Pair Of Satellites Research Articles

Aegilops crassa Cytotypes in Some Regions of Türkiye.

A new hexaploid cytotype of Aegilops crassa has been identified in Türkiye. To assess the ploidy levels of native populations, 50 samples from Adıyaman, Batman, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, and Van were analyzed using flow cytometry and cytogenetic techniques. DNA content was determined by comparison with standard plants. Results confirmed two cytotypes in Türkiye: tetraploid populations from Batman, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, and Şırnak, and hexaploid accessions from Adıyaman and Van. Ten metaphase plates were analyzed. The tetraploid cytotype exhibited chromosome lengths of 8.95 ± 0.27 to 13.96 ± 0.13 µm, a total genome length of 165.51 ± 0.34 µm, and nuclear DNA content of 18.53 ± 0.29 to 20.37 ± 0.49 pg. Most chromosomes were metacentric, except for chromosomes 7, 8, 10, and 12, which were submetacentric. Two satellite pairs were found on chromosomes 4 and 10. The hexaploid cytotype showed chromosome lengths of 8.90 ± 0.16 to 14.06 ± 0.06 µm, a total genome length of 230.47 ± 0.23 µm, and nuclear DNA content of 33.40 ± 0.52 to 35.01 ± 0.31 pg. Most chromosomes were also metacentric, with three satellite pairs on chromosomes 3, 6, and 10. In conclusion, both tetraploid (2n = 2x = 28) and hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) cytotypes of Ae. crassa exist in Türkiye, with the hexaploid cytotype having potential for wheat breeding programs.

Galaxy Group Ellipticity Confirms a Younger Cosmos

We present an analysis of the ellipticities of galaxy groups, derived from the spatial distribution of member galaxies, revealing a notable incongruity between the observed local galaxy groups and their counterparts in the Lambda cold dark matter cosmology. Specifically, our investigation reveals a substantial disparity in the ellipticities of observed groups with masses 1013.0<Mh<1014.5M⊙h−1 exhibiting significantly higher ellipticities (at a confidence level of approximately 4σ) compared to their simulated counterparts. Notably, the consistent use of the same group finder for identifying galaxy groups in both observational and simulated datasets underscores the robustness of this result. This observation may imply a potential incongruence between the inferred age of the Universe from observations and the predictions of the model, which aligns with the younger Universe hypothesis suggested by the elevated fraction of observed satellite pairs with correlated line-of-sight relative velocities compared to simulations. Our findings significantly strengthen the plausibility of a younger age for our Universe.

Solar activity dependence for the relationship between nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance and sporadic E (Es) layer activities in summer during 1998–2019 over Japan

To investigate solar activity dependence of the coupling between medium-scale traveling ionosphere disturbance (MSTID) and sporadic E (Es) layer, we analyzed the total electron content (TEC) obtained from a Japanese global positioning system (GPS) receivers and ionosonde at Kokubunji (35.7° N, 139.5° E) in Japan during the summer period of May–August from 1998 to 2019. To obtain perturbation TEC caused by MSTIDs, the detrended TEC is calculated by subtracting 1-h moving averages from the measured TEC for each pair of GPS satellite and receiver. The detrended TEC data are mapped on to the geographical coordinates to make detrended 2-D maps with spatial resolution of 0.15° × 0.15° in longitude and latitude. The MSTID activity is defined as a ratio of the standard deviation to the background TEC over Kokubunji in Japan. Day-to-day variations of the MSTID activity during summer nights was compared to Es layer parameters [critical frequency (foEs\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${f}_{o}Es$$\\end{document}) and Δfo-b≡foEs-fbE\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\Delta f}_{o-b}\\equiv {f}_{o}Es-{f}_{b}E$$\\end{document}, where fbEs\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${f}_{{\ ext{b}}}Es$$\\end{document} is blanketing frequency] derived from ionosonde station at Kokubunji. We have found that the correlation coefficient between the MSTID activity and foEs\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${f}_{o}Es$$\\end{document}(Δfo-b\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\Delta f}_{o-b}$$\\end{document}) between 1998 and 2019 is 0.5 3 (0.46) on average, suggesting that there is an electrodynamical coupling between the Es layer and F region could generate nighttime MSTIDs. We also have found that the correlation coefficient positively correlates with solar activity. This finding indicates that in the high solar activity conditions, when the growth rate of Perkins instability is relatively low, generation of the polarization electric fields in the Es\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$Es$$\\end{document} layer could play a more important role to grow MSTIDs than in the low solar activity conditions.Graphical

