ftp.sec.noaa.gov/2014.05.ftp.sec.noaa.gov.tar/ftp.sec.noaa.gov/pub/lists/pchan/README

Text File | 2011-01-20 | 16KB | 333 lines

January 21, 2011
                    Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)

            GOES Energetic Proton Flux Channels Data Lists
==========================================================================

January 21, 2011 -- Since launch, the performance of the HEPAD detectors
on the GOES-13-15 satellite has been in review. Recent analysis suggest
that the instruments are performing nominally so the data will now be
made available through the SWPC data lists.
==========================================================================

==========================================================================

                GOES 15 to replace GOES 11 as Secondary SWPC
         GOES Satellite for Energetic Proton Flux in late February

January 10, 2011 --  GOES 15 will replace GOES 11 as the Secondary SWPC
GOES Satellite for Protons, Electrons, and Magnetometer in late February.
See details at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Data/goes.html

GOES ascii data files use the file naming convention 'Gs' for Secondary
GOES data. This means only the header lines within the ascii file changes.

==========================================================================


This directory contains GOES Energetic Proton Flux Channels Data Lists with
5-min data for the SWPC primary and secondary GOES proton satellite.

See a description of GOES Proton Channel Observations below.

Lists for the last 2 hours, i.e. filenames with no dates, update every
5 minutes on minutes 1, 6, etc. Users retrieving data frequently are asked
to use these files.

The daily files are named with the UT day of the data and the GOES
satellite, i.e Gp refers to Primary and Gs to Secondary.
Daily lists update once an hour.

The file format follows a standard data list conventions where header
lines start with either # or :.

Filenames include a 'p' for the Primary and 's' for the Secondary
SWPC GOES satellite. The satellite number, i.e. GOES-15, is in the
Data List file header.

Naming Convention:
       2-hour lists:          Gp_pchan_5m.txt,          Gs_pchan_5m.txt
     Full day lists: 20100414_Gp_pchan_5m.txt, 20100414_Gs_pchan_5m.txt

Date/times
   Dates are shown as year month day (2006 02 06) and an SWPC
   "Modified Julian Day (MJD). The SWPC MJD for Jan 1, 2004 is 53005

   Time is shown as HourMin (1900) and seconds of the day (68400)


   See http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Data/goes.html the SWPC GOES
   Satellite News web page

 GOES data are archived at the National Geophysical Data Center
 http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp



   ******************************************************************
   ** Please read the SWPC Disclaimer at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ **
   ******************************************************************

   SWPC provides near-real-time and recent data, solar and geomagnetic
   indices and solar event reports created from preliminary reports.
   Preliminary data may contain errors or be revised after further
   review. The historical products in this SWPC Warehouse are the
   preliminary reports as originally published. SWPC does not encourage
   the use of preliminary data for research purposes.

   Links to on-line data at SWPC and archive sites with final data:
                    http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Data/
   ******************************************************************


Please send comments and questions to [e-mail]
Report problems to                    [e-mail]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      GOES Proton Channel Observations


Each of the GOES (Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellite)
series of satellites carry a suite of three detector assemblies aboard:
the solid state TELESCOPE, a set of large-aperture, so-called DOME
detectors, and the Cerenkov/solid-state-telescope called the HEPAD
(High Energy Proton and Alpha Detector), which monitor the energetic
particle population at geostationary orbit. These detectors measure the
flux of energetic protons from 600 keV to greater than 700 MeV in 11
discrete channels, P1 through P11, as well as monitoring the electron
and alpha particle populations. The principal proton energy response
of each channel is tabulated below, and the data provided are 5-minute
averaged values of the 11 channels P1 through P11 respectively, as
given in that table. The first 7 channels provide differential fluxes
at the mean energy of the energy response interval in units of
 #/(cm2-s-sr-MeV), as provided by the TELESCOPE and DOME detectors.

The GOES particle detectors are relatively simple solid state detectors
which have their primary responses as given in the table below. As with
all practical detectors, they may respond to particles which are able
to penetrate their shielding or bremstrahlung produced thereby, as well
as secondary particles produced by cosmic rays suffering nuclear
interactions in the detector's vicinity, for example. Corrections of
these secondary responses have not been applied to these differential
fluxes.

