China establishes advanced radar network for global space weather monitoring
Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 21, 2024 -
China has developed a mid-latitude high-frequency radar network in the northern regions to enhance the quality of detection data for global space weather forecasts and warnings.The initial scientific results from the network were presented at the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) international workshop in Beijing.
Constructed by the National Space Science Center (NSSC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the network was completed in October 2023. It is part of the second phase of China's Meridian Project, a comprehensive space weather monitoring initiative.
"China has made new breakthroughs in high-frequency coherent scattering radar technology and scientific research, and will deepen international cooperation in this field," said NSSC.
The ionosphere is home to all the charged particles in Earth's atmosphere. It's also home to many spacecraft including the space stations. "Ionospheric irregularities can disrupt signals," scientists say.
Six high-frequency coherent scattering radars have been installed in Jilin Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"This high-frequency radar chain achieves large-scale continuous detection of ionospheric irregularities in mid and high latitudes of the Asian sector. The detection range can reach 4,000 km from south to north, and the east-west span exceeds 12,000 km," according to NSSC.
The high-frequency radar chain is expected to integrate with SuperDARN, a global network of scientific radars monitoring near-Earth space conditions, and facilitate real-time data exchange with databases in the United Kingdom and Canada.
SuperDARN, with members from countries including the UK, the United States, Canada, Japan, China, France, Italy, Norway, Australia, and South Africa, is also a key participant in the International Meridian Circle Program proposed by China.
Based on a Xinhua News Agency article