InSAR Digital Surface Model Refinement by Block Adjustment with Horizontal Constraints

Abstract. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology is an important method to generate digital surface model (DSM). The past studies on space-borne derived DSM most focused on the elevation correction, due to the relative low resolution of DSM product. As a large number of high-resolution satellite data emerge, the horizontal discrepancies are needed to be considered. This paper proposes a DSM block adjustment method with horizontal constraints, aimed at eliminating the horizontal errors that exist between multiple DSM scenes with overlaps, achieving high precision and consistency in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. Using ICESat-2 ATL08 point clouds as absolute elevation control and a reference DSM for horizontal control, the adjustment equations are constructed based on the constraint of tie points and controls. The experiment selects 7 image pairs of China TH2-01 SAR satellite, corresponding ICESat-2 ATL08 point and AW3D30 as reference DEM. The block adjustment results show that the proposed method improves the absolute vertical accuracy from 3.78 m to 2.56 m and reduces the average horizontal standard deviation between the InSAR derived DSMs and the reference AW3D30 from 15.31 m to 9.08 m.

PPP-AR reference satellite selection based on the observation quality factors

Precise point positioning ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR) can effectively improve positioning accuracy and convergence time. In PPP-AR, the double-difference ambiguity between satellite pairs must be fixed. Therefore, it requires the selection of one satellite as a reference to conduct single-difference observations. Usually, the satellite with the highest elevation is selected as the reference satellite, however, once this satellite has a cycle slip or signal interference, its ambiguity will be reinitialized, resulting in the calculated wide-lane and narrow-lane ambiguities are not accurate enough, which further affects all the ambiguities fixed rates and positioning accuracies. In this contribution, we propose a multi-indicators comprehensive evaluation method of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) based on entropy weight-grey correlation analysis for reference satellite selection of PPP-AR. The comprehensive evaluation includes the observations index selection, the index normalization, the calculation of index entropy weight and the grey correlation analysis. According to the new method, the quality ranking of satellite observations for each epoch can be obtained, and the observation value with the highest ranking is used as the reference satellite during the PPP-AR. One-week observations from 243 multi-GNSS experiment stations are selected to conduct GPS-only, Galileo-only and BDS-3-only kinematic PPP-AR, and the reference satellite selection method using the highest-elevation and the proposed method is applied, respectively. The results show that the PPP performance for the new method can be improved in the positioning accuracies, convergence time and ambiguity fixed rates. The positioning accuracies of three-dimensional directions can be improved by about 5.54%, 8.81% and 6.02% for GPS, BDS-3 and Galileo, respectively. The average improvements of convergence time in the east, north and up directions are 4.67%, 2% and 4% for GPS, BDS-3 and Galileo, respectively. The ambiguity fixed rates are improved by 7.31%, 6.89% and 1.45% for GPS, BDS-3 and Galileo between the 80%-100% range, respectively.

Cross-comparison of Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 data: a three-level approach based on underfly images

