An improved particle filter indoor fusion positioning approach based on Wi-Fi/PDR/geomagnetic field

The existing indoor fusion positioning methods based on Pedestrian Dead Reckoning(PDR)and geomagnetic technology have the problems of large initial position error,low sensor accuracy,and geomagnetic mismatch.In this study,a novel indoor fusion positioning approach based on the improved particle filter algorithm by geomagnetic iterative matching is proposed,where Wi-Fi,PDR,and geomagnetic signals are integrated to improve indoor positioning performances.One important contribution is that geomagnetic iterative matching is firstly proposed based on the particle filter algorithm.During the positioning process,an iterative window and a constraint window are introduced to limit the particle generation range and the geomagnetic matching range respectively.The position is corrected several times based on geomagnetic iterative matching in the location correction stage when the pedestrian movement is detected,which made up for the shortage of only one time of geomagnetic correction in the existing particle filter algorithm.In addition,this study also proposes a real-time step detection algorithm based on multi-threshold constraints to judge whether pedestrians are moving,which satisfies the real-time requirement of our fusion positioning approach.Through experimental verification,the average positioning accuracy of the proposed approach reaches 1.59 m,which improves 33.2%compared with the existing particle filter fusion positioning algorithms.

Design and implementation of low-cost geomagnetic field monitoring equipment for high-density deployment

The observation of geomagnetic field variations is an important approach to studying earthquake precursors.Since 1987,the China Earthquake Administration has explored this seismomagnetic relationship.In particular,they studied local magnetic field anomalies over the Chinese mainland for earthquake prediction.Owing to the years of research on the seismomagnetic relationship,earthquake prediction experts have concluded that the compressive magnetic effect,tectonic magnetic effect,electric magnetic fluid effect,and other factors contribute to preearthquake magnetic anomalies.However,this involves a small magnitude of magnetic field changes.It is difficult to relate them to the abnormal changes of the extremely large magnetic field in regions with extreme earthquakes owing to the high cost of professional geomagnetic equipment,thereby limiting large-scale deployment.Moreover,it is difficult to obtain strong magnetic field changes before an earthquake.The Tianjin Earthquake Agency has developed low-cost geomagnetic field observation equipment through the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei geomagnetic equipment test project.The new system was used to test the availability of equipment and determine the findings based on big data..

A statistical analysis of the Kappa-type energy spectrum distribution of radiation belt electrons observed by Van Allen Probes

The energy spectrum of energetic electrons is a key factor representing the dynamic variations of Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts.Increased measurements have indicated that the commonly used Maxwellian and Kappa distributions are inadequate for capturing the realistic spectral distributions of radiation belt electrons.Here we adopt the Kappa-type(KT)distribution as the fitting function and perform a statistical analysis to investigate the radiation belt electron flux spectra observed by the Van Allen Probes.By calculating the optimal values of the key KT distribution parameters(i.e.,κandθ2)from the observed spectral shapes,we fit the radiation belt electron fluxes at different L-shells under different geomagnetic conditions.In this manner,we obtain typical values of the KT distribution parameters,which are statistically feasible for modeling the radiation belt electron flux profiles during either geomagnetically quiet or active periods.A comparison of the KT distribution model results with those using the Maxwellian or Kappa distribution reveals the advantage of the KT distribution for studying the overall properties of the radiation belt electron spectral distribution,which has important implications for deepening the current understanding of the radiation belt electron dynamics under evolving geomagnetic conditions.

Thermosphere joint observations by TM-1 constellations and Swarm-B during the April 2023 geomagnetic storm

