Abstract 9613847 Ruohoniemi This project will apply the capabilities of the existing SuperDARN (Dual Auroral Radar Network) high frequency (HF) radar pairs in the Arctic and Antarctic to the data needs of the National Space Weather Program (NSWP). These radars are operated in large arrays in both polar regions by several nations. One of the principal ways in which solar activity influences the Earth is through the effect of the solar wind on the magnetosphere and the upper atmosphere. The SuperDARN radars measure the flow velocity of ionospheric structures in the upper atmosphere from which the driving magnetospheric electric fields can be deduced, thus in its present form the radars can provide important data for the research component of the NSWP. Additionally, the project will implement real-time data links which will provide alerts of sudden disturbances in the near-Earth space environment. ***