ABSTRACT The recently launched Landsat-9 has an important mission of working together with Landsat-8 to reduce the revisit period of Landsat Earth observations to eight days. This requires the data of Landsat-9 to be highly consistent with that of Landsat-8 to avoid bias caused by data inconsistency when the two satellites are simultaneously used. Therefore, this study evaluated the consistency of the surface reflectance (SR) and land surface temperature (LST) data between Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 based on five test sites from different parts of the world using synchronized underfly image pairs of both satellites. Previous cross-comparisons have demonstrated high consistency between the spectral bands of Landsat-8 and Landsat-9, with differences of around 1%. However, it is unclear whether this low deviation will be amplified in subsequent multiband calculations. It is also necessary to determine whether the difference is consistent across different land cover types. Therefore, this study used a three-level cross-comparison approach to specifically examine these concerns. Besides the commonly used band-by-band comparison, which served as the first-level comparison in this study, this approach included a second-level comparison based on the calculations of several indicators and a third-level comparison based on a composite index calculated from the indicators obtained in the second-level comparison. This three-level approach will examine whether the difference found in the first-level per-band comparison would change after the subsequent calculations in the second- and third-level comparisons. The Remote Sensing based Ecological Index (RSEI) was used for this approach because it is a composite index integrating four indicators. The results of this three-level comparison show that the first-level per-band comparison exhibited high consistency between the two satellites’ SR data, with an average absolute percent change (PC) of 1.88% and an average R 2 of 0.957 across six bands in the five test sites. This deviation increased to 2.21% in the third-level composite index-based comparison, with R 2 decreasing to 0.956. This indicates that after complex calculations, the deviation between the bands of the two satellites was amplified to some extent. However, when analyzing specific land cover types, notable differences emerged between the two satellites for the water category, with an average absolute PC ranging from 18% to 35% and an R 2 of lower than 0.6. Additionally, there were also nearly 5% differences for the built-up land category, with an average R 2 value of lower than 0.7. The comparison of LST data between both satellites also reveals that the Landsat-9 LST is on average 0.24°C lower than Landsat-8 LST across the five test areas but can be 0.58°C lower in built-up land-dominated areas and 0.42°C higher in desert environments. Overall, the SR and LST data between Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 are consistent. However, their performance varies depending on different land cover types. Caution is needed particularly for water-related research when utilizing both satellites simultaneously. Significant discrepancies may also arise in the areas characterized by deserts and built-up lands.

A younger Universe implied by satellite pair correlations from SDSS observations of massive galaxy groups

A younger Universe implied by satellite pair correlations from SDSS observations of massive galaxy groups

Benefit of enhanced electrostatic and optical accelerometry for future gravimetry missions

Twenty years of gravity observations from various satellite missions have provided unique data about mass redistribution processes in the Earth system, such as melting of Greenland’s ice shields, sea level changes, ground and underground water depletion, droughts, floods, etc. The ongoing climate change underlines the urgent need to continue this kind of observations with future gravimetry missions using enhanced concepts and sensors. This paper studies the benefit of enhanced electrostatic and novel optical accelerometers and gradiometers for future gravimetry missions.One of the limiting factors in the current space gravimetry missions is the drift of the Electrostatic Accelerometers (EA) which dominates the error contribution at low frequencies (<1mHz). This study focuses on the modeling of enhanced EAs with laser-interferometric readout, so-called optical accelerometers, and on evaluating their performance for gravity field recovery in future satellite missions.In this paper, we simulate gravimetry missions in multiple scopes, applying various software modules for satellite dynamics integration, accelerometer (ACC) and gradiometer simulation and gravity field recovery. The total noise budgets of the modeled enhanced electrostatic and optical ACCs show a similar sensitivity as the ACC concepts from other research groups. Parametrization w.r.t. the weight of the test mass (TM) of ACCs and the gap between the TM and the surrounding electrode housing confirmed the fact known from previous results that an ACC with a heavier TM and a larger gap will perform better. Our results suggest that the anticipated gain of novel ACCs might at some point be potentially limited by noise from the inter-satellite laser ranging interferometry.In order to present the advantage of the novel sensors, time-variable background models and associated aliasing errors were not considered in our simulations. The utilization of enhanced EAs and optical ACCs shows a significant improvement of accuracy compared to the currently used GRACE-like EA. In addition, their benefit in double satellite pairs in a so-called Bender constellation as well as in the combination of low-low satellite-to-satellite tracking with cross-track gradiometry has been investigated.