Both uncorrected and corrected data are available from the National
Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/

It may also be pointed out that the cutoff energy at geostationary
orbit is typically of the order of several MeV, and therefore the P1
response is primarily due to trapped protons of the outer zone of the
magnetosphere. During moderate compressions of the magnetosphere, P2
may also 'see' magnetospherically trapped protons, while during extreme
compressions (magnetopause crossings), GOES would find itself in the
magnetosheath. During solar energetic particle events, P1 and P2 will
respond to solar protons as well, as will all the higher energy
channels, if such particles are present.

=====================================================================
   Channel    Energy Response (MeV)   Mean Energy (MeV)     Detector
---------------------------------------------------------------------
     P1        0.8 -   4.0                 2.4              TELESCOPE
     P2        4.0 -   9.0                 6.5                   "
     P3        9.0 -  15.                 12.                    "

     P4        15. -  40.                 27.                  DOME
     P5        40. -  80.                 60.                    "
     P6        80. - 165.                123.                    "
     P7       165. - 500.                333.                    "

     P8       350. - 420.                385.                  HEPAD
     P9       420. - 510.                465.                    "
     P10      510. - 700.                605.                    "
     P11            >700.                N/A
=====================================================================



=====================================================================
=====================================================================
=====================================================================

                           OLD NOTICES

                         On April 14, 2010
         GOES 13 will be designated Primary Satellite for
            Proton, Electron and Magnetometer Data

            ****** Data List Naming Convention Changing ******

April 5, 2010: On Wednesday, 14 April, the GOES 12 satellite will
be decommissioned. At that time, GOES 13 will become the Primary
SWPC GOES Satellite for Proton and Electron data.
GOES 11 will become the Secondary Satellite.


            **************************************************
            ******* Data List Naming Convention Change *******
            **************************************************

The SWPC data list naming convention will be changed to better support
future GOES satellite designation changes. SWPC designates a Primary and
a Secondary GOES Satellite for each instrument.
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Data/goes.html

The old data list naming convention included the satellite number, e.g.
G10pchan_5m.txt. This required customer changes whenever the satellite
designation changed. The new Data List Naming Convention replaces the
satellite number with a 'p' for Primary and 's' for Secondary. The satellite
number is available in the Data List file header.

The new convention will begin April 14 when GOES 13 replaces GOES 12 as
the SWPC Primary GOES partnetometer Satellite.


Naming Convention:
       2-hour lists:          Gp_pchan_5m.txt  and           Gs_pchan_5m.txt
     Full day lists: 20100414_Gp_pchan_5m.txt  and  20100414_Gs_pchan_5m.txt


==========================================================================
                 GOES 10 Decommissioned Dec 1, 2009

December 2, 2009: The GOES 10 satellite was decommissioned Dec 1 and the
G10_pchan_5m.txt lists ended. The older GOES 10 Data Lists will rotate out
of this directory over the next 90 days.

==========================================================================

                 GOES 10 Decommissioning Dec 1, 2009
                  No Secondary Satellite for Protons

November 17, 2009: On Tuesday, 01 December, the GOES 10 satellite will
be officially decommissioned.

                 GOES 10 Data Lists End Dec 1, 2009
The SWPC GOES 10 Data Lists will end Dec 1. The older GOES 10 Data Lists
will rotate out of the directories over the next 90 days.
      /lists/pchan/G10pchan_5m.txt and 'yearmoda'_G10pchan_5m.txt

==========================================================================

                No GOES-10 X-ray and Proton Data for 6-8 Weeks

November 21, 2007 -- GOES-10, the SWPC secondary GOES Satellite for X-ray
and Proton data, is not being tracked at SWPC due to an antenna problem.
GOES-10 data lists will continue to be written with missing data values.

GOES-10 satellite tracking at SWPC is expected to resume in 6 to 8 weeks
(January 2-16).
===========================================================================

June 19, 2003


To ensure continued operational monitoring of important energetic particle data,
it is necessary to reassign primary/secondary designations for the GOES
Space Environment Monitor (SEM) detectors. Beginning 1700 UTC on June 19,
GOES 11 (105W) will become the primary satellite for protons. GOES 12 (75W) will
continue as the primary satellite for magnetometer, X-ray, and electron
measurements. GOES 10 (135W) will be the secondary satellite for all SEM sensors
 - magnetometer, X-ray, and energetic particles.  Because of the degraded state
of the proton data on GOES-10, its designation as the secondary source for
proton data is a short-term solution.  More permanent solutions have been
identified and are being evaluated.  Users will be notified when we define and
schedule a permanent fix.

