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

空间天气是指地球高层大气和周围空间环境的变化情况。受来自上方的太阳和来自下方的大气扰动的影响，空间天气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模拟，本研究试图填补观测空白，增加对控制空间天气中这种干扰的过程的当前理解，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。这项职业计划的总体研究目标是：(1)通过使用业余无线电数据来填补现有数据源在总电子含量(TEC)方面的观测空白，提高对行进电离层扰动(TID)的理解，和(2)采用耦合模式SD-WACCM-X(具有热层和电离层延伸的特定动力学-全大气社区气候模式)和SAMI3(SAMI3是电离层的模式)以提高对TID事件的预测能力。教育的总体目标是：(1)通过利用业余无线电的公民科学，加强研究和宣传之间的协同作用；(2)促进斯克兰顿大学的跨学科研究。这项职业提案涉及大气层-电离层耦合领域的前沿问题，同时开发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作出以下贡献：(1)测试最新物理模式中理论上的大气重力波/TID的多步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不与地磁活动有关的TID的数量；(3)建立TID对2D平流层极涡配置的纵向依赖性；(4)确定业余无线电数据填补TID观测空白并具有科学用途的能力；以及(5)确定先进的、以物理为基础的全大气模式与观测相结合可以在多大程度上提高我们研究潮汐科学的能力。这一空间物理研究项目将极大地增强斯克兰顿大学的研究范围，这是一所以本科为主的教学大学。该计划将通过让本科生在研究任务中发挥关键作用来继续履行大学为本科生服务的使命。该项目将通过将这项研究整合到HAM无线电科学公民调查(HAMSCI)计划中，实现重大的国际推广，允许广泛传播结果以及感兴趣的(通常是非常合格的)志愿者参与这项研究。最后，本研究直接研究了干扰对运营、全球中频和高频通信系统的影响。这将引起业余无线电、紧急服务、航空公司、海事和国防用户的兴趣。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.