Optimal Design of a Third Pair of Gravity Satellites to Augment Two Existing Polar Pairs to Enhance Earth's Temporal Gravity Field Recovery

Optimal Design of a Third Pair of Gravity Satellites to Augment Two Existing Polar Pairs to Enhance Earth's Temporal Gravity Field Recovery

Mass-change And Geosciences International Constellation (MAGIC) expected impact on science and applications

SUMMARY The joint ESA/NASA Mass-change And Geosciences International Constellation (MAGIC) has the objective to extend time-series from previous gravity missions, including an improvement of accuracy and spatio-temporal resolution. The long-term monitoring of Earth’s gravity field carries information on mass change induced by water cycle, climate change and mass transport processes between atmosphere, cryosphere, oceans and solid Earth. MAGIC will be composed of two satellite pairs flying in different orbit planes. The NASA/DLR-led first pair (P1) is expected to be in a near-polar orbit around 500 km of altitude; while the second ESA-led pair (P2) is expected to be in an inclined orbit of 65°–70° at approximately 400 km altitude. The ESA-led pair P2 Next Generation Gravity Mission shall be launched after P1 in a staggered manner to form the MAGIC constellation. The addition of an inclined pair shall lead to reduction of temporal aliasing effects and consequently of reliance on de-aliasing models and post-processing. The main novelty of the MAGIC constellation is the delivery of mass-change products at higher spatial resolution, temporal (i.e. subweekly) resolution, shorter latency and higher accuracy than the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO). This will pave the way to new science applications and operational services. In this paper, an overview of various fields of science and service applications for hydrology, cryosphere, oceanography, solid Earth, climate change and geodesy is provided. These thematic fields and newly enabled applications and services were analysed in the frame of the initial ESA Science Support activities for MAGIC. The analyses of MAGIC scenarios for different application areas in the field of geosciences confirmed that the double-pair configuration will significantly enlarge the number of observable mass-change phenomena by resolving smaller spatial scales with an uncertainty that satisfies evolved user requirements expressed by international bodies such as IUGG. The required uncertainty levels of dedicated thematic fields met by MAGIC unfiltered Level-2 products will benefit hydrological applications by recovering more than 90 per cent of the major river basins worldwide at 260 km spatial resolution, cryosphere applications by enabling mass change signal separation in the interior of Greenland from those in the coastal zones and by resolving small-scale mass variability in challenging regions such as the Antarctic Peninsula, oceanography applications by monitoring meridional overturning circulation changes on timescales of years and decades, climate applications by detecting amplitude and phase changes of Terrestrial Water Storage after 30 yr in 64 and 56 per cent of the global land areas and solid Earth applications by lowering the Earthquake detection threshold from magnitude 8.8 to magnitude 7.4 with spatial resolution increased to 333 km.

Presence of a chiral soliton lattice in the chiral helimagnet MnTa3S6

Chiral helimagnetism was investigated in transition-metal intercalated dichalcogenide single crystals of MnTa3S6. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments revealed the presence of harmonic chiral helimagnetic order, which was successfully detected as a pair of satellite peaks in the SANS pattern. The magnetization data are also supportive of the presence of chiral soliton lattice (CSL) phase in MnTa3S6. The observed features are summarized in the phase diagram of MnTa3S6, which is in strong contrast with that observed in other dichalcogenides such as CrNb3S6 and CrTa3S6. The presence of the remanent state provides tunable capability of the number of chiral solitons at zero magnetic field in the CSL system, which may be useful for memory device applications.

MONITORING GROUNDWATER STORAGE BASINS AND HYDROLOGICAL CHANGES USING THE GRACE SATELLITE AND SENTINEL-1 FOR THE GANGA RIVER BASIN

