Plasma density over Svalbard during the ISBJØRN campaign

• Main Authors: Hall, C. M., van Eyken, A. P., Svenes, K. R.
• Other Authors: Department of Physics, University of Tromsø (UiT), EISCAT Scientific Association, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2000
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences; Andøya; Ny-Ålesund; Svalbard; EISCAT; isbjørn; Ny Ålesund
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00316571; https://hal.science/hal-00316571/document; https://hal.science/hal-00316571/file/angeo-18-209-2000.pdf

International audience In 1997, reliable operation of the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) was achieved and a rocket launching facility at Ny Ålesund on Svalbard (79°N, 12°E) (SVALRAK) was established. On 20 November, 1977, the first instrumented payload was launched from SVALRAK. Although the payload configuration had been flown many times previously from Andøya Rocket Range on the Norwegian mainland, this presented an unprecedented in situ determination of positive ion density over Svalbard. Simultaneously, ESR measured similar density profiles but in a higher altitude regime. We have combined the ESR measurements with ionosonde data to establish a calibration and subsequently combined the ground-based and in situ determined profiles to give a composite positive ion density profile from the mesosphere to the thermosphere.