May 15, 2003

  See http://sec.noaa.gov/Data/ for tables of all online data
  at SEC, including links to non-SEC sources for older data.

========================================================================
        GOES 12/10 Designated SEC's Primary/Secondary GOES Satellites
               GOES 8 energetic protons available again

May 15 -- GOES 12 is now SEC's primary GOES satellite, except for energetic
proton detectors where GOES 8 is primary. GOES 10 is the backup.

The GOES 10 energetic proton detectors are showing intermittent, high noise
levels in the higher energy proton channels (greater than about 80 MeV).
This problem was first noticed in data taken April 26, 2003
See 2003 Proton Plots: via ftp cd /pub/plots/2003_plots/proton or
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/plots/2003_plots/proton.html

This pattern is similar to problems experienced on the GOES 12 EPS Dome
detector prior its P6 and P7 channel failures earlier this year. The loss of
the P6 and P7 channels significantly impacts SEC's integral proton flux
products above about 10 MeV (e.g., >10 MeV, >50 MeV, and >100 MeV).

Therefore, we are acquiring energetic proton data from old GOES 8 satellite.
GOES 8 differential proton flux and integral proton flux data are available
in the /lists/pchan and /lists/particle directories. GOES 8 is used in Proton
Flux plots.

The electron processing algorithm has been modified in response to the high
noise level that recently developed in the GOES 12, P6 proton channel.

Caution should be used when interpreting the GOES-10 and 12 energetic proton data.
One indication of the presence of high noise levels in the absence of a
true enhancement in the proton flux is that all of the integral flux products
above about 10 MeV (e.g., >10 MeV, >50 MeV, and >100 MeV) show nearly equal
values, due to the fact that all of these derived integral fluxes are being
dominated by the same high noise levels in the highest energy measurements.


For detailed information see http://www.sec.noaa.gov/GOES.html

======================================================================
         !!!!! NOTICE   GOES Satellite Changes    !!!!!
         !!!!!      GOES 8 Ends, GOES 12 Begins  !!!!!

April 8, SEC stopped using GOES 8 data.
GOES 10 is now SEC's primary GOES satellite, with GOES 12 the backup
for magnetometer, XRS x-ray measurements, and energetic particle data.

See details at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/GOES.html

SEC tracks two GOES satellites and designates one as the primary and
the other the secondary GOES satellite. With the switch from GOES 8
to GOES 12, the primary/secondary designations will change. GOES 10
will be the primary satellite and GOES 12 the secondary for
magnetometer, XRS x-ray measurements, and energetic particles. This
includes all GOES electron, proton, and alpha particle data. However,
due to the failure of the P6 and P7 proton channels on GOES 12, there
currently is no secondary source for these data.

Users should be aware that GOES 10 data differ somewhat from GOES 8 data
in two ways. First, the energetic particle detectors that are used for our
operational products have a westward look direction on GOES 8 as opposed to
an eastward look direction on GOES 10. Because of the different look
directions, the flux measurements can differ during energetic particle
events. The general flux profiles throughout particle events are similar in
the GOES 8 and GOES 10 measurements; however, the GOES 10 measurements on
average tend to show somewhat lower flux levels. For the largest events,
the event starting times, peak flux levels, and times of the peak fluxes
are similar.


========================================================================
                   GOES 10 Energetic Proton Outages Expected

  June 26, 2006 -- GOES 10, SEC's secondary GOES satellite for energetic
  protons, will not be available at SEC for about two weeks beginning
  on June 23, because its telemetry frequency will be changed to avoid
  conflicting with GOES 11 transmissions. There will be two additional
  periods (approximately 10 - 14 days) when GOES 10 data will not be
  available, as GOES 10 drifts past GOES 13 and GOES 12.

  GOES 11, the primary SEC GOES satellite for Energetic Protons will be
  available throughout the GOES 10 outages.

========================================================================
                 SEC Secondary GOES Spacecraft Change

  At 1400UT, June 22, 2006 the SEC secondary GOES satellite
  for magnetometer, X-ray, and electron measurements changed from
  GOES 10 to GOES 11. GOES 12 reamins the primary SEC GOES
  satellite. For energetic proton measurements there was no change;
  GOES 11 remains the primary SEC GOES satellite and GOES 10 the
  secondary. See details at

========================================================================