- Announcements - lists.irowg.org

Sentinel-6 B RO NRT BUFR product release on GTS
by Galley, Chad R (US 3620) 22 May '26

22 May '26

Dear NWP centers, The Sentinel-6 project is pleased to announce the release of the Sentinel-6 B RO NRT Levels 1b & 2 BUFR products on GTS starting Thursday, May 21, 2026. BUFR products from the first satellite, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (“MF”, also known as “A”), will continue to be made available on GTS. S6-B and S6-MF are currently flying in tandem with a 30-second orbital separation. As a result, the RO measurements from both satellites are closely collocated. The satellites will be in this tandem phase until S6-MF is moved to a different orbit, which will happen no earlier than October 2026 and possibly by January 2027 (TBC). We will follow-up with another announcement when S6-MF has been moved to its new orbit at which point data from both satellites will no longer be collocated. Validation The GNSS-RO instrument has been working nominally on S6-B with antenna beam-forming enabled, producing SNRs comparable to COSMIC-2 setting occultations. Rising occultations have lower SNRs than COSMIC-2 due to the smaller fore-looking RO antenna on the Sentinel-6 satellites. As of this writing, the average number of NRT BUFR products generated per day is about 1100. Comparisons with ECMWF and NCEP models of the retrieved bending angle profiles in the core region around 15-40 km show performance characteristics for both Sentinel-6 satellites that are similar to other validated GNSS-RO missions with a bias less than 0.1% in magnitude. The Sentinel-6 B BUFR products have been assessed by partner NWP centers, which include NOAA, ECMWF, UK Met Office, Météo France, DWD, ECCC, and JCSDA, and were deemed to be of sufficient quality for weather forecasting purposes. NWP partners have recommended their release on GTS for weather forecasting purposes. WMO Routing Headers The abbreviated WMO headers for the products from Sentinel-6 B are: Abbreviated WMO header Source Comments IPXB01 KWBC Sentinel-6 B BUFR product generated from NASA/JPL’s RO primary processor Frequently used IPXB02 KWBC Sentinel-6 B BUFR product generated from NASA/JPL’s RO back-up processor Rarely used BUFR products will be delivered from the primary processor unless an issue is encountered during operational processing that prevents product generation and/or distribution from the primary site. In such an event, products will be delivered from the back-up processor using the corresponding WMO routing header listed in the table above. The satellite code in the BUFR product for Sentinel-6 B is 67. Please let us know if you have any questions or encounter any issues with the new Sentinel-6 B data. Best, Chad, on behalf of the Sentinel-6 RO team [JPL logo] Chad Galley Technologist 362G | Near Earth Tracking Systems JPL 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, CA 91109 Mail Stop 238-600 M: 410.491.0024 O: 818.354.1013 F: 818.393.4965 chad.r.galley(a)jpl.nasa.gov<mailto:chad.r.galley@jpl.nasa.gov>

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Job announcement on GNSS Reflectometry at GFZ
by Jens Wickert 22 May '26

22 May '26

Dear colleagues, we are happy to announce an interesting job advertisement at GFZ. It is a key position for our activities in GNSS Reflectometry. https://www.gfz.de/en/career/job-offers/details/11262 We would be very grateful if you could spread it or even maybe take into consideration application. Thanks in advance and have a great day! Jens Wickert --------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Jens Wickert GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Section 1.1 Space Geodetic Techniques wickert(a)gfz.de <mailto:wickert@gfz.de> ----------------------------------------

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Invite you to submit your recent results to the Remote Sensing GNSS RO special issue
by Shu-peng Ho - NOAA Federal 07 May '26

