The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) has been funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), together with the partner Institutes (National Institute of Astrophysics-INAF and National Observatory of Athens-NOA), with the project INTENS (characterisation of IoNospheric TurbulENce level by Swarm constellation), whose objective is to study the nature and properties of the turbulence observed in the ionosphere through the data collected by the three satellites of the Swarm mission (LINK).
The uppermost layer of the earth's atmosphere, the so-called "ionosphere", constantly undergoes perturbations due to the activity of the Sun. These are responsible for the establishment of whirling motions very similar to those observed in the waters of a river when they encounter obstacles such as the rocks or the piers of a bridge.
From an electromagnetic point of view, this produces a highly unstable and "turbulent" environment, with sometimes very serious effects on the propagation of radio signals and on the accuracy of GPS systems.
Launched on 3 December, the INTENS project therefore aims to explore and characterize ionospheric turbulence as the conditions of interplanetary space that are affected by solar activity vary.
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