Ionospheric Tomography

What is it about?

Computerized tomography allows the 3D imaging of several objects based on radio frequency signal measurements. Given the measurements and geometry of the current GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite constellation, there is an opportunity to apply tomography techniques and extract 3D snapshots of the Earth’s atmosphere. This work presents an advanced global-scale tomography that can represent the electron density in the Earth's upper atmosphere in a relatively high spatial and temporal resolution in the region of approximately 100-1000 km above the Earth's surface; referred to as the ionosphere. The work also validates the tomography results with multiple ionospheric observations from satellites and ground-based radar instruments and compares with empirical and physical models.

Featured Image

Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is usually a challenge for models to reproduce the ionospheric system dynamics accurately during active space weather conditions, such as geomagnetic storms. This work, using the severe geomagnetic storm on 17 March 2015 as a case-study, shows that the tomography is well poised for this task. The developed method could be extended to benefit several applications, such as space weather monitoring, GPS positioning and navigation, as well as to improve our understanding of the morphology and dynamics of the ionosphere.

Perspectives