Space Weather Effects in Geospace

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Space Weather Effects in Geospace

• M. Wiltberger
• NCAR/HAO

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Outline

• Brief introduction to Geospace
• Including the origins of the aurora
• Space Weather Impacts on
• Humans and machines in space
• Aviation

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Solar Origins

• Solar Flares - abrupt release of energy
• localized solar region
• mainly radiation (UV, X-rays,?-rays)
• occur near complex sunspot configurations

• Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)
• Releases of massive amounts of solar material
• Usually with higher speeds and greater magnetic
  fields than surrounding solar wind
• Usually cause shocks in solar wind

• Solar Wind
• Steady ionized gas outflow with average velocity
  400 km/s
• Magnetic field direction variable
• Exact properties depend upon solar origins

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Earth's Magnetosphere

• The magnetosphere is region near the Earth where
  it's magnetic field forms a protective bubble
  which impedes the transfer of energy and momentum
  from the solar wind plasma

• A variety of different phenomenon
• Substorms
• impulsive energy release over hours
• Storms
• globally enhanced activity over days
• Radiation belts
• trapped particles which are omnipresent

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Magnetospheric Currents

• Magnetopause current systems are created by the
  force balance between the Earths dipole and the
  incoming solar wind

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Ionospheric Currents
Region 1
Region 2

• FAC from the magnetosphere close though Pedersen
  and Hall Currents in the ionosphere

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Magnetosphere During a Storm

• Scientists through out the country are working
  developing computer models desgined to simulate
  the complicated interaction of the solar wind
  driven magnetosphere ionosphere systems

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Where do the aurora come from?
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Radiation Belts

• Omnipresent energetic electrons and protons
  trapped in the Earth's magnetic field
• First discovered in 1959 by the Explorer 1
  satellite, called the Van Allen Belts, consisting
  of an inner zone of protons and electrons and a
  more variable outer zone of electrons
• This static view has recently been modified based
  upon measurements beginning at the last maximum
  in solar sunspot activity

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Energetic Particle EffectsSpacecraft Systems

• Systems affected
• Spacecraft electronics
• Surface Charging and Discharge
• Single Event Upsets
• Deep Dielectric Charging
• Spacecraft imaging and attitude systems

SOHO Satellite Image Degradation
Polar Satellite Image Degradation
Spacecraft Surface Charging (animation)
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Energetic Particle Effects Radiation Hazard

• Health Hazards from Energetic Particles
• Humans in space
• Space Shuttle, International Space Station,
  missions to Mars

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Right Time to go Mars?

• A major risk factor on any trip to Mars is
  radiation exposure
• During solar max the risk from single events is
  higher, but that less then total integrated dose
  obtained during solar min from cosmic rays

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Why Airlines care about SpWx?

• Impacts Risks of SpWx
• Loss of HF communications
• GPS errors
• Effects of radiation on humans and avonics

• SpWx can impact polar operations
• Complete or significant loss of HF comm
• Delays, re-reoutes or diversions
• Increase fuel costs or loss of cargo

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Over-The-Pole Operations

• In the last few years, cross-polar traffic has
  increased significantly
• According to NavCanada
• 884 polar movements in 2003
• 2053 polar movements in 2004
• 3731 polar movements in 2005
• Time savings in minutes and dollars per flight
• Atlanta Seoul 124 mins 44,000
• Boston Hong Kong 138 minutes 33,000
• Los Angeles Bangkok 142 mins 33,000
• New York Singapore 209 mins 44,000

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Dose Rates at Aviation Altitutdes

• FL 280 1.3 µSv/h
• FL 410 2.6 µSv/h
• FL 350 2.0 µSv/h
• Rule of thumb altitude ? 1000 ft. gt ambient
  dose equivalent rate ? 0.1 µSv/h

• German Aerospace center in cooperation with
  Luftsana and LTU Airlines studied exposure rates
  during flights from German to Africa during
  geomagnetically quiet conditions
• Even if someone spent the whole year at FL350 in
  the equatorial regiontheir radiation exposure
  would not exceed the internationally accepted
  annual dose limit (17.5 mSv lt 20 mSv).

From M. Meier
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FRA to DFW flight
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The FAA Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
Designed to improve GPS accuracy, availability
and integrity.

• Current Infrastructure
• 25 Reference Stations
• 2 Master Stations
• 2 Communications Satellites
• 3 Uplink stations

Courtesy of the FAA

• WAAS message provides
• corrections for satellite orbits, time and the
  ionospheric
• estimates of the uncertainty of those corrections

• Future primary means of civil air navigation
• For all aircraft in all phases of flight
• Non-Precision Approach (NPA) en-route
• Vertically Guided Approach (LPV) runway
• First of many worldwide systems

From P. Doherty
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Quiet versus Disturbed Ionosphereover CONUS
(Contiguous United States)
CONUS RANGE ERRORS ARE BETWEEN 1-5M
Results in loss of vertical guidance availability
From P. Doherty
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WAAS LPV Service AvailabilityOctober 30, 2003
Vertical Navigation Capability
(Animation Courtesy of FAA NSTB)
From P. Doherty
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WAAS LPV Availability Versus Magnetic Activity
July 1, 2003 March 1, 2005
CONUS at 95 Availability
(Nov 8, 2004)
Magnetic Storm Index
From P. Doherty
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Cool Websites

• http//www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/
• http//www.spaceweather.com/
• http//www.windows.ucar.edu/

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Courtesy G. Heckman