GPS World - February 2008 - (Page 54)

INNOVATION | System Design & Test p FIGURE 5 Internal gravity waves (IGWs) generated by the Sumatra tsunami and the response of the ionosphere to neutral motion at 02:40 UT (almost two hours after the earthquake). On the left, the normalized vertical velocity induced by tsunami-generated IGWs in the neutral atmosphere is shown. On the right, the perturbation induced by IGWs in the ionospheric plasma (in electrons per cubic meter) is shown, with the maximum perturbation at an altitude of about 300 kilometers. The vertical cut shown in these profiles is at a latitude of −1 degree. p FIGURE 4 Satellite altimeter and total electron content (TEC) sig- natures of the Sumatra tsunami. The modeled and observed TEC is shown for (a) Jason-1 and for (b) Topex/Poseidon: data (black), synthetic TEC without production-recombination-diffusion effects (blue), with production-recombination (red), and production-recombination-diffusion (green). The Topex/Poseidon synthetic TEC has been shifted up by 2 TEC units. In (c) and (d), the altimetric measurements of the ocean surface (black) are plotted for the Jason1 and Topex/Poseidon satellites, respectively. The synthetic ocean displacement, used as the source of internal gravity waves in the neutral atmosphere, is shown in red. In (e), the cross-correlations between TEC synthetics and data are shown for Jason-1 (blue) and Topex/Poseidon (red). propagation is not limited to the oceanic surface; as previously discussed, the ocean displacement is transferred to the atmosphere where it becomes an internal gravity wave. This coupling phenomenon is linear and can be reproduced solving the wave propagation equations, nominally the continuity and the so-called Navier-Stokes equations. These equations are solved assuming the atmosphere to be irrotational, inviscid, and incompressible. The IGWs are, indeed, imposed by displacement of the mass under the effect of the gravity force, contrary to the elastic waves gener54 GPS World | February 2008 ated by compression (for example, sound waves), so the medium can be considered incompressible. FIGURE 5 (left) shows the IGWs produced by the Sumatra tsunami. The inversion of the velocity with altitude (wind shear) is a typical structure of IGWs. Neutral-Plasma Coupling. The tsunamigenic IGWs are injected into a 3D ionospheric model to reproduce the induced electron density perturbations. In essence, the coupling model solves the hydromagnetic equations for three ion species (O2+, NO+, and O+). Physically, the neutral atmosphere motion induces fluctuations in the plasma velocity by way of momentum transfer driven by collision frequency and the Lorentz term associated with Earth’s magnetic and electric fields. Ion loss, recombination, and diffusion are also taken into account in the ion continuity equation. Finally, the perturbed electron density is inferred from ion densities using the charge neutrality hypothesis. The International Reference Ionosphere model is used for background electron density; SAMI2 (a recursive acronym: SAMI2 is Another Model of the Ionosphere) is used for collision, production, and loss parameters; and a constant geomagnetic field is assumed based on the International Geomagnetic Reference Field. FIGURE 5 (right) shows the perturbation induced in the ionospheric plasma by the tsunamigenic IGW following the Sumatra event. The perturbation is strongly localized to around 300 kilometers altitude where the electron density background is maximized. The resulting electron density dynamic model described above allows us to compute a map of the perturbed TEC by simple vertical integration (see FIGURE 6). In addition to the geometrical dispersion of the tsunami, the TEC map shows horizontal heterogeneities in the electron density perturbation that are induced by the geomagnetic field inclination. The magnetic field plays a fundamental role in the neutral-plasma coupling, resulting in a strong amplification at the magnetic equator where the magnetic field is directed horizontally. The isolated perturbation appearing more to the south is probably induced by the full development of the IGW in the atmosphere. Recent work www.gpsworld.com http://www.gpsworld.com

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GPS World - February 2008 Contents Out in Front Expert Advice Galileo's Second Coming Soon UPS First to Use ADS-B European Industry Group Galileo Validation 2008 Antenna Survey Tsumani Detection by GPS Classifieds Advertisers Index Seen + Heard

GPS World - February 2008

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