Abstract
GPS radio occultation measurements carried out on board Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites provide a unique opportunity for monitoring the entire electron density distribution from LEO heights down to the bottom of the ionosphere. Furthermore, GPS navigation measurements onboard LEO’s may be used to reconstruct the electron density distribution of the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere with high resolution. More than 20000 vertical electron density profiles are obtained since the beginning of ionospheric radio occultation measurements onboard the German CHAMP satellite by using a model assisted retrieval technique. Validation studies reveal RMS deviations of the F2 layer parameters f0F2 and hmF2 of about 1.3 MHz and 47 km, respectively. IRO derived vertical electron density profiles were compared with corresponding profiles derived from vertical sounding measurements obtained at various ionosonde stations and incoherent scatter radar facilities. The absolute deviations from selected European ionosonde data computed as a function of altitude are generally less than 0.5 MHz (RMS < 1.5 MHz). The topside electron density reconstruction, close to the CHAMP orbit plane, indicates a significant impact of complex space weather events on the shape of the geo-plasma environment. So the 2D electron density distribution in the CHAMP orbit plane reconstructed for the geomagnetic storm on November 6, 2001, indicates very dynamic and severe plasma enhancements near the North Pole.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Daniell RE, Brown LD, Anderson DN, Fox MW, Doherty PH, Decker DT, Sojka JJ, Schunk RW (1995) Parameterized ionospheric model: A global ionospheric parameterization based on first principles models. Radio Sci 30: 1499–1510
Hajj GA and Romans LJ (1998) Ionospheric electron density profiles obtained with the Global Positioning System: Results from the GPS/MET experiment. Radio Sci 33: 175–190
Heise S, Jakowski N, Wehrenpfennig A, Reigber Ch, Lühr H (2002) Sounding of the topside ionosphere/plasmasphere based on GPS measurements from CHAMP: Initial results. Geophys Res Lett 29,14: 10.1029/2002GL014738
Jakowski N (1996) TEC Monitoring by Using Satellite Positioning Systems In: Kohl H, Rüster R, Schlegel K (eds) Modern Ionospheric Science. EGS, Katlenburg-Lindau, ProduSery GmbH Verlagsservice, Berlin, pp 371–390
Jakowski N, Wehrenpfennig A, Heise S, Reigber Ch, Lühr H, Grunwaldt L, Meehan T (2002) GPS Radio Occultation Measurements of the Ionosphere from CHAMP: Early Results. Geophys Res Lett 29,14: 10.1029/2001GL014364
Kursinski ER, Hajj GA, Schofield JT, Linfield RP, Hardy KR (1997) Observing Earth’s atmosphere with radio occultation measurements using the Global Positioning System. J Geophys Res 102: D19, 23429–23465
O’Loughlin KF (1997) SPIDR on the Web: Space Physics Interactive Data Resource online analysis tool. Radio Sci 32: 2021–2026
Reigber Ch, Lühr H, Schwintzer P (2000) CHAMP mission status and perspectives, Suppl. to EOS, Transactions, AGU, 81, 48, F307
Schreiner WS, Sokolovskiy SV, Rocken C (1999) Analysis and validation of GPS/MET radio occultation data in the ionosphere. Radio Sci 34: 949–966
Wehrenpfennig A, Jakowski N, Wickert J (2001) A Dynamically Configurable System for Operational Processing of Space Weather Data, Phys Chem Earth 26: 601–604
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jakowski, N., Heise, S., Wehrenpfennig, A., Tsybulya, K. (2004). Ionospheric Radio Occultation Measurements and Space Weather. In: Kirchengast, G., Foelsche, U., Steiner, A.K. (eds) Occultations for Probing Atmosphere and Climate. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-09041-1_34
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-09041-1_34
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-06108-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-09041-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive