Abstract
Abstract. The ground-based neutron monitors (NMs) record galactic and solar relativistic cosmic rays which can play a useful key role in space weather forecasting, as a result of their interaction with interplanetary disturbances. The Earth's-based neutron monitor network has been used in order to produce a real-time prediction of space weather phenomena. Therefore, the Athens Neutron Monitor Data Processing Center (ANMODAP) takes advantage of this unique multi-directional device to solve problems concerning the diagnosis and forecasting of space weather. At this moment there has been a multi-sided use of neutron monitors. On the one hand, a preliminary alert for ground level enhancements (GLEs) may be provided due to relativistic solar particles and can be registered around 20 to 30 min before the arrival of the main part of lower energy particles responsible for radiation hazard. To make a more reliable prognosis of these events, real time data from channels of lower energy particles and X-ray intensity from the GOES satellite are involved in the analysis. The other possibility is to search in real time for predictors of geomagnetic storms when they occur simultaneously with Forbush effects, using hourly, on-line accessible neutron monitor data from the worldwide network and applying a special method of processing. This chance of prognosis is only being elaborated and considered here as one of the possible uses of the Neutron Monitor Network for forecasting the arrival of interplanetary disturbance to the Earth. The achievements, the processes and the future results, are discussed in this work.
Highlights
Fundamental research of the cosmic ray variations and their relation to different parameters of solar activity leads to a possibility of their application to a modern and essential problem: monitoring and prediction of space weather by cosmic rays (CR), using on-line data
To employ the cosmic ray data for the space weather problem, three important tasks need to be solved with the existing neutron monitor network: 1) providing the good quality, real-time data at every station in the Internet; 2) providing reliable access to these data, with the possibility of collecting them at one point (Center) for the joint processing; 3) adjusting the programs calculating the key parameters of the space weather to the quasi-real-time operation
The new Athens Neutron Monitor Data Processing Center based on the activity of the cosmic ray group at Athens University, provides real-time monitoring of cosmic ray variations
Summary
Fundamental research of the cosmic ray variations and their relation to different parameters of solar activity leads to a possibility of their application to a modern and essential problem: monitoring and prediction of space weather by cosmic rays (CR), using on-line data. After the IZMIRAN neutron monitor started to present continuous data in the Internet in 1997, many new stations were involved in this process (Mavromichalaki et al, 2001; 2004), and at the present, about twenty-five NM stations provide their data in real or quasi-real time, in digital and/or graphical form. The first steps in the process of collect data from a number of stations andFaingualryez1ing them in real time have been made by the Bartol cosmic ray group
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