| dc.description.abstract | During the Beacon Satellite Symposium, held in Trieste, Italy, between June 26 and July 1 2016, the JRC chaired the session 5B: Radio Occultation Techniques and Measurements. The corresponding abstract of the session is provided as follows: Since the mid-1960s, the GNSS based radio occultation technique has been used to study the structure and properties of the atmospheres of not only Earth but also other planets, such as Venus, Mars, some other outer planets, and many of their moons. By measuring the phase delay of radio waves from GNSS satellites as they are occulted by the Earth’s atmosphere, the vertical density profiles of the bending angles of radio wave trajectories can be estimated using measurements onboard LEO satellites. The success of the GPS/MET mission in 1995 inspired a number of follow-on missions that include radio occultation experiment, including the CHAMP, GRACE, SAC-C, COSMIC, Metop-A/B, C/NOFS, and upcoming COSMIC-2 satellites. The combined profiles from these different LEO satellites provide excellent opportunities to explore the dynamics and structure of the ionosphere, especially in the regions that have been devoid of ground-based instruments, allowing for investigation of the longitudinal variability of the ionospheric density structure. This session seeks contributions that advance the application of RO technique for space weather studies. In addition, we welcome presentations exploring innovative methodologies that address the current problem on RO inversion technique at the equatorial region where ionospheric irregularity, such as sporadic E and spread F, present and degrade the linear combination technique that affect the quality of density profile extracted in the region. The session was organized among Endawoke Yizengaw (Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College), Jann-Yenq Liu (National Space Organization –NSPO- Chief Scientist), and Angela Aragon-Angel (Joint Research Centre). The session consisted of both oral and poster presentation parts. |