The response of thermosphere density to geomagnetic storms is a complicated physical process.Multi-satellite joint observations at the same altitude but different local times(LTs)are important for understanding this process;however,until now such studies have hardly been done.In this report,we analyze in detail the thermosphere mass density response at 510 km during the April 23−24,2023 geomagnetic storm using data derived from the TM-1(TianMu-1)satellite constellation and Swarm-B satellites.The observations show that there were significant LT differences in the hemispheric asymmetry of the thermosphere mass density during the geomagnetic storm.Densities observed by satellite TM02 at nearly 11.3 and 23.3 LTs were larger in the northern hemisphere than in the southern.The TM04 dayside density observations appear to be almost symmetrical with respect to the equator,though southern hemisphere densities on the nightside were higher.Swarm-B data exhibit near-symmetry between the hemispheres.In addition,the mass density ratio results show that TM04 nightside observations,TM02 data,and Swarm-B data all clearly show stronger effects in the southern hemisphere,except for TM04 on the dayside,which suggest hemispheric near-symmetry.The South-North density enhancement differences in TM02 and TM04 on dayside can reach 130%,and Swarm-B data even achieve 180%difference.From the observations of all three satellites,large-scale traveling atmospheric disturbances(TADs)first appear at high latitudes and propagate to low latitudes,thereby disturbing the atmosphere above the equator and even into the opposite hemisphere.NRLMSISE00 model simulations were also performed on this geomagnetic storm.TADs are absent in the NRLMSISE00 simulations.The satellite data suggest that NRLMSISE00 significantly underestimates the magnitude of the density response of the thermosphere during geomagnetic storms,especially at high latitudes in both hemispheres.Therefore,use of the density simulation of NRLMSISE00 may lead to large errors in satellite drag calculations and orbit predictions.We suggest that the high temporal and spatial resolution of direct density observations by the TM-1 constellation satellites can provide an autonomous and reliable basis for correction and improvement of atmospheric models.

Recent geomagnetic storms observed by Macao Science Satellite-1

Geomagnetic storms are rapid disturbances of the Earth’s magnetosphere.They are related to many geophysical phenomena and have large influences on human activities.Observing and studying geomagnetic storms is thus of great significance to both scientific research and geomagnetic hazards prevention.The Macao Science Satellite-1(MSS-1)project includes two high-precision Chinese geomagnetic satellites successfully launched on May 21,2023.The main purpose of MSS-1 is to accurately measure the Earth’s magnetic field.Here,we analyze early MSS-1 geomagnetic field measurements and report observations of two recent geomagnetic storms that occurred on March 24,2024 and May 11,2024.We also calculate the related geoelectric fields as an initial step towards a quantitative assessment of geomagnetic hazards.

Interhemispheric and longitudinal differences in the ionosphere-thermosphere coupling process during the May 2024 superstorm

Geomagnetic storm events have a strong influence on the ionosphere–thermosphere(I-T)coupling system.Analyzing the regional response process of the I-T system and its differences across the northern and southern hemispheres is an important but challenging task.In this study,we used a combination of multiple observations and a model simulation to examine the north–south hemispheric difference in the I-T coupling system in the American and Asian sectors during the geomagnetic superstorm that occurred in May 2024.Observations of the total electron content(TEC)showed that the Asian sector had negative storms in the northern hemisphere and positive storms in the southern hemisphere,a process that exacerbated the hemispheric differences in the TEC.However,both hemispheres of the American sector showed negative storms.The thermospheric composition changes also differed between the two sectors,and their variation could partially explain the hemispheric differences caused by positive and negative storms.Moreover,the influence of the thermospheric density change was less than that of the thermospheric composition.Finally,the dynamic effect of the thermospheric wind and the plasma transport processes strongly modulated the north–south differences in the TEC at nighttime in the American and Asian sectors,respectively,during this superstorm.

The dawn−dusk asymmetry in mesosphere and lower thermosphere temperature disturbances during geomagnetic storms at high latitude

Utilizing observations by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry(SABER)instrument,we quantitatively assessed the dawn-dusk asymmetry in temperature disturbances within the high-latitude mesosphere and lower thermosphere(MLT)during the main phase of geomagnetic storms in this study.An analysis of five geomagnetic superstorm events indicated that during the main phase,negative temperature disturbances were more prevalent on the dawn side than on the dusk side in the high-latitude MLT region.Results of a statistical analysis of 54 geomagnetic storm events also revealed a notable disparity in temperature disturbances between the dawn and dusk sides.At high latitudes,38.2%of the observational points on the dawn side exhibited negative temperature disturbances(less than−5 K),whereas on the dusk side,this percentage was only 29.5%.In contrast,at mid-latitudes,these proportions were 34.1%and 36.5%,respectively,showing no significant difference.We also conducted a statistical analysis of temperature disturbances at different altitudes,which revealed an increase in the proportion of warming disturbances with altitude.Conversely,the proportion of cooling disturbances initially rose with altitude,reaching a peak around 105 km,and subsequently decreased.These temperature disturbance differences could be explained by the day-night asymmetry in vertical wind disturbances during storm conditions.

