gps energetic particle data: space weather, climatology

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA

UNCLASSIFIED

GPS Energetic Particle Data:

Space Weather, Climatology, and Anomaly

Assessment S.K. Morley

With thanks to: J.P. Sullivan, M.R. Carver, R.M. Kippen

and the CXD team

Space Science and Applications

Los Alamos National Laboratory


UNCLASSIFIED

Space weather hazards and effects What do we need to measure?

Internal discharge in transparent

dielectric. Demonstration at

RADECS 2013 by Keith Ryden

(Univ. of Surrey) CC-BY-3.0: Johan Ideström

• Energetic charged particles can affect

spacecraft through:

• Surface discharge

(~keV electrons)

• Internal discharge

(>2 MeV electrons)

• Total dose effects

(>5 MeV protons)

• Single event effects

(>30 MeV protons)


UNCLASSIFIED

• Energetic charged particles can affect

spacecraft through:

• Surface discharge

(~keV electrons)

• Internal discharge

(>2 MeV electrons)

• Total dose effects

(>5 MeV protons)

• Single event effects

(>30 MeV protons)

SE

AE

SR

T fig

ure

from

NO

AA

SW

PC

Model b

y O'B

rien (2

009)

Current Expert Systems assess hazard at GEO GPS provides information for MEO


UNCLASSIFIED

The Global Positioning System

as a Space Environment Monitor


UNCLASSIFIED

More than just timing and navigation GPS carries energetic particle sensors

CXD instrument:

• Electrons

• 120 keV to >6 MeV

• 11 energy channels

• Protons

• 6 MeV to >100 MeV

• 5 energy channels

Photo: LA-UR-09-07377

Fro

m T

usze

wski e

t a

l.,

20

04.


UNCLASSIFIED

GPS measures MEO environment Data valuable for Internal Charging, Total Dose and SEE

Medium Earth Orbit:

• Circular orbit at 4RE

• Inclined at 55°

• Six orbital planes

• 12 hour orbit

Currently 23 GPS carry energetic

particle sensors

Mo

rle

y e

t a

l., S

pa

ce

We

ath

er,

20

16

.


UNCLASSIFIED

"The Next Space Weather Data Revolution" 23 satellites: More than 197 satellite-years of data!

CXD-equipped

Modifie

d f

rom

Morley

et al., S

pace W

eath

er,

2017.


UNCLASSIFIED

Enabling new space weather science Two satellites can't resolve fast changes

From Baker et al., 2016

From Morley et al., 2016


UNCLASSIFIED

From Baker et al., 2016

After Morley et al., 2016

Enabling new space weather science GPS constellation resolves fast dynamics


UNCLASSIFIED

Space Weather Hazards


UNCLASSIFIED

Climatology for space system design Long-term GPS data informs design

Wang e

t al.,

IEE

E T

rans. N

ucl. S

ci., 2018.

• >2MeV electron flux as a function of

time, for 1 solar cycle, from ns54

• Colored lines show >2MeV electron

flux at different percentiles of AE9

climatology model

• AE9 percentiles are consistent with

climatology measured by GPS

• Present version of AE9 has GPS data

from BDDII covering 1990-2004.


UNCLASSIFIED

GPS data to estimate internal charging Charging E-field changes with time

Wang e

t al.,

IEE

E T

rans. N

ucl. S

ci., 2018.

• Charging electric field for satellite

at MEO as function of time

• Derived using GPS data to specify

environment and modeling of

internal charging

• Different colors represent different

dielectric time constants


UNCLASSIFIED

Proton Dynamics: SEE Hazard Major SEP events: Dec 2006 and Jan 2012

• Flux above 20 MeV is

consistent with GOES

• Good quality SEP data

for L>4


UNCLASSIFIED

Space Weather and GPS:

September 2017


UNCLASSIFIED

Space weather hazards occur in different times/places R3 Radio Blackouts: X-class flares from Sept. 5th to 11th

Images fro

m

NA

SA

's S

ola

r D

ynam

ics O

bserv

ato

ry

X2.2 X9.3 X1.3 X8.2


UNCLASSIFIED

Space weather hazards occur in different times/places Geomagnetic storms: High-Kp intervals from Sept. 5th to 11th

Elevated Kp:

G4, G2, then G4

storms


UNCLASSIFIED

Space weather hazards occur in different times/places Internal charging hazard comes late in storm

Elevated >2MeV

electron flux indicates

internal charging

hazard


UNCLASSIFIED

Different hazards occur at different times A closer look at Sept. 5th to Sept. 9th


UNCLASSIFIED

Solar energetic protons during Sept 2017 storm Single Event Effects hazard


UNCLASSIFIED

SEP Penetration Varies with Storm Activity Single Event Effects, Astronaut Safety


UNCLASSIFIED

Global Positioning System

Energetic Particle Data

is Publicly Available


UNCLASSIFIED

October 2015:

• National Space Weather

Strategy

• National Space Weather

Action Plan

• OSTP Fact Sheet

January 2016:

• CXD electron cross-

calibration published

• Preliminary release of

data from January 2014

October 2016:

• Executive Order 13744


UNCLASSIFIED

October 2016:

• Executive Order 13744

January 2017:

• Data released from all

CXD and BDD-IIR

instruments, Dec. 2000 –

Dec. 2016

January 2018:

• CXD proton cross-

calibration published

• Data reprocessing

underway


UNCLASSIFIED

Data is indexed at data.gov Archived by NOAA/NCEI


UNCLASSIFIED

• Nearly 200 satellite-years of energetic particle

data from 23 satellites

• CXD data have been validated against Van Allen

Probes and GOES

• Currently, data through Dec. 2016 indexed at

data.gov

gps energetic particle data: space weather, climatology

Documents