The China-Brazil Joint Laboratory for Space Weather (hereinafter referred to as CBJLSW), also known as the CAS Laboratory for Space Weather in South America, is the first overseas scientific and educational base of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which is jointly established through international cooperation by the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of CAS and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil. It is the first comprehensive observation and research platform for solar-terrestrial space environment in South America.
The CBJLSW aims to carry out joint observations and data pooling of the meridian chain of the solar-terrestrial space environment in the western hemisphere, joint exploration and research of the solar-terrestrial space environment in the low latitudes of the eastern and western hemispheres, as well as personnel training, to build the basic framework of the International Meridian Circle Program, and to serve as a bridge and link for cultural exchanges between China and Brazil.
The establishment of CBJLSW has received high attention and strong support from China and Brazil, and it was included in the Joint Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil signed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Brazilian President Rousseff on May 19, 2015, and the Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the China-Brazil High-Level Coordination and Cooperation Committee signed by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Brazilian Vice President Temer on June 26, 2015, as a major science and technology cooperation project between China and Brazil.
The establishment of the joint lab has also received great attention and support from the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Embassy in Brazil and the Chinese Consulate in São Paulo. On the Brazilian side, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Brazilian Space Agency and the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research have also given their strong support, making it a new highlight of China-Brazil science and technology cooperation and a new model of South-South cooperation.
In the first 5 years of the initial construction and operation period of CBJLSW, the organizational structure, infrastructure, data center, and deployment of Middle and upper atmospheric and ionospheric monitoring equipment (Ionospheric vertical sounding, GPS TEC and scintillation monitor, and Doppler wind measurement lidar) will be completed. The second 5-year period will witness an expansion of construction and improvement of operation, which will further optimize the operation mechanism of the lab and deploy more powerful middle and upper atmosphere and ionosphere monitoring equipment (e.g. VHF high frequency radar, all-solid state high altitude wind and temperature measurement lidar, etc.).
Table: IMCP monitoring platform——South America observation network