Statistical Study of the Geoeffectivity of Halo Coronal Mass Ejections Associated with X-Class Flares during Solar Cycles 23 and 24

By analysing a long series of data (1996-2019), we show that solar cycle 23 was more marked by violent solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) compared to solar cycle 24. In particular, the halo coronal mass ejections associated with X-class flares appear to be among the most energetic events in solar activity given the size of the flares, the speed of the CMEs and the intense geomagnetic storms they produce. Out of eighty-six (86) X-class halo CMEs, thirty-seven (37) or 43% are highly geoeffective;twenty-four (24) or approximately 28% are moderately geoeffective and twenty-five (25) or 29% are not geoeffective. Over the two solar cycles (1996 to 2019), 71% of storms were geoeffective and 29% were not. For solar cycle 23, about 78% of storms were geoeffective, while for solar cycle 24, about 56% were geoeffective. For the statistical study based on speed, 85 halo CMEs associated with X-class flares were selected because the CME of 6 December 2006 has no recorded speed value. For both solar cycles, 75.29% of the halo CMEs associated with X-class flares have a speed greater than 1000 km/s. The study showed that 42.18% of halo (X) CMEs with speeds above 1000 km/s could cause intense geomagnetic disturbances. These results show the contribution (in terms of speed) of each class of halo (X) CMEs to the perturbation of the Earth’s magnetic field. Coronal mass ejections then become one of the key indicators of solar activity, especially as they affect the Earth.

Preface to the Special Issue on the Macao Science Satellite-1 Mission

The Macao Science Satellite-1(MSS-1)mission(https://mss.must.edu.mo/)is marked by a new high-precision constellation of satellites that will survey the Earth’s geomagnetic and space environment.MSS-1 consists of two satellites that are to be launched in the near future.Since these two low Earth orbit(LEO)satellites will operate in circular orbits,with an inclination of about 41°,they are expected to provide essential measurements covering the Earth’s lower-latitude regions—including,especially,the South Atlantic Anomaly(SAA).This special issue presents 18 articles to provide the international scientific community with details regarding the mission’s goals,relevant scientific research,on-board payloads,and international collaborations.Contributors are members of the scientific and engineering groups involved in the mission.In this preface,we categorize the articles and give some brief comments or editor’s recommendations.

A novel geomagnetic satellite constellation:Science and applications

The European Space Agency(ESA)’s Swarm constellation of a trio of geomagnetic survey satellites in nearly circular polar orbits at altitude about 500 km was launched on 22 November 2013 and has been mapping the Earth’s global magnetic field in unprecedented details,helping scientists better understand how the geomagnetic field is generated and maintained inside the Earth’s fluid core and how the Earth’s external magnetic environment is changing.This review discusses a new novel constellation of the geomagnetic survey satellites that consists of at least four satellites:two satellites are in lower-latitude and nearly circular orbits at altitude about 450 km;two further satellites are marked by nearly polar but strongly eccentric orbits with perigee about 200 km and apogee about 5000 km.The new geomagnetic satellites are equipped with highly stable optical benches,high-precision fluxgate magnetometers and scalar magnetometers which are capable of mapping the Earth’s three-dimensional magnetic field in unprecedented accuracies and details.The new constellation will help elucidate different contributions to the measured geomagnetic field:the core dynamo field,the lithospheric magnetic field,the magnetic fields produced by currents in the ionosphere and the magnetosphere as well as by the currents coupling the ionosphere and magnetosphere,and the magnetic fields induced from the electrically conducting mantle,lithosphere and oceans.In comparison to the Swarm mission,it will provide higher-accuracy,higher-resolution and higher-dimension measurements of the geomagnetic field required for shedding new insights into the core dynamo processes and the Earth’s space magnetic systems along with a wide range of important applications.

