Small Multi-GNSS Data Collection Array for Ionosphere and Space Weather Monitoring

NSF Award Search · 0100CYXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $1,254,587 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Space weather events create complex phenomena in the ionosphere above the polar regions, for which data collection and spatial coverage are sparse. This project aims to deploy Ground Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers to several sites in the Antarctic. The new ground stations will form an array that will monitor activity in the Earth’s ionosphere. High-latitude observations from the Southern Hemisphere are essential in improving the understanding and global forecasting tools of the geospace community, with implications for fundamental science as well as industry. In October 2020, Congress passed a space weather bill that “sets forth provisions concerning improving the ability of the United States to forecast space weather events and mitigate the effects of space weather” (PROSWIFT Act, S.881). The project funded under this award represents a step toward addressing this need. The data products will be made available on publicly accessible repositories used by researchers worldwide to store and disseminate data on the upper atmosphere. The project will also include significant educational initiatives in space science and satellite navigation. The polar ionosphere is home to many complex processes, which reflect dynamic coupling between the solar wind, magnetosphere and the upper atmosphere. As we enter an active new solar cycle and approach the solar maximum, the polar ionosphere increasingly experiences intense space weather events. GNSS signals propagating throu

Key facts

NSF award ID
2332508
Awardee
University of Colorado at Boulder (CO)
SAM.gov UEI
SPVKK1RC2MZ3
PI
Yu T Morton
Primary program
0100CYXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
ANTARCTIC AERONOMY & ASTROPHYS, Space Weather Research
Estimated total
$1,254,587
Funds obligated
$1,254,587
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
09/01/2025 → 08/31/2030