China's Ground‐Based Space Environment Monitoring Network—Chinese Meridian Project (CMP)

Abstract

Monitoring and investigation of the solar‐terrestrial space environment is a huge challenge for humans in space age. To this end, China has established the Ground‐based Space Environment Monitoring Network, namely Chinese Meridian Project (CMP). The project comprises three major systems: the Space Environment Monitoring System, Data and Communication System, and Scientific Application System. The Space Environment Monitoring System adopts a well‐designed monitoring architecture, known as “One Chain, Three Networks, and Four Focuses,” to achieve stereoscopic and comprehensive monitoring of the entire solar‐terrestrial space. The “One‐Chain” component utilizes optical, radio, interplanetary scintillation, cosmic ray instruments to cover the causal chain of space weather disturbances from the solar surface to near‐Earth space. For the ionosphere, middle and upper atmosphere, and magnetic field, instruments are deployed along longitudes of 120° and 100°E, and latitudes of 30° and 40°N, forming the “Three Networks.” Furthermore, more powerful monitoring facilities or large‐scale instruments have been deployed in four key regions: the high‐latitude polar region, mid‐latitude region in northern China, low‐latitude region at Hainan Island, and the Tibet region. These four regions are crucial for disturbances propagation and evolution, or possess unique geographical and topographical characteristics. The Data and Communication System and Scientific Application System are designed for data collecting, processing, storage, mining, and providing user service based on data acquired by the Space Environment Monitoring System. The data obtained by CMP will be shared with the global scientific community, facilitating enhanced collaboration on space weather and space physics research.