Three Decades of Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG): From Helioseismology to Magnetic Field and Space Weather (Invited Review)

2026/04/01 by Kiran Jain, J. W. Harvey, Frank Hill +5 · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Atmospheric Ozone and Climate

paper · doi:10.1007/s11207-026-02639-9

openalex publication_date 2026/04/01 · openalex created_date 2026/04/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) began observing the Sun in 1995, focusing initially on helioseismic full-disk Doppler measurements over a planned three-year period. The network utilizes six strategically located sites around the world. GONG has undergone significant upgrades and remains operational after three decades. It continues to deliver near-continuous, high-cadence observations of various solar observables. These observations have been pivotal in advancing numerous scientific and space-weather studies, unveiling details about the Sun’s internal dynamics, structural properties, and surface magnetic activity. We provide an overview of the instrumentation, data products, and key findings derived from GONG observations, highlighting their contributions to understanding the solar interior and its interactions with the atmosphere and heliosphere. Additionally, we will discuss the implications of these findings for theoretical models, summarize space-weather applications, and outline the network’s future plans.

Citations

• The Chemical Composition of the Sun
• The chemical make-up of the Sun: A 2020 vision
• The Shape of the Solar Tachocline
• Oscillations of the solar photospheric magnetic field caused by the m = 1 high-latitude inertial mode
• Learning to Estimate Photospheric Vector Fields from Line-of-Sight Magnetograms
• Solar-cycle variations in meridional flows and rotational shear within the Sun's near-surface shear layer
• Time Variation of the Solar Tachocline
• Latitudinal dependence of variations in the frequencies of solar oscillations above the acoustic cut-off
• Filament eruption by multiple reconnections
• The solar dynamo begins near the surface
• Magnetic Helicity Signs and Flaring Propensity: Comparing Force-free Parameter with the Helicity signs of Hα Filaments and X-ray Sigmoids
• Solar Wind Driven from GONG Magnetograms in the Last Solar Cycle
• Helioseismic Properties of Dynamo Waves in the Variation of Solar Differential Rotation
• Two-sided Loop Solar Jet Driven by the Eruption of a Small Filament in a Big Filament Channel
• Asphericity of the base of the solar convection zone
• Connection between Sub-surface Layers and Surface Magnetic Activity over Multiple Solar Cycles
• Helioseismic Investigation of Quasi-biennial Oscillation Source Regions
• Helioseismic determination of the Solar metal mass fraction
• Observed Power and Frequency Variations of Solar Rossby Waves with Solar Cycles
• Seismic Monitoring of the Sun's Far Hemisphere: A Crucial Component in Future Space Weather Forecasting (A White Paper Submitted to the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) -- SSPH 2024-2033)
• Subarcsecond imaging of a solar active region filament with ALMA and IRIS
• Dynamo Wave Patterns Inside the Sun Revealed by Torsional Oscillations

Discussions

• #EditorsChoice Kiran Jain, John W. Harvey, Frank Hill, et al. Three Decades of Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG): From Helioseismology to Magnetic Field and Space Weather (#InvitedReview). #Sola [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

Related

• Helioseismology over the solar cycle
• Ground-based Synoptic Studies of the Sun
• Connection between Sub-surface Layers and Surface Magnetic Activity over Multiple Solar Cycles
• Seismic Monitoring of the Sun's Far Hemisphere: A Crucial Component in Future Space Weather Forecasting (A White Paper Submitted to the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) -- SSPH 2024-2033)
• Improving the Understanding of Subsurface Structure and Dynamics of Solar Active Regions (A white paper submitted to the decadal survey for solar and space Physics (Heliophysics) -- SSPH 2024-2033)