07 May '26

Dear Colleagues, This is shu-peng Ben Ho from NOAA/STAR. You are cordially invited to submit your recent studies on GNSS RO to the Remote Sensing GNSS RO special issue ( https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/31G3890CC5#editors ). This Special Issue is designed to highlight a pivotal phase in the evolution of GNSS radio occultation. The field is moving beyond merely demonstrating broad usefulness—it is now increasingly defined by deeper scientific and technological questions, including bias diagnosis, uncertainty characterization, multi-mission consistency, lower-atmospheric retrieval challenges, operational value in numerical weather prediction, and emerging roles in ionospheric and space weather applications. With the rapid expansion of commercial constellations, international missions, and advanced processing approaches, GNSS RO is evolving from a mature observing technique into a more accurate, traceable, and integrable benchmark for remote sensing observations of Earth systems. This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality contributions that advance GNSS RO through methodological innovation, observational physics insights, rigorous inter-mission assessment, impactful applications, and the use of AI to improve the RO retrievals. This Special Issue will focus on recent advances in GNSS radio occultation in remote sensing, with particular emphasis on observational physics, bias and uncertainty diagnosis, multi-mission harmonization, advanced retrieval methods, and innovative applications in weather, climate, boundary-layer studies, high-impact events, ionospheric research, and space weather. We especially welcome contributions that address the following broader questions: How should GNSS RO observation errors and biases be characterized? How can consistency and long-term comparability be established across missions and processing systems? How can lower-tropospheric and boundary-layer retrieval be further improved? In what ways can GNSS RO serve as a benchmark for data assimilation and model evaluation? How might new signals, commercial constellations, AI-based methods, and future observing-system designs reshape the field? The Special Issue welcomes original research articles, review papers, and perspective articles covering, but not limited to, neutral atmospheric and ionospheric GNSS RO observations, retrievals, validation, data quality control, standardization, application assessment, and future system concepts. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: - GNSS RO observation bias, uncertainty quantification, and error characterization; - Multi-mission consistency, harmonization, and climate data record development; - Geometry-related effects, tangent-point drift, antenna-viewing dependencies, and non-sphericity; - Advances in lower-tropospheric and boundary-layer GNSS RO retrieval; - GNSS RO data assimilation in global, regional, and convective-scale NWP; - GNSS RO as a benchmark observation for weather and climate model evaluation; - GNSS RO applications to tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, severe weather, and other high-impact events; - Scientific and operational assessment of commercial GNSS RO constellations; - Ionospheric GNSS RO, TEC retrieval, and space weather applications; - AI, machine learning, and advanced inverse methods for GNSS RO; - Next-generation GNSS signals, receiver technologies, and future observing-system design; - Data quality control, metadata standards, reproducibility, and best practices in GNSS RO science; - The use of AI to improve the RO retrievals. Dr. Shu-peng Ho Dr. Michael E. Gorbunov *Guest Editors* *Manuscript Submission Information* Manuscripts should be submitted online at *www.mdpi.com* <https://www.mdpi.com/> by *registering* <https://www.mdpi.com/user/register/> and *logging in to this website* <https://www.mdpi.com/user/login/>. Once you are registered, *click here to go to the submission form* <https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/?journal=remotesensing>. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles, and short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-masked peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for manuscript submission are available on the *Instructions for Authors* <https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/instructions> page. *Remote Sensing* <https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/> is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, semimonthly journal published by MDPI. Please visit the *Instructions for Authors* <https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/instructions> page before submitting a manuscript. The *Article Processing Charge (APC)* <https://www.mdpi.com/about/apc/> for publication in this *open-access* <https://www.mdpi.com/about/openaccess/> journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's *English editing service* <https://www.mdpi.com/authors/english> before publication or during author revisions. *Keywords* - GNSS RO - boundary-layer retrievals - weather applications - atmospheric applications - benchmark observation for weather and climate model evaluation - AI applications on RO inversion *==============================================* *Shu-peng Ben Ho, Ph. D.* *GNSS Radio Occultation Physical** Scientist* *NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR)* *NCWCP, E/RA-21 Office# 2824* *5830 University Research Court, * *Riverdale Park, MD 20737* *Tel : (301) 683-3596* *Email: shu-peng.ho(a)noaa.gov <shu-peng.ho(a)noaa.gov>* *STAR GNSS RO Center: **https://gpsmet.umd.edu/gnssro/index.php <https://gpsmet.umd.edu/gnssro/index.php>* *STAR GNSS RO Data Service: **https://gpsmet.umd.edu/gnssro/download.php <https://gpsmet.umd.edu/gnssro/download.php>* *Publication: researchgate.net/profile/Shu-Peng-Ho/publications <http://researchgate.net/profile/Shu-Peng-Ho/publications>* *==============================================*

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Reminder: OPAC-IROWG 2026 Workshop, 10-16 Sept 2026, Austria, call for papers
by Ulrich Foelsche 05 May '26