Study on the estimation of Euler angles for Macao Science Satellite-1

The Euler angle estimation is a calibration method for vector data measured by the magnetometer on a satellite.It is used to find the relative rotation between the coordinate system of the magnetometer and the satellite(usually determined by Star Imagers).Before launch of the low-orbit,low-inclination Macao Science Satellite-1(known as MSS-1),we simulated the estimation of Euler angles by using the magnetic measurements of the in-orbit Swarm and China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite(noted as CSES),with various data combinations.In this study,11 data sets were designed to analyze the estimation results for the MSS-1 orbit by using a joint estimation method of the geomagnetic field model parameters and Euler angles.For the model results,we found that all the spatial power spectral lines showed behavior consistent with that of the CHAOS-7.8 model at low degrees(corresponding to large-scale magnetic signals).The spectra of models without global data coverage deviated much more(by a maximum of~10^(4) nT^(2))from those of the CHAOS-7.8 model at higher degrees.For models with global data coverage and with various data combinations,the spectral lines were distributed similarly.Moreover,the models with accordant power spectral distributions demonstrated different Euler angle estimations.As more vector data at higher latitudes were included,the estimated Euler angles varied monotonically in all three directions.The models with vector data in the same latitude range showed similar Euler angle results,regardless of whether the poleward scalar data were included.The largest value difference was found between the models using vector data within±40°latitudes and those using vector data within±60°latitudes,which reached to~28″.Therefore,we concluded that the inversion of the spherical harmonic Gauss coefficients in our tests was mainly affected by the spatial coverage range of the data,whereas the estimation of Euler angles largely depended on the latitude range where the vector data could be obtained.These results can be used for future in-flight data testing.We expect the estimation of Euler angles to improve as other methods are adopted.

Dynamic mode decomposition of the geomagnetic field over the last two decades

Earth’s magnetic field,which is generated in the liquid outer core through the dynamo action,undergoes changes on timescales of a few years to several million years,yet the underlying mechanisms responsible for the field variations remain to be elucidated.In this study,we apply a novel data analysis technique developed in fluid dynamics,namely the dynamic mode decomposition,to analyze the geomagnetic variations over the last two decades when continuous satellite observations are available.The dominant dynamic modes are extracted by solving an eigen-value problem,so one can identify modes with periods longer than the time span of data.Our analysis show that similar dynamic modes are extracted from the geomagnetic secular variation and secular acceleration,justifying the validity of applying the dynamic mode decomposition method to geomagnetic field.We reveal that the geomagnetic field variations are characterized by a global mode with period of 58 years,a localized mode with period of 16 years and an equatorially trapped mode with period of 8.5 years.These modes are possibly related to magnetohydrodynamic waves in the Earth’s outer core.

Responses of the field-aligned currents in the plasma sheet boundary layer to a geomagnetic storm

Geomagnetic storms can result in large magnetic field disturbances and intense currents in the magnetosphere and even on the ground.As an important medium of momentum and energy transport among the solar wind,magnetosphere,and ionosphere,field-aligned currents(FACs)can also be strengthened in storm times.This study shows the responses of FACs in the plasma sheet boundary layer(PSBL)observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale(MMS)spacecraft in different phases of a large storm that lasted from May 27,2017,to May 29,2017.Most of the FACs were carried by electrons,and several FACs in the storm time also contained sufficient ion FACs.The FAC magnitudes were larger in the storm than in the quiet period,and those in the main phase were the strongest.In this case,the direction of the FACs in the main phase showed no preference for tailward or earthward,whereas the direction of the FACs in the recovery phase was mostly tailward.The results suggest that the FACs in the PSBL are closely related to the storm and could be driven by activities in the tail region,where the energy transported from the solar wind to the magnetosphere is stored and released as the storm is evolving.Thus,the FACs are an important medium of energy transport between the tail and the ionosphere,and the PSBL is a significant magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling region in the nightside.

