Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere
Coherent and incoherent ground-based radar measurements of the winter polar cap ionosphere at Thule and Sondrestrom, Greenland, have established the existence of patches of enhanced ionization which drift across the polar cap in an antisunward, noon-midnight direction. Associated with these patches...
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ftdtic:ADA205704 2023-05-15T16:27:05+02:00 Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere Anderson, D. N. Buchau, J. Heelis, R. A. AIR FORCE GEOPHYSICS LAB HANSCOM AFB MA 1987-05-07 text/html http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA205704 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA205704 en eng http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA205704 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. DTIC AND NTIS Atmospheric Physics *RADAR REFLECTIONS *CONVECTION(ATMOSPHERIC) POLAR REGIONS TIME INTERVALS REPRINTS DENSITY OPTIMIZATION PLASMAS(PHYSICS) COHERENCE TIME VARIATIONS DRIFT PARTICLES WINTER DARKNESS TRANSPORT PATTERNS IONIZATION CHARGE TRANSFER DIFFUSION INCOHERENT SCATTERING ENERGETIC PROPERTIES HIGH LATITUDES IONOSPHERIC SCINTILLATION RADIO WAVES GREENLAND SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION SIMULATION IONOSPHERE THULE(GREENLAND) SONDRESTROM(GREENLAND) PE61102F WUAFGL2310G9035 Text 1987 ftdtic 2016-02-23T07:11:05Z Coherent and incoherent ground-based radar measurements of the winter polar cap ionosphere at Thule and Sondrestrom, Greenland, have established the existence of patches of enhanced ionization which drift across the polar cap in an antisunward, noon-midnight direction. Associated with these patches is strong radio scintillation activity which severely disrupts ground-to-satellite communication systems and interferes with the operation of space surveillance radar at high latitudes. Several recent studies have shown that the source of enhanced ionization is the sunlit sub-cusp ionosphere rather than production by precipitating energetic particles. This problem is studied by solving the time dependent plasma continuity equation including production by solar ultraviolet radiation, loss through charge exchange and transport by diffusion and convection E X B drifts. Time and spatially varying, horizontal E X B drift patterns are imposed and subsequent ionospheric responses are calculated to determine how enhanced plasma densities. In the dark polar cap could result from extended transit of relevant flux tubes through regions of significant solar production. A density enhancement in NMAX from 70,000 to 500,000 el/cu cm occurs at Thule when a time-varying convection pattern is included in the simulation. The patch of ionization is generated when an initial convection pattern characterized by an 80 KV crosstail potential and a 12 polar cap radius is abruptly changed to a 100 KV crosstail potential and a 15 deg polar cap radius. The horizontal extent of the patch is related to the length of time the new convection pattern remains turned-on. Reprints. Pub. in The Effect of the Ionosphere on Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance Systems Based on Ionospheric Effects Symposium p619-657, 5-7 May 1987. Text Greenland Thule Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database Greenland |
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Open Polar |
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Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database |
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ftdtic |
language |
English |
topic |
Atmospheric Physics *RADAR REFLECTIONS *CONVECTION(ATMOSPHERIC) POLAR REGIONS TIME INTERVALS REPRINTS DENSITY OPTIMIZATION PLASMAS(PHYSICS) COHERENCE TIME VARIATIONS DRIFT PARTICLES WINTER DARKNESS TRANSPORT PATTERNS IONIZATION CHARGE TRANSFER DIFFUSION INCOHERENT SCATTERING ENERGETIC PROPERTIES HIGH LATITUDES IONOSPHERIC SCINTILLATION RADIO WAVES GREENLAND SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION SIMULATION IONOSPHERE THULE(GREENLAND) SONDRESTROM(GREENLAND) PE61102F WUAFGL2310G9035 |
spellingShingle |
Atmospheric Physics *RADAR REFLECTIONS *CONVECTION(ATMOSPHERIC) POLAR REGIONS TIME INTERVALS REPRINTS DENSITY OPTIMIZATION PLASMAS(PHYSICS) COHERENCE TIME VARIATIONS DRIFT PARTICLES WINTER DARKNESS TRANSPORT PATTERNS IONIZATION CHARGE TRANSFER DIFFUSION INCOHERENT SCATTERING ENERGETIC PROPERTIES HIGH LATITUDES IONOSPHERIC SCINTILLATION RADIO WAVES GREENLAND SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION SIMULATION IONOSPHERE THULE(GREENLAND) SONDRESTROM(GREENLAND) PE61102F WUAFGL2310G9035 Anderson, D. N. Buchau, J. Heelis, R. A. Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere |
topic_facet |
Atmospheric Physics *RADAR REFLECTIONS *CONVECTION(ATMOSPHERIC) POLAR REGIONS TIME INTERVALS REPRINTS DENSITY OPTIMIZATION PLASMAS(PHYSICS) COHERENCE TIME VARIATIONS DRIFT PARTICLES WINTER DARKNESS TRANSPORT PATTERNS IONIZATION CHARGE TRANSFER DIFFUSION INCOHERENT SCATTERING ENERGETIC PROPERTIES HIGH LATITUDES IONOSPHERIC SCINTILLATION RADIO WAVES GREENLAND SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION SIMULATION IONOSPHERE THULE(GREENLAND) SONDRESTROM(GREENLAND) PE61102F WUAFGL2310G9035 |
description |
Coherent and incoherent ground-based radar measurements of the winter polar cap ionosphere at Thule and Sondrestrom, Greenland, have established the existence of patches of enhanced ionization which drift across the polar cap in an antisunward, noon-midnight direction. Associated with these patches is strong radio scintillation activity which severely disrupts ground-to-satellite communication systems and interferes with the operation of space surveillance radar at high latitudes. Several recent studies have shown that the source of enhanced ionization is the sunlit sub-cusp ionosphere rather than production by precipitating energetic particles. This problem is studied by solving the time dependent plasma continuity equation including production by solar ultraviolet radiation, loss through charge exchange and transport by diffusion and convection E X B drifts. Time and spatially varying, horizontal E X B drift patterns are imposed and subsequent ionospheric responses are calculated to determine how enhanced plasma densities. In the dark polar cap could result from extended transit of relevant flux tubes through regions of significant solar production. A density enhancement in NMAX from 70,000 to 500,000 el/cu cm occurs at Thule when a time-varying convection pattern is included in the simulation. The patch of ionization is generated when an initial convection pattern characterized by an 80 KV crosstail potential and a 12 polar cap radius is abruptly changed to a 100 KV crosstail potential and a 15 deg polar cap radius. The horizontal extent of the patch is related to the length of time the new convection pattern remains turned-on. Reprints. Pub. in The Effect of the Ionosphere on Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance Systems Based on Ionospheric Effects Symposium p619-657, 5-7 May 1987. |
author2 |
AIR FORCE GEOPHYSICS LAB HANSCOM AFB MA |
format |
Text |
author |
Anderson, D. N. Buchau, J. Heelis, R. A. |
author_facet |
Anderson, D. N. Buchau, J. Heelis, R. A. |
author_sort |
Anderson, D. N. |
title |
Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere |
title_short |
Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere |
title_full |
Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere |
title_fullStr |
Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere |
title_full_unstemmed |
Origin of Density Enhancements in the Winter Polar Cap Ionosphere |
title_sort |
origin of density enhancements in the winter polar cap ionosphere |
publishDate |
1987 |
url |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA205704 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA205704 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Thule |
genre_facet |
Greenland Thule |
op_source |
DTIC AND NTIS |
op_relation |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA205704 |
op_rights |
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
_version_ |
1766016128110297088 |