HR: 12:05h
AN: SA22A-08    [Abstracts]
TI: Validating the Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) algorithms using data from the COSMIC campaigns
AU: Baker, C R
EM: craig.baker2@hanscom.af.mil
AF: Air Force Research Lab, AFRL/VSBXP 29 Randolph Rd, Hanscom AFB, MA 01731, United States
AU: * de la Beaujardiere, O
EM: odile.delabeaujardiere@hanscom.af.mil
AF: Air Force Research Lab, AFRL/VSBXP 29 Randolph Rd, Hanscom AFB, MA 01731, United States
AU: Retterer, J M
EM: john.retterer@hanscom.af.mil
AF: Air Force Research Lab, AFRL/VSBXP 29 Randolph Rd, Hanscom AFB, MA 01731, United States
AU: McNamara, L F
EM: leo.mcnamara@hanscom.af.mil
AF: Boston College, AFRL/VSBXP 29 Randolph Rd, Hanscom AFB, MA 01731, United States
AU: Hysell, D
EM: dlh37@cornell.edu
AF: Cornell University, 2108 Snee Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853,
AB: The Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite is scheduled for launch in June 2008 into a low inclination (13°), elliptical (~ 400 x 850 km) orbit. Models have been developed at AFRL that will ingest C/NOFS data in order to forecast ionospheric density and the presence of irregularities. The C/NOFS forecast models can be initialized using an assimilative model (e.g., GAIM), or alternatively, using a physics based model driven by the electric fields and winds that will be measured by C/NOFS (i.e., PBMOD). We present a validation study of the C/NOFS PBMOD and JPL/USC GAIM models using ground and satellite instrument data from a recent COSMIC campaign. Total electron content from ground-based GPS receivers and from the COSMIC GPS receivers are included in the GAIM assimilation. We compare the models with electron density from the Jicamarca incoherent scatter radar as well as with peak density from several equatorial ionosondes using metrics to show their strengths and limitations. We find that the assimilation of GPS TEC improves GAIM's ability to predict vertical TEC. The assimilation of COSMIC GPS TEC in particular improves the topside shape. On the other hand, assimilation tends to degrade GAIM's specification of NmF2 relative to PBMOD or to GAIM's climatology in this study. Recent changes to GAIM and the use of higher resolution are expected to enhance GAIM's specification.
DE: 2415 Equatorial ionosphere
DE: 2447 Modeling and forecasting
DE: 2481 Topside ionosphere
DE: 2494 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting