Dartmouth College SuperDARN Group

Space Plasma Remote Sensing using Ground-based HF Radars




About SuperDARN

With the help of Dartmouth College students, students and colleagues from three other institutions, Thayer School professor Simon Shepherd constructed a pair of high-frequency backscatter radars in the desert of central Oregon over the Summer and Fall of 2010. These radars are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and are part of an internationally funded global network of radars known as the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN). There are more than 27 SuperDARN radars currently operating in the northern and southern hemispheres (maps).

During normal operation, pulses of radio waves are transmitted in a beam directed forward of the antenna arrays. The radio signal travels up into the Earth's ionosphere and is partially reflected by irregularities in the plasma that makes up the ionosphere. The reflected (backscattered) signal travels back to the radar where the Doppler shift in the signal is measured. Using the same principle as that used by weather radar to detect motions of the atmosphere, a SuperDARN radar can measure the speed at which plasma is moving. By combing observations from all of the radars in the network, a comprehensive view of the plasma motion in the polar ionospheres can be measured and used in studies of the electromagnetic coupling between the solar wind the Earth's magnetosphere. (more information about SuperDARN radars)


Real-time SuperDARN Convection Patterns

Real-time convection patterns using data from Northern Hemisphere SuperDARN radars and propagated solar wind data from the NOAA Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft located at the L1 Lagrangian point. On the right, real-time TS18 statistical model predictions are shown for comparison. Note that gaps or anomalies in the DSCOVR data may cause the TS18 convection model to behave unpredictably.

Real-Time Data
TS18 Model
Real-Time Data
TS18 Model
(Note: A ballistic technique is used by NOAA to propagate the DSCOVR solar wind data from the spacecraft location to 32 Earth radii. We apply an additional 12 minute delay to allow for propagation to the Earth's magnetopause. Gray shaded region corresponds to the 30 min animation interval; vertical dashed line indicates the time of the still frames. IMF Bx and solar wind density values do not contribute to the convection output and are for illustrative purposes only.)


SuperDARN Radar Information

Northern Hemisphere


Site Institution geo. lat. geo. lon. boresight mag. lat. mag. lon. Start Date tdiff X Y Z
Jiamusi East
jme
National Space Science Center 46.816 130.402 44.0 20190625 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0
Hokkaido East
hok
Nagoya University 43.530 143.610 30.0 36.4 -143.9 20061101 0.000 0.0 -100.0 2.9
Hokkaido West
hkw
Nagoya University 43.540 143.6100 -30.0 36.4 -143.9 20141029 0.000 0.0 -100.0 2.55
Adak West
adw
Penn State University +51.89 -176.63 -28.0 46.4 -110.4 20120906 -0.421 +0.0 -69.85 +0.0
Adak East
ade
Penn State University +51.89 -176.63 +46.0 46.4 -110.4 20120906 -0.435 +0.0 -69.85 +0.5
Christmas Valley West
cvw
Dartmouth College +43.271 -120.358 -20.0 48.5 -55.8 20101104 -0.351 +0.0 -80.0 +0.0
Christmas Valley East
cve
Dartmouth College +43.271 -120.358 +54.0 48.5 -55.8 20101104 -0.398 +0.0 -80.0 +0.0
Fort Hays West
fhw
Virginia Tech 38.859 -99.389 -25.0 47.1 -29.6 20091120 0.000 0.0 -80.0 0.0
Fort Hays East
fhe
Virginia Tech 38.859 -99.389 45.0 47.1 -29.6 20091120 0.000 0.0 -80.0 0.0
Blackstone
bks
Virginia Tech 37.100 -77.950 -40.0 46.2 0.5 20080202 -0.338 0.0 -58.9 -2.7
Wallops Island
wal
JHU/APL 37.930 -75.470 35.9 46.0 3.2 20050610 0.000 0.0 100.0 0.0
King Salmon
ksr
NICT 58.680 -156.650 -20.0 56.5 -95.9 20011004 0.000 0.0 100.0 0.0
Kodiak
kod
Penn State University 57.600 -152.200 30.0 56.2 -92.1 20000108 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0
Prince George
pgr
University of Saskatchewan 53.980 -122.590 -5.0 58.1 -60.7 20000303 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0
Saskatoon
sas
University of Saskatchewan 52.160 -106.530 23.1 60.0 -40.5 19930929 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0
Kapuskasing
kap
Virginia Tech 49.390 -82.320 -12.0 58.3 -5.9 19930901 0.043 0.0 100.0 -2.0
Goose Bay
gbr
Virginia Tech 53.320 -60.460 5.0 59.0 24.2 19831001 0.478 1.5 100.0 0.0
Stokkseyri
sto
Lancaster University 63.860 -21.031 -59.0 62.7 65.3 19940601 0.000 0.0 100.0 0.0
Pykkvibaer
pyk
University of Leicester 63.770 -20.540 30.0 62.6 66.1 19951120 -0.083 0.0 100.0 0.0
Hankasalmi
han
University of Leicester 62.320 26.610 -12.0 58.6 103.2 19950222 0.181 0.0 185.0 -2.2
Longyearbyen
lyr
University Centre in Svalbard 78.153 16.074 +23.7 75.3 108.3 20161019 0.0 0.0 -100.1 8.1
Clyde River
cly
University of Saskatchewan 70.487 -68.504 -55.62 77.0 18.8 20120806 0.000 0.0 100.0 0.0
Inuvik
inv
University of Saskatchewan 68.414 -133.772 29.5 70.9 -80.2 20080101 0.000 1.5 100.0 0.0
Rankin Inlet
rkn
University of Saskatchewan 62.828 -92.113 5.7 70.8 -21.5 20070501 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0

