Validation of ANCHOR Ionospheric Data Assimilation Model Using
Incoherent Scatter Radars
Abstract
ANCHOR is a novel data assimilation model developed at the U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory for nowcasting ionospheric parameters relevant to
space weather applications. ANCHOR incorporates electron density
observations from ionosondes, Abel inverted radio occultation data, and
ground-based GNSS receivers data into a PyIRI driven model background
using the Kalman filter technique. The purpose of this study is to
validate the estimated model parameters with direct electron density
observations from incoherent scatter radars (ISR) at various levels of
solar activity. A six year dataset spanning from 2018 to 2024, has been
collected from four operating ISRs located at varying latitudes left of
the prime meridian: Arecibo, Jicamarca, Millstone Hill, and Poker Flat.
The validation includes four distinct events, with two events at low
solar activity, one at moderate, and one at high solar activity, each
with data coverage from at least two radars. Parameter extraction is
achieved using Epstein functions to derive the bottom and topside of the
F2 layer after the peak density (NmF2) and altitude (hmF2) have been
found. The ISR-extracted parameters are used to directly compare with
the model outputs using the root mean square error (RMSE) analysis
method. Up to 75% improvement relative to the background model for NmF2
and hmF2 parameters with consistency across all latitudes is found.
Additionally, ANCHOR assimilative model was compared to PyIRTAM model,
showing a good agreement between the performances of both systems.