Status of GGOS JWG3 on Improved understanding of space weather events and their monitoring

The JWG3 aims at investigating different approaches to monitor space weather events using the data from different space geodetic techniques and, in particular, combinations thereof. Simulations will also be considered since these could be beneficial to identify the contribution of different techniques and prepare for the analysis of real data. Different strategies for the combination of data are also to be investigated, in particular the weighting of estimates from different techniques in order to increase the performance and reliability of the combined estimates.

Furthermore, existing algorithms for the detection and prediction of space weather events shall be explored and improved to the extent possible. Additionally, the geodetic measurement of the ionospheric electron density will be complemented by direct observations from the Sun gathered from existing spacecraft, such as SOHO, ACE, SDO, Parker Solar Probe, among others. The combination and joint evaluation of multiple datasets from different space geodetic observation techniques (e.g., geodetic VLBI) is still a great challenge. In addition, other indications for solar activity - such as the F10.7 index on solar radio flux, SOLERA as EUV proxy or rate of Global Electron Content (dGEC), provide additional opportunities for comparisons and validation.

As per JWG3 objectives, these include the identification of the key parameters useful to improve real time/prediction of ionospheric/plasmaspheric VTEC, Ne estimates, as well as ionospheric perturbations, in case of extreme solar weather conditions. In general, we are on the way to gain a better understanding of space weather events and their effect on Earth’s atmosphere and near-Earth environment.