05 May '26

================================================ Reminder: Call for Papers, April 29, 2026 We are pleased to announce: *OPAC-IROWG 2026* International Workshop on Occultations for Probing Atmosphere and Climate Joint OPAC-8 & IROWG-11 Workshop *September 10-16, 2026, Seggau Castle*, Leibnitz near Graz, Austria https://opacirowg2026.uni-graz.at/en/ Please be aware that the deadline - *May 3, 2026* - is quickly approaching https://opacirowg2026.uni-graz.at/en/abstract-submission/ There is very limited space for a deadline extension, since the *block reservation* at Seggau Castle is only secured until *May 31 *(promotion code: OPAC2026). U. Foelsche, J. Danzer, M. Schwärz, (WEGC & IPhys UniGraz, AT), OPAC Chairs H. Shao (JCSDA and UCAR, transitioning to Naval Research Lab., USA), IROWG Co-Chair A.J. Mannucci (JPL, Pasadena, USA), IROWG-CGMS Rapporteur ================================================== -- ************************************************************************** - Ulrich Foelsche - University of Graz - Institute of Physics, Department of Astrophysics and Geophysics (AGP) - Universitaetsplatz 5, 8010 Graz, Austria - Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change (WEGC) - Brandhofgasse 5, 8010 Graz, Austria - Tel: +43-316-380-8590 - E-mail: ulrich.foelsche(a)uni-graz.at **************************************************************************

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OPAC-IROWG 2026 Workshop, 10-16 Sept 2026, Austria, call for papers
by Foelsche, Ulrich (ulrich.foelsche＠uni-graz.at) 24 Apr '26

24 Apr '26

================================================ 2nd Announcement & Call for Papers, March 31, 2026 We are pleased to announce: OPAC-IROWG 2026 International Workshop on Occultations for Probing Atmosphere and Climate Joint OPAC-8 & IROWG-11 Workshop September 10-16, 2026, Seggau Castle, Leibnitz near Graz, Austria https://opacirowg2026.uni-graz.at/en/ **************************************************************************** An attractive forum for everybody interested in atmospheric remote sensing by occultation methods and/or the use of occultation data in atmospheric physics, meteorology, and climate. **************************************************************************** Please forward also to colleagues who might be interested. You are cordially invited to join OPAC-IROWG 2026 - Welcome! Please submit your abstract before May 3, 2026 via https://opacirowg2026.uni-graz.at/en/abstract-submission/ An earlier submission is, however, encouraged to ease your travel arrangements. We have reserved a block of rooms in Seggau Castle (promotion code: OPAC2026). This block reservation is secured until May 31. U. Foelsche, J. Danzer, M. Schwärz, (WEGC & IPhys UniGraz, AT), OPAC Chairs H. Shao (JCSDA and UCAR, USA), IROWG Co-Chair A.J. Mannucci (JPL, Pasadena, USA), IROWG-CGMS Rapporteur ==================================================

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Reminder: IROWG-11 and invitation letter request
by Hui Shao 24 Feb '26

24 Feb '26

Dear all, This is a brief reminder regarding the upcoming joint meeting. *IROWG-11* will be held together with the *OPAC-8 Workshop* from *September 10–16, 2026*, at *Seggau Castle*, Austria. The workshop website is still under construction available at https://opacirowg2026.uni-graz.at Once it is ready, abstract submission and registration will be announced through this email. In the meantime, participants who require *invitation letters for travel approval/visa applications* are encouraged to contact our IROWG co-chair and local host committee member, Dr. Uli Foelsche ( ulrich.foelsche(a)uni-graz.at) as early as possible, so we can help facilitate the process. We look forward to your participation and to welcoming you to Seggau Castle. Hui on behalf of IROWG-11

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URSI GASS (15-22 August 2026) - Session G06: LEO topside and radio occultation measurements for ionosphere and plasmasphere estimation and modelling
by Riccardo Notarpietro 26 Jan '26