Abstract. Groundwater depletion-related subsidence is a significant issue in many parts of the world. It can permanently reduce the amount of groundwater stored in an aquifer and even cause structural damage to the Earth’s surface. The Ganga Basin in the northwestern region of India is no exception, with around a meter of subsidence occurring between 2018 and 2023. However, understanding the connection between variations in groundwater quantities and ground deformation has been challenging. We used surface displacement measurements from InSAR and gravimetric terrestrial water storage estimates from the GRACE satellite pair to characterize the hydrological dynamics within the Ganga Basin. Sentinel-1 was used to map the entire Ganga River basin in the inundated zone. The InSAR time series shows coherent short-term changes that coincide with hydrological features when the long-term aquifer compaction is removed. For instance, an uplift is seen at the confluence of multiple rivers and streams that drain into the southeastern margin of the basin in the winters of 2018–2019 and 2021–2022. Imaging the monthly spatial variations in water volumes is based on these data and calculations of mass changes from the orbiting of Sentinel-1 and GRACE satellites. We even employ machine learning techniques as evaluative methods to make it simple to combine InSAR quickly and convincingly with gravimetric datasets, which will help advance global efforts to understand better and manage groundwater resources.

Karyotype diversity in four Terminalia L. species and its taxonomic implications

AbstractFour Terminalia L. species namely, T. arjuna (Roxb.) Wight and Arn., T. bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb., T. chebula Retz. and T. catappa L. were studied to evaluate the chromosomal relationship corresponding with their taxonomic characters. Analysis of mitotic metaphases showed that the somatic chromosome numbers and the centromeric formulas of these species were 2n = 24 (16m + 8sm) for T. arjuna, 2n = 48 (36m + 12sm) for T. bellirica, 2n = 48 (46m + 2sm) for T. chebula and 2n = 24 (24m) for T. catappa. Two pairs of satellites were found in T. bellirica and T. catappa. Based on different karyological data, T. chebula was positioned in 1A, T. arjuna and T. catappa in 1B and T. bellirica in 2B. Based on comparative karyomorphological data, T. bellirica and T. arjuna presented more advanced features in comparison with T. chebula and T. catappa, which also correlated with the taxonomic characters in respect of the evolutionary point of view. Therefore, the present investigation effectively evaluated chromosomal relationships with morphological implications that conferred upon evolutionary changes among these four Terminalia species.

Mission design aspects for the mass change and geoscience international constellation (MAGIC)

SUMMARYThe Mass Change and Geoscience International Constellation (MAGIC) is planned as the first realization of a double-pair low-low satellite-to-satellite (ll-sst) tracking gravity mission consisting of a polar and an inclined satellite pair. Due to the much increased spatial and temporal resolution and multidirectionality of the data to be collected by this mission, new possibilities regarding the resolvability of mass transport processes in space and time are expected. In order to maximize the scientific and societal outcome of this mission, an optimization of both the mission design as well as the methods to process the expected data is fundamental. Using numerical closed-loop simulations, we investigate the impact of several key mission design aspects on the gravity retrieval from a double-pair constellation such as the planned MAGIC mission. Specifically, we show how the choice of the second pair’s inclination poses a trade-off between a reduction of retrieval errors at latitudes covered by data from both pairs and at higher latitudes, thereby requiring a compromise between the latitude-dependent accuracy requirements of different user groups. One of the key mission goals is to provide fast-track gravity products with short latency for operational service applications. Towards the estimation of such short-term gravity fields of a few days, we investigate if coordinating the polar and inclined pairs’ orbits to achieve a stable ground-track coverage is necessary for obtaining a homogeneous accuracy of subsequent gravity solutions. Indeed, combining two freely drifting, uncontrolled orbits significantly degrades short-term gravity fields in time periods in which both pairs show coinciding ground track gaps. Finally, we analyse the relative performance of the two satellite pairs. Double-pair scenarios that are strongly dominated by the inclined pair’s data reveal degraded gravity solutions when co-estimating daily gravity fields as de-aliasing strategy. This effect can be mitigated by choosing a more balanced double-pair configuration, for example by choosing similar orbit heights and instrument noise levels for both satellite pairs. The findings presented in our study will serve to optimize the system design of the upcoming MAGIC constellation.

