Physics‐based forecasts of equatorial radio scintillation for the Communication and Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS)

Abstract

The plans for producing long‐term (6–24 hour) forecasts of equatorial plasma structure and radio scintillation for the Communication and Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) program are described. We discuss the calculations and computer models required to represent the physics of the phenomena pertinent to the C/NOFS mission. We describe the means by which the models will be integrated into a system that ingests satellite data and provides forecast maps. The plans for validation of the calculations are outlined briefly, with a few sample results.