SWARM electron density measurements and predictions by IRI and IRI-real-time

Preliminary measurements by the SWARM Langmuir Probes will be compared with predictions by the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) (D. Bilitza et al., Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, 4, 2014, A07(1–12)) involving both the standard IRI and the Real-Time IRI. The Real-Time IRI is based on the IRI Real-Time Assimilative Mapping (IRTAM) algorithm for the F2 peak density and height that was developed by I. Galkin et al. (Radio Science, 47, 2012). IRTAM assimilates digisonde data from the Global Ionosphere Radio Observatory (GIRO) into the IRI-CCIR models for the F-peak density NmF2 and height hmF2. The assimilation for hmF2 is based on the model of Brunini et al. (Advances in Space Research, 51, 2013, pp. 2322–2332) that applies the CCIR formalism directly to hmF2.