Learning-Based Traffic Scheduling in Non-Stationary Multipath 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks

In non-terrestrial networks, where low Earth orbit satellites and user equipment move relative to each other, line-of-sight tracking and adapting to channel state variations due to endpoint movements are a major challenge. Therefore, continuous line-of-sight estimation and channel impairment compensation are crucial for user equipment to access a satellite and maintain connectivity. In this paper, we propose a framework based on actor-critic reinforcement learning for traffic scheduling in non-terrestrial networks scenario where the channel state is non-stationary due to the variability of the line of sight, which depends on the current satellite elevation. We deploy the framework as an agent in a multipath routing scheme where the user equipment can access more than one satellite simultaneously to improve link reliability and throughput. We investigate how the agent schedules traffic in multiple satellite links by adopting policies that are evaluated by an actor-critic reinforcement learning approach. The agent continuously trains its model based on variations in satellite elevation angles, handovers, and relative line-of-sight probabilities. We compare the agent’s retraining time with the satellite visibility intervals to investigate the effectiveness of the agent’s learning rate. We carry out performance analysis while considering the dense urban area of Paris, where high-rise buildings significantly affect the line of sight. The simulation results show how the learning agent selects the scheduling policy when it is connected to a pair of satellites. The results also show that the retraining time of the learning agent is up to 0.1times the satellite visibility time at given elevations, which guarantees efficient use of satellite visibility.

Small satellite formations and constellations for observing sub-daily mass changes in the Earth system

SUMMARY Satellite gravity missions so far are medium size satellites consisting of one or a pair of satellites flying in near-polar or sun-synchronous orbital planes. Due to the limited observation geometry and the related space–time sampling, high-frequency non-tidal mass variation signals from atmosphere and ocean cannot be observed and cause temporal aliasing. For current single-pair satellite gravimetry missions as GRACE and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) temporal aliasing is the limiting factor and represents the major error source in the gravity field time-series. Adding a second inclined satellite pair to a GRACE-like polar pair (Bender constellation) currently is the most promising solution to increase the spatio-temporal resolution and to significantly reduce the temporal aliasing error. This shall be implemented with the MAGIC mission in future. With the ongoing developments in miniaturization of satellites and gravity-relevant instruments (accelerometers and intersatellite ranging), in future constellations of multiple small satellite pairs may solve this problem even beyond the capabilities of a Bender constellation. Therefore, in this study the capabilities of such constellations flying in specific formations are investigated in order to enable a retrieval of the temporal gravity field on short time scales. We assess the performance of up to 18 satellite pairs. The satellite configurations cover satellite pairs in polar and inclined orbits flying in pair-wise or pearl-string formation with varying mean anomalies and right ascensions of the ascending node (RAAN). As future potential miniaturized instruments optomechanical accelerometers with similar performance as those flying on GRACE-FO are a candidate, while for the intersatellite ranging instrument still some technological development is required. Therefore, in this study a microwave ranging system equivalent to the GRACE and GRACE-FO instruments performance is taken as baseline assuming that such instruments can be miniaturized in future as well. In numerical closed-loop simulations, up to nine different satellite configurations with up to 18 satellite pairs are evaluated based on the retrieval of the non-tidal temporal gravity field on a monthly basis. From the simulation results it is concluded that the best-performing satellite constellation of 18 polar satellite pairs already is outperformed by a typical Bender-like constellation of 1 polar and 1 inclined pair. In general, we identify that increasing the number of satellite pairs leads to an improved gravity field retrieval, either at low spherical harmonic degree and order (d/o) by the shift in RAAN or at high d/o by the shift in mean anomaly. By a two-step simulation approach, co-estimating also (sub-)daily gravity fields for selected configurations with a large number of satellite pairs distributed equally over the globe, it is possible to retrieve stand-alone gravity fields at 24, 12 and 6 hr temporal resolution. Ultimately it is concluded that a network of miniaturized satellites with instrument performances similar to GRACE-FO and flying in a well-defined constellation has the potential to observe (sub-)daily mass variations and therefore could drastically reduce the problem of temporal aliasing due to high frequency mass variations in the Earth system.

