Medium Scale Structure of the F-Region

Abstract

Data collected during 1980/81 at Brighton, Colorado, show clearly that the F-region variations are undersampled in space and time by standard recording procedures. Fast temporal changes, with periods as short as 10 minutes, are directly observable if ionograms are taken in rapid sequences of a least 12 ionograms per hour. In order to obtain a correct spatial sampling, the distances between observing stations should not be much larger than 100 kilometers. This conclusion is derived from the temporal variations of F-layer parameters assuming a propagation velocity typical for acoustic gravity waves. Some direct estimates of a spatial structure scale can be obtained from angle of arrival measurements. Comparisons of foF2 and MUF(3000) indicate that the main effect of gravity waves on the F-region structure is the variation of the height of the layer and to a lesser degree a variation of the maximum electron density. Keywords: F region variability; Sporadic E layer tilts.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA208187

Entities

People

  • Adolf K. Paul

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Angle Of Arrival
  • Electron Density
  • Electrons
  • Frequency
  • Gravity
  • Gravity Waves
  • Intervals
  • Ionograms
  • Ionosondes
  • Ionosphere
  • Measurement
  • Observation
  • Radial Velocity
  • Radio Frequency
  • Reflection
  • Standards
  • Wave Phenomena

Readers

  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space