Southern Hemisphere


Site Institution geo. lat. geo. lon. boresight mag. lat. mag. lon. Start Date tdiff X Y Z
Buckland Park
bpk
La Trobe University -34.620 138.460 146.5 -44.6 -145.9 20141201 0.000 0.0 -80.0 0.0
TIGER
tig
La Trobe University -43.380 147.230 180.0 -53.6 -132.7 19991202 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0
Unwin
unw
La Trobe University -46.510 168.380 227.9 -53.3 -106.0 20041101 0.000 0.0 -100.0 0.0
South Pole Station
sps
Penn State University -89.995 118.291 75.7 -75.3 19.8 20130122 0.192 0.0 97.5 0.0
Halley
hal
British Antarctic Survey -75.520 -26.630 165.0 -61.8 30.7 19880101 0.000 0.0 0.0 0.0
SANAE
san
University of KwaZulu-Natal -71.680 -2.850 173.2 -61.5 46.0 19970302 0.000 0.0 100.0 0.0
Syowa East
sye
NIPR -69.010 39.610 106.5 -66.4 73.2 19970208 0.000 -5.0 92.0 0.8
Syowa South
sys
NIPR -69.000 39.580 165.0 -66.4 73.2 19950201 0.000 -5.0 92.0 0.8
Kerguelen
ker
IRAP/CNRS -49.350 70.260 168.0 -58.1 124.4 20000601 0.000 0 -89.6 0.0
Dome C East
dce
IAPS-INAF -75.090 123.350 115.0 -89.0 64.3 20120112 -0.151 0.0 -90.0 0.0
Dome C North
dcn
IAPS-INAF -75.086 123.3597 -28.0 -89.0 64.3 20130123 -0.175 0.0 -90.0 0.0
Zhongshan Station
zho
Polar Research Institute of China -69.379 76.378 72.5 -74.5 99.6 20100401 -0.180 -27.6 100.1 -5.3
McMurdo
mcm
Penn State University -77.880 166.730 263.4 -80.0 -38.2 20100122 0.000 0.0 70.1 -4.1
Falkland Islands
fir
British Antarctic Survey -51.831 -58.979 178.3 20100401 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000