge the Gap Between Basic Research and Applications (R2O)

The GUVI program has benefited from the interplay and exchange between programs that seek to develop a deeper understanding of the upper atmosphere (NASA and NSF funding) and the needs of our sponsors.

Its ability to go from basic research to production of operational satellites and/or instruments to applications products has been demonstrated.

New products have been demonstrated that could be incorporated in the operational environment: Better prediction of the auroral oval location. Images of the actual location and extent of ionospheric bubbles. New ways of viewing these bubbles that could be incorporated

into ionospheric propagation codes. Real-time measurements of the neutral atmosphere.