Work Description

Date: 27 May, 2025

Dataset Title: Validation of Long-Term Solar Coronal Modeling Using FORWARD

Dataset Contact: Gergely Koban [email protected]

Dataset Creators:
Name: Gergely Koban
Email: [email protected]
Institution: University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2646-1501

Name: Judit Szente
Email: [email protected]
Institution: Boston University
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9465-7470

Name: Bart van der Holst
Email: [email protected]
Institution: Boston University
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5260-3944

Name: Gabor Toth
Email: [email protected]
Institution: University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8459-2100

Name: Enrico Landi
Email: [email protected]
Institution: University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9325-9884

Funding:
This work is supported by NASA Living With a Star (LWS) Strategic Capability project under NASA grant526
80NSSC22K0892 (SCEPTER), NASA Space Weather Center of Excellence program under award 80NSSC23M0191527
(CLEAR).528
Judit Szente and Enrico Landi acknowledge support from NASA grant 80NSSC20K0185. Enrico Landi also acknowl-529
edges support from NASA grants 80NSSC22K-750 and 80NSSC23K0445.

Key Points:
We ran AWSoM simulations using GONG/ADAPT maps for every Carrington Rotation from 2096 to 2287 to compare them to AIA EUV images. We save the SC module output that describes the solar corona and makes it possible to generate Line-of-sight images, and also save the 1 AU plasma parameters timeseries along the trajectory of Earth for comparison to ACE or OMNI measurements.

Research Overview:
This study aims to assess the performance of coronal models across multiple solar cycles and to analyze long-term variations in solar coronal structures observed in multiple EUV channels.
To achieve this, we developed a comprehensive database of solar corona (data cubes) and inner heliosphere simulation outputs using the Alfvén Wave Solar atmosphere Model (AWSoM) within the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) for Solar Cycles 24 and 25 (SC24 and SC25). This database enables us to investigate the temporal evolution of solar wind source regions—Coronal Holes (CH) and Active Regions (AR).
Model accuracy was assessed by comparing synthetic images with concurrent AIA observations in six EUV channels (94, 131, 171, 193, 211, and 335 Å). Additionally, we evaluated the reliability of AWSoM’s solar wind plasma outputs at 1 AU by comparing them with OMNI data for each Carrington Rotation (CR).

Methodology:
The data are model output from the SWMF/AWSoM model (open source: https://github.com/SWMFsoftware), developed at the University of Michigan
Date Coverage: 2010-2024.

Instrument and/or Software specifications: NA

Files contained here:
We have two different types of files:
- .out files are data cubes of the Solar Corona results, enabling the generation of LOS images for many different channels.
- .sat files are outputs of the simulated plasma parameters along the trajectory of Earth for a Carrington Rotation.
The .out files are stored in the SC folder, while the .sat files are stored in the IH folder. The .sat files are easily readable by eye or any programming language. For the .out files, we recommend using the FORWARD tool (https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/modeling/FORWARD/install-forward).

Related publication(s):
Koban et al. (2025). Validation of Long-Term Solar Coronal Modeling Using FORWARD (Under review).

Use and Access:
This data set is made available under a Creative Commons Public Domain license (CC BY 4.0).

To Cite Data: