In:
Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 11, No. 1 ( 2022-03-24), p. 149-162
Abstract:
Abstract. Swarm is the European Space Agency (ESA)'s first Earth observation constellation mission, which was launched in 2013 to study the geomagnetic field and its temporal
evolution. Two Langmuir probes aboard each of the three Swarm satellites provide in situ measurements of plasma parameters, which contribute to
the study of the ionospheric plasma dynamics. To maintain a high data quality for scientific and technical applications, the Swarm products are
continuously monitored and validated via science-oriented diagnostics. This paper presents an overview of the data quality of the Swarm Langmuir
probes' measurements. The data quality is assessed by analysing short and long data segments, where the latter are selected to be sufficiently long enough to
consider the impact of the solar activity. Langmuir probe data have been validated through comparison with numerical models, other satellite
missions, and ground observations. Based on the outcomes from quality control and validation activities conducted by ESA, as well as scientific
analysis and feedback provided by the user community, the Swarm products are regularly upgraded. In this paper, we discuss the data quality
improvements introduced with the latest baseline, and how the data quality is influenced by the solar cycle. In particular, plasma measurements are
more accurate in day-side regions during high solar activity, while electron temperature measurements are more reliable during night side at middle
and low latitudes during low solar activity. The main anomalies affecting the Langmuir probe measurements are described, as well as possible
improvements in the derived plasma parameters to be implemented in future baselines.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2193-0864
DOI:
10.5194/gi-11-149-2022
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2690575-9
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