Measuring Electrodynamics of the Ionosphere by Digital Ionosondes and Other Techniques
Abstract
Extensive modeling of equatorial depletions was carried to compare the Agua Verde, Chile all-sky airglow (630.0 nm) observations with the Digisonde results from the same site. The motion/structure of depletions observed away from the magnetic equator showed west-to-east drift speeds of 80-100 m/s and lifetimes of the order of 2 hrs. On the quiet nights the airglow emission was about a factor of two greater than on nights when depletions were present indicating a lower F-layer altitude on quiet nights. This is consistent with the lack of depletions on the quiet nights as instabilities are more likely to form as altitude of layer increases. Qaanaaq polar Digisonde drift measurements were used to analyze the motion/structure of polar patches as they drifted over the site. A switch in IMF from Bz negative to positive resulted in the absence of patches after the change in field direction. Doppler analysis was used to separate the vertical ionosphere motion resulting from electron-ion recombination from the true vertical plasma drift. Results of this modeling are shown and Digisonde data from Puerto Rico are compared to incoherent scatter radar velocities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA401996
Entities
People
- B. W. Reinisch
- Gary Sales
Organizations
- University of Massachusetts Lowell