The Meridian Project, innovatively proposed by Chinese scientists in 1993, is a significant national scientific infrastructure in China's space weather field. The project is led by the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with contributions from 15 units across 8 ministries including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Education, China Meteorological Administration, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China Earthquake Administration, and Ministry of Natural Resources. In 2006, the National Development and Reform Commission officially approved the Meridian Project and outlined a phased development strategy.
Through comprehensive, nationwide, high spatiotemporal resolution monitoring from the solar atmosphere to near-Earth space, the project aims to explore the propagation, evolution, and impact of space weather events on China's space environment. It seeks to reveal the characteristics and differences of space environment changes over different regions of China, as well as detailed processes of space environment changes in special areas such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the South China Sea. Additionally, the project studies the coupling processes among the solid Earth, lower atmosphere, and near-Earth space environment under China's unique geological and geographical conditions.
Provide high spatiotemporal resolution, real-time ground-based space environment monitoring data covering the entire China region to support spacecraft launches and on-orbit operations, as well as communication and navigation services in areas like the South China Sea. Develop independent space weather forecasting models to achieve a leap in China's space weather modeling and forecasting capabilities. Expand the application range of ground-based space environment monitoring data to promote the development of related interdisciplinary fields.
