A Mid-Latitude Scintillation Model.
Abstract
Radiowave scintillation in the presence of ionospheric disturbances has the potential to disrupt numerous transionospheric radio and radar systems. This report describes development of a model characterizing the plasma density irregularities that produce scintillation in the naturally disturbed mid latitude F layer. The model will be incorporated into Program WBMOD, which includes subroutines for computing both link geometry and scintillation indices, the latter by means of phase screen diffraction theory. Earlier versions of WBMOD, were based on extensive analysis of scintillation data collected in the auroral and equatorial zones in Wideband Satellite Mission. The model described herein is based on similarly extensive analysis of Wideband data from one mid latitude station and of data collected from HiLat satellite at another mid latitude station. The model describes irregularities at an effective height of 350 km that are isotropic across the geomagnetic field and elongated by a factor of 10 along the field and whose one-dimensional spatial power spectrum obeys a single regime power law with a (negative) spectral index of 1.5. The height-integrated spectral strength of the irregularities is modeled as a function apex latitude of the point. The report highlights a disagreement by a factor of approximately three between irregularity strength inferred from the two satellites in a region of overlap between the two mid-latitude stations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 31, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA183143
Entities
People
- E. J. Fremouw
- James A. Secan
- Robert E. Robins
Organizations
- Northwest Research Associates