Should We Monitor Space Weather Effects on Surveillance Technologies Used in Air Traffic Management? - First Results

Kurzfassung

This study looks at how space weather events, like solar flares, can affect satellite navigation systems that are applied for real-time flight tracking through ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast). The caused disruptions can reduce the awareness of pilots and affect air traffic management. Such effects are presented with the 9 February 2024 solar flare, comparing ADS-B data with solar and ionospheric observations. It finds that gaps and errors in ADS-B data during the flare closely match disturbances in the ionosphere, showing a clear impact. Better space weather tools, that include ADS-B data, are discussed to provide more accurate space weather forecasting and alerts for pilots.