Real time monitoring for nowcasting and forecasting ionospheric space weather in Europe with ground digisondes

The Earth’s ionosphere largely determines space weather effects on radio wave communications, navigation and surveillance systems. Lately there has been an increasing demand for ionospheric nowcast and accurate forecast services by various groups of users, including European industry. The paper reviews research activities in Europe based on the exploitation of real-time ground digisondes for the provision of nowcasting and forecasting ionospheric space weather information and useful products and services to support operational applications. During the last few years, important progress in databasing, modelling and forecasting ionospheric disturbances based on real-time data from ground digisondes was achieved in the frames of COST Action 271 «Effects of the Upper Atmosphere on Terrestrial and Earth-Space Communications». Further developments are expected to be deployed with the new COST Action 724 on «Developing the basis for monitoring, modelling and predicting space weather», as well as through the Space Weather Pilot Project of the European Space Agency and through projects funded by the European Commission programmes. Mailing address: Dr. Anna Belehaki, Ionospheric Group, Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens, Metaxa and Vas. Pavlou str., 15236 Palaia Penteli, Greece; e-mail: [email protected]