Measurements of Trans-Ionospheric Propagation Parameters in the Polar Cap Ionosphere

Abstract

Measurements of absolute TEC (Total Electron Content), were made for the first time from the polar cap station located at Thule, Greenland in early 1984 using dual-frequency group delay measurements from high orbit satellites. Measurements of L-band amplitude scintillation and dual-frequency differential carrier phase scintillation were also made. The variability of the TEC was extremely large, with increases above the background values of more than 100 percent observed frequently. Quasi-periodic TEC enhancements with periods as short as 10 min and with amplitudes exceeding 10**17 el/m**2 column were seen over several time intervals of more than two hours. The absolute values of TEC observed in the dark polar cap ionosphere at times exceeded the diurnal maximum values from the mid-latitude ionosphere during this initial period of observations. Keywords: Polar ionosphere.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 03, 1987
Accession Number
ADA189446

Entities

People

  • D. N. Anderson
  • G. J. Bishop
  • J. A. Klobuchar
  • Patricia H. Doherty

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amplitude
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Classification
  • Electrons
  • Frequency
  • Greenland
  • Grids
  • High Latitudes
  • Ionosphere
  • Ionospheric Propagation
  • L Band
  • Latitude
  • Measurement
  • Polar Cap
  • Regions
  • Scintillation
  • Security

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space