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G2B: Ionosphere Variability

COSPAR ISWAT 2025 Working Meeting, Port Canaveral, Florida, USA, February 10-14, 2025

Ioanna Tsagouri

National Observatory of Athens, IAASARS, Athens, Greece

tsagouri@noa.gr

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  • G2B-01: TechTIDE group – Warning and Mitigation Technologies for Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances
  • G2B-02: Ionospheric Plasma Irregularities and Their Impact on Trans-ionospheric Radio Waves
  • G2B-03: LW-Sun-Ionosphere nexus
  • G2B-04: Ionospheric perturbation indices and scales
  • G2B-05: Ionosphere Plasma Density: NmF2/foF2, hmF2, TEC
  • G2B-06: Global and Regional Ionospheric Total Electron Content
  • G2B-07: HamSCI: Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation
  • G2B-08: Ground-based and space borne HF-VHF ionospheric investigations
  • G2B-09: Ionospheric Scoreboard Development
  • G2B-10: Modeling and Forecasting Ionospheric TEC/Scintillations based on Artificial Intelligence Methods
  • G2B-11: Space weather effects on the D-region: measurements, monitoring, and modeling
  • G2B-12: Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere reseArch (AGATA)

The overarching objectives of G2B cluster is to work for the improvement of ionospheric forecasting capability in regional and global scales and to support the development of actionable products focusing on the definition of activity metrics tuned to the users’ requirements.

Ionosphere Variability G2B

https://www.iswat-cospar.org/g2b

12 Registered teams

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  • Special Issue “COSPAR Space Weather Roadmap: Scientific Research and Applications” (8 contributing papers)
  • Special Issue “COSPAR Space Weather Roadmap – Achievements and

Future Goals” (2 review papers)

Ionosphere Variability G2B:

Contribution to Space Weather Roadmap update

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G2B Ionosphere variability:

Summary of Key Recommendations

Ionospheric modeling has seen enormous progress.

The contribution of data assimilation and ML in ionospheric specification still needs to be better understood/evaluated also in coupling with physics-based approaches.

Advances in modeling capabilities

Ionospheric multi-day forecasts remain an open challenge, mainly related to the forecast of the models’ drivers.

To move beyond present forecast range (~12 hrs), the community needs reliable solar/solar wind predictions.

Due to the plethora of available models and the advanced needs, the systematic assessment of the ionospheric models’ performance is considered a high priority task.

In recognition of the open access policy benefits, it is increasingly supported by model developers and funding agencies. This support should be continued.

Maintenance and expansion of observational networks should be continued.

Need for space-based experiments (e.g., radio occultation, beacon transmitters) in middle and high/polar latitudes.

Exploitation of relevant experiments should be further explored (e.g., radio amateur data, LOFAR).

Partnership between scientific and commercial sectors in data sharing is still an open issue.

Scaling of the ionospheric activity level for operational applications is a strong requirement.

Advances in observational, monitoring and detection capabilities

Optimization of observational resources

Activities relevant to data quality control and validation need to be intensified/ coordinated.

Activities for harmonized/standardized access to near-Earth space data should be continued/intensified.

Take advantage of new/upgraded model simulations results.

Take advantage of new/upgraded observational capabilities.

Better understanding of ionospheric variability

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G2B Ionosphere variability:

COSPAR ISWAT 2025 Working Meeting

G2B-05: Ionospheric models validation

Lead: Ioanna Tsagouri

Tuesday, AM1; Room: Trinidad

Wednesday, AM1; Room: Antigua

According to G2B recommendations included in the COSPAR Space Weather Roadmap (2022 - 2024), the assessment of ionospheric models' performance is considered a high-priority task for the ionospheric community. Addressing the needs includes: the establishment of wide/unified validation efforts, based on agreed metrics and standardized procedures; archived model and validation results to help more sophisticated data-model comparisons and keeping track of the progress; carefully designed validation tests, able to accommodate also operational models/needs. This session is organized in response to the aforementioned recommendations to discuss key requirements and new opportunities for the development of a validation framework that meets the community's needs, including the development of model assessment tools on CAMEL at CCMC.

G2B-05 Establishment of standardized model validation campaigns (3-D electron density distribution).

  • Data Availability and Quality

Including existing and new observational opportunities

  • Metris/Skill scores

Challenges in assessing modeling capabilities to capture the space weather impact

  • Development of online model assessment tools on CAMEL at CCMC

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Monitoring, studying and modelling the polar atmosphere is very challenging!

It is possible only through collaborative efforts.

The G2B-12 Team wants to bring into the ISWAT community the AGATA Scientific Research Programme endorsed by SCAR.

Alfonsi et al., Surveys in Geophysics, 2022

G2B-12 Team: Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere reseArch (AGATA) (New G2B Action Team)

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  • How are different atmospheric layers coupled in the Antarctic?

  • How does the Antarctic upper atmosphere respond to increased geomagnetic activity, including energy transfer from space?

  • How does the whole polar atmosphere impact short- and long-term climate variations?

AGATA aims to significantly advance the current knowledge of the polar atmosphere and geospace, also in the global and interhemispheric context.

RATIONALE

AGATA gathers communities that investigate the polar weather, atmosphere, and geospace to study the coupling between different atmospheric layers and the impact of solar-terrestrial interactions for the conditions in the atmosphere (both lower and upper atmosphere).

This opens for innovating science encompassing different atmospheric layers and near-Earth space.

AGATA:

  • Focus on the polar regions (Antarctica and Arctic)
  • Strengthens the collaboration between atmospheric scientists and space physics community
  • Facilitates sharing of data, algorithms and models, access to research infrastructure
  • Develops and strengthens the collaboration between the research communities that manage and exploit ground-based and in-situ observations
  • Runs a mentoring program to educate new generation of scientists.
  • Is active in preparations for 5th International Polar Year 2032/33
  • Cooperates with other relevant initiatives!

AGATA offers a common research and collaborative

platform always open to new members

Timeframe: 8 years till next IPY (2032-2033)

Officiall kick-off meeting: March 26-28 (online)

https://nettskjema.no/a/478104

www.scar.org/science/agata/home/

G2B-12: Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere reseArch (AGATA) 

Lead: Lucilla Alfonsi

Tuesday, AM2; Room: Trinidad

International Polar Year planning 

Join G2B - G1

Lead: Lucilla Alfonsi

Thursday, AM2; Room: Salon II/III

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G2B Ionosphere variability:

COSPAR ISWAT 2025 Working Meeting

G2B: Ionosphere Variability

Lead: Ioanna Tsagouri

Thursday, AM1; Room: Salon II/III

This session aims to discuss G2B progress and future plans.

Optimization of observational resources

  • Ionospheric Indices and Scales (G2B-04)
  • Validation of ionospheric models (G2B-05)
  • Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) (G2B-07)
  • Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere reseArch (AGATA) (G2B-12)
  • Observational opportunities for ionospheric monitoring and research applications

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

G2B-05 (AM1)

G2B-05 (AM1)

G2B (AM1)

G2B-12 (AM2)

Join G2B-G1

(AM2)

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Thank you!

COSPAR ISWAT 2025 Working Meeting, Port Canaveral, Florida, USA, February 10-14, 2025