SuperDARN Canada

The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is a global network of scientific radars monitoring conditions in the near-Earth space environment. The radars allow researchers to observe how space weather conditions (i.e. changes in the solar wind’s density, velocity and the interplanetary magnetic field) affect plasma circulation in the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere. These changes are connected to disturbances in space and on Earth that affect critically important modern infrastructure, including satellites, power grids, pipelines, radio communications and space station radiation hazards. The data collected by SuperDARN worldwide, the analysis of this data, and the resulting information contributes to the scientific understanding of space weather that has the potential to provide tangible benefits, implications, and impact across many sectors.  Canada has been the sole contributor to the important central Arctic component of the international SuperDARN program, with Canadian radars scanning from the Canadian high arctic across the North Pole. Canada’s fundamental contribution to international SuperDARN efforts includes the operations of five radars located in Canada: Saskatoon (SK); Prince George (BC); Rankin Inlet (NU); Inuvik (NWT); and Clyde River (NU).