CAREER: Amateur Radio as a Tool for Studying Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances and Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling

职业：业余无线电作为研究电离层行进扰动和大气-电离层耦合的工具

• 批准号: 2045755
• 负责人: Nathaniel Frissell
• 金额: $ 61.61万
• 依托单位: University of Scranton
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2045755&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Amateur; Radio; Tool; Studying

Space weather refers to the varying conditions of the Earth’s upper atmosphere and surrounding space environment. Influenced by the sun from above and atmospheric perturbations from below, space weather can significantly impact important modern technological systems, including navigation and communication. By combining data from amateur ham radio network and advanced computer modeling, the present study seeks to fill observational gaps and increase current understanding of the processes that control such disruptions in space weather and at the same time strengthen the synergy between research and citizen science involving amateur radio enthusiasts.This CAREER proposal has the overall research goals to (1) improve the understanding of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) by using amateur radio data to fill observational gaps in Total Electron Content (TEC) from existing data sources, and (2) adapt coupled models SD-WACCM-X (Specified Dynamics - Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension) and SAMI3 (Sami3 is A Model of the Ionosphere) to improve predictive capabilities of TID events. The overall education goals are to (1) strengthen the synergy between research and outreach, through citizen science involving amateur radio, and (2) promote interdisciplinary research at The University of Scranton. This CAREER proposal addresses frontier questions in the field of atmosphere-ionosphere coupling while simultaneously developing the techniques necessary to derive scientific utility from amateur radio communications data. The proposed research will make the following contributions to ionospheric physics: (1) new abilities to test the multistep vertical coupling paradigm of atmospheric gravity waves /TIDs theorized in the latest physics-based models; (2) identification of the amount of TIDs observed by high-frequency communications systems that are and are not associated with geomagnetic activity; (3) establishment of a TID longitudinal dependence on the 2D stratospheric polar vortex configuration; (4) determination of the ability of data from amateur radio to fill TID observational gaps and be scientifically useful; and (5) determination of the extent that the use of advanced, physics-based whole atmospheric models in conjunction with observations can improve our capacity to study the science of TIDs.This space physics research project will greatly enhance the research portfolio of The University of Scranton, a primarily undergraduate teaching university. This program will continue the University’s mission of serving undergraduates by having them play a pivotal role in research tasks. The project will enable significant international outreach by integrating this research into the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) program, allowing for wide dissemination of results as well as participation in this research by interested (and often highly qualified) volunteers. Finally, this research directly studies the impacts of disturbances on operational, worldwide medium-frequency and high-frequency communications systems. This will be of interest to amateur radio, emergency services, airline, maritime, and defense users.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

空间天气是指地球高层大气和周围空间环境的各种条件。空间天气受到来自上方的太阳和来自下方的大气扰动的影响，可对包括导航和通信在内的重要现代技术系统产生重大影响。通过结合业余无线电网络的数据和先进的计算机建模，本研究的目的是填补观测上的空白，提高目前对控制空间天气中这种干扰的过程的理解，同时加强研究和涉及业余无线电爱好者的公民科学之间的协同作用。本研究计划的总体研究目标是：（1）通过使用业余无线电数据填补现有数据源中总电子含量（TEC）的观测空白，提高对电离层移动扰动（TID）的认识，采用耦合模型SD-WACCM-X（特定动力学-有热层和电离层扩展的全大气群体气候模式）和SAMI 3（Sami 3是电离层模型），以提高TID事件的预测能力。 总体教育目标是（1）通过涉及业余无线电的公民科学加强研究和推广之间的协同作用，以及（2）促进斯克兰顿大学的跨学科研究。该CAREER提案解决了大气-电离层耦合领域的前沿问题，同时开发了从业余无线电通信数据中获得科学效用所需的技术。 拟议的研究将对电离层物理学作出以下贡献：（1）测试最新物理模型中理论化的大气重力波/TID的多级垂直耦合范例的新能力;（2）确定高频通信系统观测到的与地磁活动有关和无关的TID数量;（3）建立TID对二维平流层极涡结构的纵向依赖性;（4）确定业余无线电数据填补TID观测空白和科学上有用的能力;（5）确定使用先进的，物理学-基于全大气模式的研究与观测相结合，可以提高我们研究TID科学的能力，这个空间物理研究项目将大大加强我们的研究组合斯克兰顿大学是一所本科教学型大学。 该计划将继续大学的使命服务本科生，让他们在研究任务中发挥关键作用。 该项目将通过将这项研究整合到火腿无线电科学公民调查（HamSCI）计划中来实现重大的国际推广，允许广泛传播结果以及感兴趣的（通常是高素质的）志愿者参与这项研究。最后，本研究直接研究干扰对全球中频和高频通信系统的影响。 这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

First Observations of Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Using Automated Amateur Radio Receiving Networks

使用自动业余无线电接收网络首次观测大规模移动电离层扰动

• DOI: 10.1029/2022gl097879
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Geophysical Research Letters
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Frissell, Nathaniel A.;Kaeppler, Stephen R.;Sanchez, Diego F.;Perry, Gareth W.;Engelke, William D.;Erickson, Philip J.;Coster, Anthea J.;Ruohoniemi, J. Michael;Baker, Joseph B. H.;West, Mary Lou
• 通讯作者: West, Mary Lou