Ionospheric Models including the Auroral Environment

Introduction to the Ionosphere - Magnetosphere Ionosphere Atmosphere (definitions) Auroras: the Northern and Southern Lights.  

Modelling of the ionospheric-plasmapheric electron-density height profile, ion composition, electron and ion temperatures, over the whole altitude range as a function of geographical position, time span and geophysical condition is critical for Space Weather application.

• Ionospheric Short Term Forecasting over Europe is now available from the the Radio Communications Research Unit in the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
• Vertical total electron content (TEC) maps over the European area and over the Northern polar cap (lat. > 50 deg) are available from the DLR-Neustrelitz. TEC data are computed daily from ground based and GPS measurements obtained from the global GPS station network of the International GPS Service (IGS). The maps are produced by assimilating the data into regional TEC models especially developed for the European and the polar region, respectively.
  

Links to other ionospheric models and space weather related initiatives:

• Effects of the Upper Atmosphere on Terrestrial and Earth-Space Communications (COST 271 Action)
• Improved Quality of Service in Ionospheric Telecommunication System Planning and Operation (COST 251 Action)
• Space Weather Aeronomical Responses Models (SWARM), Univ. of Michigan
• Ionospheric Models at NSSDC
• Ionospheric Investigations Using the Sondrestrom Incoherent Scatter Radar and other Coordinated Data, Magnetsphere-Ionosphere Science Team, Univ. of Michigan
• Ionospheric Estimates using Terrestrial GPS data from the NSTB Reference Network

Solar Storm Causes X-Ray Aurora     Credit: POLAR, PIXIE, NASA  

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