Suppression of Plasma Bubbles over South America under Weak Geomagnetic Perturbations

During a long-term Equatorial Plasma Bubbles(EPBs)occurrence between October 2020 and March 2021,a significant EPB suppression event was identified on November 22 and the observations from multi-instrument have been utilized to investigate this event.Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk(GOLD)satellite observed prominent EPBs between 23:40 UT and 23:55 UT during the long-term occurrence days.However,no dark stripes representing EPBs were observed on November 22,and the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly(EIA)structure remained intact.The Total Electron Content(TEC)maps show that these EPBs appeared in the region between 35°W and 65°W longitudes and the magnitudes of the TEC loss in EPBs regions were about 20 TECU.Except for 22 November,the S4 index was consistently greater than 0.6 throughout November,indicating significant ionospheric scintillation.The Rate Of TEC Index(ROTI)maps revealed that the spatial extent and intensity of EPBs increased after their suppression,and the EPBs were locally generated.The swarm electron density measurements indicated that the variation amplitudes of EPBs at 510 km altitude were approximately 3 to 5 times larger than that at 460 km altitude.The impact region of EPBs at 510 km was between 15°S and 20°N latitudes,while at 460 km,it was between 0°and 17°N latitudes.During the period of EPB suppression,the average h’f at three ionosonde stations decreased by about 50 km,and the vertical drift velocity(V z)approached~0 m/s while it was more than 20 m/s during the long-term occurrence.

Analysis of Anomalous Enhancement in TEC and Electron Density in the China Region Prior to the 17 March 2015 Geomagnetic Storm Based on Ground and Space Observations

Total Electron Content(TEC)and electron density enhancement were observed on the day before 17 March 2015 great storm in the China Region.Observations from ground-and space-based instruments are used to investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of the pre-storm enhancement.TEC enhancement was observed from 24°N to 30°N after 10:00 UT at 105°E,110°E and 115°E longitudes on March 16.The maximum magnitude of TEC enhancement was more than 10 TECU and the maximal relative TEC enhancement exceeded 30%.Compared with geomagnetic quiet days,the electron density of Equatorial Ionization Anomaly(EIA)northern peak from Swarm A/C satellites on March 16 was larger and at higher latitudes.NmF2 enhanced during 11:30—21:00 UT at Shaoyang Station and increased by 200%at~16:00 UT.However,TEC and electron density enhancement were not accompanied by a significant change of hmF2.Most research has excluded some potential mechanisms as the main driving factors for storm-time density enhancements by establishing observational constraints.In this paper,we observed pre-storm enhancement in electron density at different altitudes and Equatorial Electrojet(EEJ)strength results derived from ground magnetometers observations suggest an enhanced eastward electric field from the E region probably played a significant role in this event.

A Middle Pleistocene Glaciation Record from Lacustrine Sediments in the Western Tibetan Plateau and Discussion on Climate Change

The Tibetan Plateau is an important area for studying global climate change,but the answers to many scientific problems remain unknown.Here,we present new information from the lacustrine sedimentary record in the western Tibetan Plateau,related to the third most-recent glaciations.Continuous sediment data,including sporopollen,particle size,total organic carbon,mass susceptibility,CaCO_(3),CaSO_(4),BaSO_(4)contents and chronological data,were reconstructed and revealed that climate and environmental conditions obviously and distinctly changed between 600 and 700 thousand years ago.In comparison,the data obtained from the Guliya ice core in this area also corresponds to the global glacial climatic characteristics recorded in basin sediments in the eastern and southeastern regions of the plateau and to the information obtained from ice cores in the Antarctic and Arctic regions.In this study,we conclude that the main reason for the glaciations and new tectonic movement must be a geomagnetic polarity reversal 774 thousand years ago(from Matuyama to Brunhes).Indeed,the results of this study suggest that the described reversal event might have influenced the current global climate pattern and will continue to impact climatic changes in the future.

The study of geomagnetic jerk from 2010 to 2021 based on hourly mean data from global geomagnetic observatories

