Transcript Solar Ionosphere Disturbance

The International
Heliophysical Year, 2007
A proposal for collaboration
(not a request for funds)
Deborah Scherrer, Stanford University
United Nations
IHY 2007
Quick Overview of Presentation
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What is the IHY?
What is the particular
project?
What could the IEEE-CS do?
How do the project
instruments work?
Why CS might want to be
involved
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What is the IHY?
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In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the IGY – International
Geophysical Year of 1957 –
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The United Nations has designated 2007 as the
International Heliophysical Year
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Goals:
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Continue a tradition of international collaboration on the 50th anniversary of the
IGY 1957
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Demonstrate the beauty, relevance, and significance of space and Earth science to the
world
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Inspire our future explorers
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Advance our understanding of the heliophysical processes that govern the Sun’s
influence on Earth and the heliosphere
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What’s Going On?
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Stanford, in collaboration with teachers, NSF
and NASA partners, has developed
inexpensive Space Weather Monitors
targeted for use in high schools and the
equivalent around the world
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The IHY, UN, and Stanford
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The United Nations and
organizers of the IHY have
designated these as official
IHY instruments, to be
placed in 191 countries
around the world.
There is a significant software and
computer aspect to this project
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How does the CS fit in?
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Significant computer component – the students and
their monitors require software (and a PC, which the
host country will provide)
Data management software will be provided
Data will be hosted at a central site (Stanford)
A package of simple data analysis software,
tools, and instructions are needed
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What kind of software & docs?
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Suitable for use by high school/community college
students without much knowledge of computers
Collect appropriate tools from resources that are feely
available, e.g. Open Source, PDL, OpenOffice Excel,
etc.
Arrange/package for use with monitors and for
worldwide distribution
Document so students can learn to use the
tools, the computers, and program them to do
their own analyses
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How would it work?
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Dunno – it’s just a crazy idea??? But, maybe:
CS would take responsibility for choosing, packaging,
and documenting software tools and how to program
or extend their usage by students
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CS would work primarily with the Stanford team
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IHY human resources are readily available
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IHY financial (minimal) resources may be available
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While you consider that, I’ll give you a
Quick Intro to the Monitors and
their Data
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Why needed?
Scientific Goals
The Sun, the ionosphere,
and VLF waves
VLF transmitters
A bit about our monitors
Data from the monitors
Comparison with satellite
data
Relating back to solar
active regions
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Solar Activity has Dramatic
Effects on the Earth
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Knocks out satellites (military loses over
$1 billion/yr)
Disrupts power grids (e.g. 1989 Montreal,
6 million without power)
Disrupts communications
Causes dramatic aurorae
Irradiates aircraft over 25,000’
Radiation dangerous or fatal to
astronauts, esp. going to Moon, Mars
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Scientific Goals
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Daytime data: Understand the
effects of solar activity on the
Earth, hopefully for predictive
capabilities
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Nighttime Data: Understand
the electrodynamic coupling
between the troposphere,
mesosphere, and the lower
ionosphere driven by
lightning and thunderstorm
systems
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The Sun, ionosphere,
and radio waves
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VLF Transmitters
24 around the world
Antenna Wires
Primarily U.S. Navy
stations for communicating
with submarines
“NLK” 24.8 KHz Navy Radio Station, Jim Creek, WA
1 cycle = 7.5 miles (12 km)
200’ Towers
VLF signals can be received all over the world, because of the
ionosphere!
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Our Monitors
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SID
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Low Cost (~$150)
Single band
1 sample/5 seconds
Preassembled & tuned
Students build antenna
Available free to
underserved schools
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AWESOME
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Moderate cost (~$3000)
Broadband; sample rate of
100kHz on each channel
Capture ELF/VLF frequencies
~30 Hz - 50kHz
Dual use system:
Daytime: monitor solar activity
Nighttime: monitor atmospheric
phenomena (e.g. lightning)
So sensitive that nearly any
signal above the ambient Earth
noise floor can be detected
Data useable for ionospheric and
solar researchers
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Not all events are readily explainable – students can research these
Student data graphed by Excel
But undeveloped nations cannot afford Excel
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06:35:50
06:04:22
05:32:55
05:01:27
04:29:59
Daytime
03:58:32
03:27:04
02:55:36
02:24:08
01:52:41
01:21:13
00:49:45
00:18:18
23:46:50
23:15:22
22:43:54
22:12:27
21:40:59
21:09:31
20:38:04
Sunrise
20:06:36
19:35:08
19:03:40
18:32:13
4.5
18:00:45
17:29:17
16:57:50
16:26:22
15:54:54
15:23:26
14:51:59
14:20:31
13:49:03
13:17:36
12:46:08
12:14:40
Local Nighttime
11:43:12
11:11:45
10:40:17
10:08:49
09:37:22
09:05:54
08:34:26
08:02:58
07:31:31
07:00:03
Detecting Solar Flares – SID(s)
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SID Events!
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3.5
3
2.5
Local Nighttime
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GOES-12 Weather Satellite
Detecting X-Rays from the Sun
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Connecting SID to GOES Data
C4.5
C5.9
M1.3
C3.8
Students have also found
flares not cataloged by
GOES!!!
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Connecting
SID events
to sunspots
(Active
Regions)
#Event
Begin
Max
End Obs Q Type Loc/Frq
Particulars
Reg#
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------1960 +
1727
1736
1744 G12 5
XRA 1-8A
C4.5
3.1E-03
0424
1990 +
1930
1946
1954 G12 5
XRA 1-8A
C5.9
5.9E-03
0424
2000 +
2112
2134
2140 G12 5
XRA 1-8A
C3.8
3.1E-03
0424
2040 +
2341
2354
0002 G12 5
XRA 1-8A
M1.3
8.5E-03
0424 18
For more information
on Space Weather Monitors
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/SID
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Advantages to the CS
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The IEEE Computer Society could be highly visible
in the program, packaging and distribution -- Press
releases, articles in “Computer,” printed materials,
etc.
Funds for publication of manual and software may be
available from IHY, possibly to CS Pubs?
Exceptional way to reach out to the world’s
youth and inspire them with computers and
software!
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Caveats
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???
Would require Committed Buy-in by CS Excom,
BOG, and Staff
Would require a team of 2-3 Volunteers to collect,
organize, & document the software
Serious inquiries only – this is a REAL project,
timelines are short, and there are no backups if the
CS should make a commitment and, gasp…, fail
What do you think?
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