Data collection on these Incoherent Scatter Coordinated Observation Days is to start no later than 1300 UT on the indicated day and stop not before 2000 UT the ending day. That means that an experiment scheduled for 1 day, actually runs for minimum 31 hours. Depending on local setups, it is recommended to extend the runs around the core hours to be sure to have the systems up at full power during the selected periods.
In the following table, columns 1 and 2 give the UT start dates of the experiments, column 3 lists the lengths of the experiments, column 4 shows the dates of new moon, and column 5 lists the experiment titles. See special notes associated with each World Day period.
2013 Incoherent Scatter Coordinated Observation Days |
||||
Month |
Starting Date |
Length (days) |
New Moon |
Experiment |
January |
15-31 Alert |
10 |
11 |
StratWarm (see Note 1) |
February |
1-15 Alert |
10 |
||
March |
11 |
|||
April |
16 |
3 |
10 |
Synoptic |
May |
10 |
|||
June |
8 |
|||
July |
8 |
4 |
8 |
E-region E field |
August |
6 |
|||
September |
5 |
|||
October |
5 |
|||
November |
4 |
3 |
3 |
Synoptic |
December |
3 |
|||
Total |
20 |
|||
|
Real-Time Data Links (when available) |
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Jicamarca | Arecibo | Millstone Hill | ||||
Sondrestrom | PFISR | RISR-N | ||||
EISCAT | Kharkov | Irkutsk | ||||
MU | SuperDARN |
Send comments, questions and proposals for the World Day schedule to Mary McCready or Ian McCrea
Establishing “World Day” schedules for coordinating the operations of the incoherent scatter radars around the world is one of the activities of the Incoherent Scatter Working Group (ISWG) of Commission G of URSI. These schedules are published yearly as part of the International Geophysical Calendar. Here are some of the facts about world days:
Instructions and guidlines for submitting World Day proposals are available at: http://people.ece.cornell.edu/wes/URSI_ISWG/SampleWDproposal.htm, where you can also find a sample proposal.
Background condition: The observations need to be made before and during the sudden stratospheric warming. A 10-day campaign is requested.
Primary parameters to measure: LTCS mode - electron and ion temperatures from lowest
possible altitudes throughout
the F region, zonal and meridional components of the neutral wind in the lower thermosphere (95-140km), ExB drift,
F-region meridional wind. Temporal resolution can be sacrificed and data integration period increased in order to obtain data at lower altitudes.
Need for simultaneous data: The idea is to measure how variations in temperatures, electric field and winds associated with sudden stratospheric warming change with latitude and altitude and relate to variations in electron density.
Principle investigator: Larisa P. Goncharenko, lpg@haystack.mit.edu, MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA 01886, USA. Larisa is responsible for issuing the alert. She anticipates a few days' notice.
Co-investigators: Jorge Chau (Jicamarca Radio Observatory, Peru), Hanli Liu (NCAR, USA), Peter Hoffmann (Institute for Atmospheric Physics, Germany).
Background Conditions: Ideally two days each during geomagnetically quiet and active periods.
Primary Parameters to Measure: Vertical profiles of vertical ion drifts and geomagnetic zonal ion drift primarily during daytime. No beam swinging unless necessary to obtain the two components in the geomagnetic zonal plane. For single feed, swing in the geomagnetic zonal plane if possible.
Secondary Parameters to Measure: Electron density, electron and ion temperatures.
Principle Investigator: Qihou Zhou, zhouq@muohio.edu, Tel: +1-513-529-0743 Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept., Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA. Qihou will coordinate the observations and discuss with each ISR site to ensure that optimal modes will be used.