The secular variation in the global geomagnetic field was analyzed in terms of the annual differences in monthly means by using the hourly mean data from 18 foreign(outside China)observatories of the World Data Center(WDC)for Geomagnetism from January 2010 to January 2020 as well as 9 observatories in the Geomagnetic Network of China from January 2015 to April 2021.In addition,according to the correlation of noisy components from the observatories,a covariance matrix was constructed based on residuals between observations and the CHAOS-7.4 model to remove external contamination.Through a comparison before and after denoising,we found that the overall average standard deviations were reduced by 29.97%in China and by 41.4%outside China.Results showed the correlation coefficient between external noise(mainly the magnetosphere ring current)and the Dst index was 0.82,and the correlation coefficient between external noise and the Ring Current(RC)index reached 0.94.A geomagnetic jerk was globally discovered around 2018.0 on the geomagnetic eastward component Y.The jerk timing in China was around 2020.0,and the earliest one was in2018.75,whereas the timing outside China was around 2018.0,and the earliest one was in 2017.67.This 2-year lag may have been caused by the higher electrical conductivity of the deep mantle.After more data were added,this jerk event was found to occur in an orderly manner in the northern hemisphere as the longitude increased and the intensity gradually increased as well.The variations in location of the jerk center were analyzed according to the CHAOS-7.4 model.Results revealed six extreme points distributed nearby the equator.The strongest was near the equator,at 170°E,and the strength gradually decreased as it extended to the northern and southern hemispheres.Another extreme point with the opposite sign was located at the equator,at 20°W,in the south-central part of the Atlantic,and the strength gradually decreased as it extended into Europe.The covariance matrix method can be used to analyze data from the Macao Science Satellite-1 mission in the future,and this method is expected to play a positive role in modeling and separating the large-scale external field.

Study of the geomagnetic field's regional gradients in Chinese continent using three-dimensional surface Spline model

We combined domestic ground-based and satellite magnetic measurements to create a regional three-dimensional surface Spline(3DSS)gradient model of the main geomagnetic field over the Chinese continent.To improve the precision of the model,we considered the data gap between the ground and satellite data.We compared and analyzed the results of the Taylor polynomial,surface Spline,and CHAOS-6(the CHAMP,?rsted and SAC-C model of Earth’s magnetic field)gradient models.Results showed that the gradients in the south-north and east-west directions of the four models were consistent.The 3DSS model was able to express not only gradients at different altitudes,but also average gradients inside the research area.The two Spline models were able to capture more information on gradient anomalies than were the fitted models.Strong local anomalies were observed in northern Xinjiang,Beijing,and the junction area between Jiangsu and Zhejiang,and the total intensity F decreased whereas the altitude increased.The gradient decreased by 21.69%in the south-north direction and increased by 11.78%in the east-west direction.In addition,the altitude gradient turned from negative to positive while the altitude increased.The Spline model and the two fitted models differed mainly in the field sources they expressed and the modeling theory.

The effect of model errors in ensemble sequential assimilation of geomagnetic field

Earth’s magnetic field is generated in the fluid outer core through the dynamo process.Over the last decade,data assimilation has been used to retrieve the core dynamics and predict the evolution of the geomagnetic field.The presence of model errors in the geomagnetic data assimilation is inevitable because current numerical geodynamo models are still far from realistic core dynamics.In this paper,we investigate the effect of model errors in geomagnetic data assimilation based on ensemble Kalman filter(EnKF).We construct two dynamo models with different control parameters but exhibiting similar force balance and magnetic morphology at the core surface.We then use one dynamo model to generate synthetic observations and the other as the forward model in EnKF.Our test experiments show that the EnKF approach with the pre-setting model errors can nevertheless recover large-scale core surface flow and make a rough short-term(5-year)prediction.However,the data assimilation in the presence of model errors cannot keep improving the core state even though new observations are available.Motivated by the planned Macao Science Satellite-1,which is expected to provide improved internal geomagnetic field model,we also perform a test experiment using synthetic observations up to spherical harmonic degree l=18.Our results indicate that high-resolution observations are crucial in reconstructing small scale flow.

A Heading Drift Correction Method for Pedestrian Inertial Positioning

Pedestrian inertial positioning is an effective means when satellites fail. Heading accuracy determines the performance of pedestrian inertial positioning. To realize an accurate positioning, a heading drift correction method was proposed. An in-situ active rotation is performed before autonomous positioning, and the error compensation coefficient of biaxial geomagnetic measurement is obtained by using the ellipse fitting correction method to achieve effective suppression of external environmental geomagnetic interference. The corrected biaxial geomagnetic measurement information is used to directly calculate the heading information and combine it with the peak stride detection method and linear step estimation model to achieve autonomous positioning of pedestrians. To verify the effectiveness and stability of the algorithm, several sets of experiments on the autonomous positioning of pedestrians are carried out in an outdoor environment. The experimental results show that the average deviation between the starting point and the endpoint of the proposed algorithm’s positioning trajectory accounts for 0.95% of the total travel in the 150 m positioning experiments.