HR: 16:15h
AN: SA14A-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Ionospheric Model Assessment Using the Arecibo Ionospheric Database
AU: * Eccles, V
EM: vince.eccles@spacenv.com
AF: Space Environment Corporation, 221 N Spring Creek Pkwy, Ste A, Providence, UT 84332-9791 United States
AU: Vo, H
EM: hvo@naic.edu
AF: Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612 Puerto Rico
AU: Gonzalez, S
EM: sixto@naic.edu
AF: Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612 Puerto Rico
AU: Fuller-Rowell, T
EM: tim.fuller-rowell@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA, Space Environment Center, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305 United States
AU: Sojka, J
EM: sec@spacenv.com
AF: Space Environment Corporation, 221 N Spring Creek Pkwy, Ste A, Providence, UT 84332-9791 United States
AB: The electron density specification of the ionosphere is the key parameter supporting many operational products. To assess the accuracy of tools based on space weather models of the ionosphere one must know the accuracy of the underlining models. The Arecibo Radar Observatory (ARO) provides an Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) database with extensive observations of ionospheric parameters over a broad range of solar cycle, season, local time, and geomagnetic activity. We have carefully examined these ionosphere profile data to apply thoughtful uncertainties related to instrumentation, analysis, and representation error for the background ionosphere. The full database with uncertainties is then used to generate a climatology model for the ionosphere above ARO with uncertainties and weather variance. The ARO ionosphere databases (profiles and climatology) will be used as the `ground truth' to assess ionospheric models using space weather and climatology metrics. The Assessment of Ionospheric Models package will be provided to Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). However, herein we present the analysis of uncertainties and weather variances associated with the ARO ionosphere profile database and climatology. Acknowledgment: We wish to acknowledge the support of NSF National Space Weather Program under contract ATM0317777.
DE: 2443 Midlatitude ionosphere
DE: 2447 Modeling and forecasting
DE: 2467 Plasma temperature and density
DE: 2494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2499 General or miscellaneous
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005