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A Ercha, LUO Xinyue, CHEN Yanhong, SHEN Hua, YUAN Tianjiao, HUANG Wengeng, WANG Xin, LU Guorui, LUO Bingxian. An Ionospheric Space-Weather Data Assimilation System over China Based on Meridian Project GNSS Measurements (in Chinese). Chinese Journal of Space Science, 2026, 46(5): 1-18 doi: 10.11728/cjss2026.05.2025-0182
Citation: A Ercha, LUO Xinyue, CHEN Yanhong, SHEN Hua, YUAN Tianjiao, HUANG Wengeng, WANG Xin, LU Guorui, LUO Bingxian. An Ionospheric Space-Weather Data Assimilation System over China Based on Meridian Project GNSS Measurements (in Chinese). Chinese Journal of Space Science, 2026, 46(5): 1-18 doi: 10.11728/cjss2026.05.2025-0182
shu

An Ionospheric Space-Weather Data Assimilation System over China Based on Meridian Project GNSS Measurements

doi: 10.11728/cjss2026.05.2025-0182 cstr: 32142.14.cjss.2025-0182
  • 1.

    State Key Laboratory of Solar Activity and Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190

  • 2.

    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100149

  • Received Date: 2025-10-31
  • Rev Recd Date: 2025-12-30
    • Available Online: 2026-02-09
    Abstract
  • The successful deployment and national acceptance of the second phase of the Chinese Meridian Project (CMP), a major national scientific and technological infrastructure, signify a substantial leap forward in China’s space environment monitoring capabilities. In particular, CMP’s ionospheric monitoring network has greatly strengthened both research and operational capabilities in ionospheric space weather. This study presents a new-generation ionospheric space weather data assimilation system for China and adjacent regions, based on GNSS observations from the CMP. Leveraging stable and robust data from 85 GNSS stations from CMP and the International GNSS Service, the system integrates multi-constellation GNSS measurements from GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo as input and employs a three-dimensional variational assimilation approach. It generates high-precision and operational ionospheric space weather products, represented by ionospheric TEC, covering China and adjacent regions (15°－55°N, 70°－140°E), which significantly improves the ability to reconstruct and characterize ionospheric disturbances over China. This data assimilation system can provide diverse ionospheric space weather products, including gridded TEC, ΔTEC, and the Rate of TEC change Index (ROTI), with a high spatial-temporal resolution of 1°×1°×15 min. These ionospheric products are routinely updated and publicly available via the website of the Space Environment Prediction Center (http://www.sepc.ac.cn/TEC_chn.php) at the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Beyond enabling high-fidelity monitoring of the ionospheric space environment over China and adjacent regions, this system also supports in-depth investigation of multi-scale ionospheric variations and irregularity characteristics. In addition, it delivers timely, accurate, and effective ionospheric space weather information and error correction for shortwave communication, radar imaging, satellite navigation, and space weather nowcasting.

     

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