26 Jan '26

Dear Colleagues. Apologies for any cross-posting. The XXXVIth URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (URSI GASS 2026) will be held in Krakow, Poland, August 15 to 22, 2026. We cordially invite you to submit contributions to the Session G06 - LEO topside and radio occultation measurements for ionosphere and plasmasphere estimation and modelling (see description below). URSI-GASS accepts three types of submissions: (a) Summary paper, of length between 2 and 4 pages (b) An extended abstract of 1 page maximum (c) A full paper for the student paper competition, prepared as submission to the Radio Science Letters All information about GASS 2026 including paper submission, student paper competition, and young scientist awards can be found at URSI-GASS 2026 | URSI-GASS 2026<https://www.ursi-gass2026.pl/>. SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Paper/abstract submission deadline is: January 25, 2026 Best regards, Mainul Hoque, Riccardo Notarpietro, Manuel Hernandez-Pajares, Marjolijn Adolfs ______________________________________________________________________ G06: LEO topside and radio occultation measurements for ionosphere and plasmasphere estimation and modelling Organizers/Convenors: Mainul Hoque, Riccardo Notarpietro, Manuel Hernandez-Pajares, Marjolijn Adolfs Session Description: The availability of numerous medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites deployed by GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou systems allows continuous and reliable monitoring of the Earth's ionosphere and neutral atmosphere by tracking GNSS multifrequency signals from Low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. From the proof-of-concept GPS/MET experiment on Microlab-1, flown within the years 1995 -1997, till the today's EUMETSAT's Metop-B and Metop-C, the FORMOSAT-5/COSMIC-2, the numerous CubeSats operated by commercial entrepreneurs (e.g., Spire, PlanetIQ) and the recently launched Metop-SGA1, they all have demonstrated a huge potential of the limb sounding technique on LEO satellites for atmosphere/ionosphere sounding. In addition, the LEO onboard navigation and in-situ measurements can be used to derive the topside total electron content (TEC) and electron density at orbit heights. However, improved inversion techniques, assimilation methods including high-resolution tomography and powerful processing systems need to be developed for improved space weather monitoring, forecasting and modelling. Long term RO and topside data obtained by combining multi-instrument multi-satellite data has a large potential for climate related assessments. With more than 3 decades, i.e. almost 3 solar cycles of continuous LEO observations being available now, together with advanced machine learning techniques we have the unprecedented opportunity to model the ionosphere and plasmasphere with greater accuracy and detail. In this session, contributions on new techniques to estimate the electron density and TEC distribution, ionospheric gradients and irregularities using onboard LEO data, and their ingestion into data assimilation models for supporting space weather applications are welcome. Any email message from EUMETSAT is sent in good faith but shall neither be binding nor construed as constituting a commitment by EUMETSAT, except where provided for in a written agreement or contract or if explicitly stated in the email. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of EUMETSAT. This message and any attachments are intended for the sole use of the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, dissemination or distribution (in whole or in part) of its contents is not permitted. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system.

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Reminder: ROMEX Special Issue in AMT – Call for Papers
by Hui Shao 06 Jan '26

06 Jan '26

Dear colleagues, This is a friendly reminder about the *ROMEX Special Issue* in *Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT)*. If you have ROMEX results or have used any part of the ROMEX dataset, we strongly encourage you to consider submitting your work to this AMT Special Issue. Our aim is to bring ROMEX-related studies together in one place to support focused discussion and visibility across the community. Manuscripts can be submitted through the AMT online submission system by selecting the correct special issue title during registration: https://editor.copernicus.org/AMT/manuscript_registration *Submission is open through **31 December 2026 (extension possible)*, and submissions will be handled through the standard AMT peer-review process. For full details on submission instructions and the scope of the special issue, please see the original call for papers: https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/special_issue1367.html Please feel free to share this announcement with interested colleagues. Best regards, Hui Shao on behalf of the ROMEX Committee

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OPAC-IROWG 2026, September 10–16, Seggau Castle, Austria
by Ulrich Foelsche 22 Dec '25

22 Dec '25

Dear IROWG, date and venue have already been announced before - but just to make sure that you mark your calendar: *IROWG-11* will be held together with the *OPAC-8 *Workshop from *September 10–16* in *Seggau Castle*, Austria. The workshop website will be: *https://opacirowg2026.uni-graz.at * Julia Danzer and Marc Schwärz will join me as OPAC chairs, Hui Shao and Tony Mannucci as IROWG WS chairs. The call for papers will follow in spring.* * Meanwhile, also the AMT Special Issue from our 2022 workshop is (finally) complete: https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/special_issue1270.html We wish you a peaceful time, Merry Christmas - and all the best for 2026, where we are looking forward to seeing you again. Uli Foelsche, on behalf of IROWG -- ************************************************************************** - Ulrich Foelsche - University of Graz - Institute of Physics, Department of Astrophysics and Geophysics (AGP) - Universitaetsplatz 5, 8010 Graz, Austria - Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change (WEGC) - Brandhofgasse 5, 8010 Graz, Austria - Tel: +43-316-380-8590 - E-mail: ulrich.foelsche(a)uni-graz.at **************************************************************************

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PRO Workshop Nov 10–12: Agenda Available and Remote Registration Still Open
by Hui Shao 05 Nov '25

05 Nov '25

Dear IROWG, The Polarimetric Radio Occultation (PRO) Workshop will be held next week, November 10–12, in Darmstadt, Germany with remote access. The workshop agenda is now available online <https://www.eventsforce.net/eumetsat/frontend/reg/tAgendaWebsite.csp?pageID…> . If you still would like to participate in this workshop remotely, please register through the website. <https://www.eventsforce.net/eumetsat/frontend/reg/tRegisterEmailNew.csp?pag…> The remote access information will be sent to you. In case you have any question or require any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the organising team: events(a)eumetsat.int Best regards, Hui on behalf of the PRO workshop organizing committee

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