A Citizen Science Network for Measurements of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation Levels

• Published in: Space Weather Vol. 17; no. 6; pp. 877 - 893
• Main Authors: Clewer, B. J., Ryden, K. A., Dyer, A. C. R., Hands, A. D. P., Jackson, D. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.06.2019
• Subjects: Aerospace industry; Aircraft industry; Atmospheric radiation; Aviation; citizen science; Civil aviation; Historical account; Ionizing radiation; Radiation data; Radiation detectors; Radiation measurement; smartphone; Solar particle events; Solar storms; Space weather; Weather
• ISSN: 1542-7390; 1539-4964; 1542-7390
• DOI: 10.1029/2019SW002190

Historically, gathering data on atmospheric radiation levels during solar particle events has been difficult, as there is little or no time warning of events. Being able to accurately quantify radiation levels within the atmosphere during solar events is of significance to the aviation industry, as described in the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Space Weather manual. Particularly during a large ground‐level enhancement (GLE) where the ionizing dose to passengers and crew can exceed the recommended general public annual dose limits, set by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (Barlett, Beck, Bilski, Bottollier‐Depois, & Lindborg, 2004, https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/nch232), in a single flight. The Smart Atmospheric Ionizing RAdiation (SAIRA) Monitoring Network is a new system of handheld radiation detectors that can be carried on aircraft to monitor and record atmospheric radiation levels. The system operates via citizen science volunteers, who record radiation data as they travel for normal purposes. Over 30 flights have been conducted with volunteers to demonstrate that a citizen science network is possible. Volunteers have used a new Android application to record and upload data to a central server to form a database of flight measurements. The demonstration has shown that there is a willingness in public volunteers to use radiation detectors and engage in science outreach. A fully developed system will ideally provide the capability to quantify radiation levels during a solar particle event or ground‐level enhancement and the data can be used by relevant organizations to minimize potential risks. Key Points A new method of capturing atmospheric radiation data from ground‐level enhancements (GLEs) Demonstrates the use of a citizen science data gathering system, using handheld silicon radiation detectors as carry‐on luggage items on commercial aircraft The system operates via USB‐connected smartphones, running a new application on Android OS, to record and upload data to a centralized server