Identification of ring current proton precipitation driven by scattering of electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves

Among the most intense emissions in the Earth's magnetosphere, electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are regarded as a critical candidate contributing to the precipitation losses of ring current protons, which however lacks direct multi-point observations to establish the underlying physical connection. Based upon a robust conjunction between the satellite pair of Van Allen Probe B and NOAA-19, we perform a detailed analysis to capture simultaneous enhancements of EMIC waves and ring current proton precipitation. By assuming that the ring current proton precipitation is mainly caused by EMIC wave scattering, we establish a physical model between the wave-driven proton diffusion and the ratio of precipitated-to-trapped proton count rates, which is subsequently applied to infer the intensity of EMIC waves required to cause the observed proton precipitation. Our simulations indicate that the model results of EMIC wave intensity, obtained using either the observed or empirical Gaussian wave frequency spectrum, are consistent with the wave observations, within a factor of 1.5. Our study therefore strongly supports the dominant contribution of EMIC waves to the ring current proton precipitation, and offers a valuable means to construct the global profile of EMIC wave intensity using low-altitude NOAA POES proton measurements, which generally have a broad L-shell coverage and high time resolution in favor of near-real-time conversion of the global EMIC wave distribution.

Topside Ionosphere Sounding From the CHAMP, GRACE, and GRACE‐FO Missions

AbstractSatellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are essential for sounding the topside ionosphere. In this work, we present and validate a data set of Total Electron Content (TEC) and in situ electron density observations from the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE‐Follow‐On missions as well as a TEC data set from the CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload mission. Concerning TEC, special emphasis is put to ensure optimal consistency to the already existing Swarm and Gravity field and steady‐state ocean circulation explorer (GOCE) TEC data sets. The newly processed satellite missions allow covering two full solar cycles with LEO slant TEC. Furthermore, the twin satellite missions GRACE and GRACE‐FO equipped with inter‐satellite K‐band ranging allows to derive the horizontal TEC and, due to the small inter‐satellite distance of the satellite pairs, an approximation for local electron density. However, the derived value of electron density is relative and requires calibration using external information. In this work, the calibration is performed using the IRI‐2016 model. Radar observations, as well as in situ electron density observations available from Swarm B Langmuir probes, are used for validation. Conjunctions between satellites are used to validate the TEC time series. The newly derived data set is shown to be highly consistent with the already existing data sets with standard deviations below 3 TECU for TEC (even 1 TECU was reached for low solar flux) and an offset below 7 × 1010 m−3 with a standard deviation near 1 × 1011 m−3 for the electron density.

Assessment of GCOM-C Satellite Imagery in Bloom Detection: A Case Study in the East China Sea

The coast of the East China Sea (ECS) is one of the regions most frequently affected by harmful algal blooms in China. Remote sensing monitoring could assist in understanding the mechanism of blooms and their associated environmental changes. Based on imagery from the Second-Generation Global Imager (SGLI) conducted by Global Change Observation Mission-Climate (GCOM-C) (Japan), the accuracy of satellite measurements was initially validated using matched pairs of satellite and ground data relating to the ECS. Additionally, using SGLI data from the coast of the ECS, we compared the applicability of three bloom extraction methods: spectral shape, red tide index, and algal bloom ratio. With an RMSE of less than 25%, satellite data at 490 nm, 565 nm, and 670 nm showed good consistency with locally measured remote sensing reflectance data. However, there was unexpected overestimation at 443 nm of SGLI data. By using a linear correction method, the RMSE at 443 nm was decreased from 27% to 17%. Based on the linear corrected SGLI data, the spectral shape at 490 nm was found to provide the most satisfactory results in separating bloom and non-bloom waters among the three bloom detection methods. In addition, the capability in harmful algae distinguished using SGLI data was discussed. Both of the Bloom Index method and the green-red Spectral Slope method were found to be applicable for phytoplankton classification using SGLI data. Overall, the SGLI data provided by GCOM-C are consistent with local data and can be used to identify bloom water bodies in the ECS, thereby providing new satellite data to support monitoring of bloom changes in the ECS.

Accurate Estimation of Height and Zonal Drift Velocity of Ionospheric Irregularities Using Two Pairs of Receivers and BeiDou Geostationary Satellites

Accurate Estimation of Height and Zonal Drift Velocity of Ionospheric Irregularities Using Two Pairs of Receivers and BeiDou Geostationary Satellites