Probing the high latitude ionosphere from ground-based observations: The state of current knowledge and capabilities during IPY (2007–2009)

• Published in: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics
• Main Authors: Alfonsi, Lu., Kavanagh, A. J., Amata, E., Cilliers, P., Correia, E., Freeman, M., Kauristie, K., Liu, R., Luntama, J.-P., Mitchell, C. N., Zherebtsov, G. A.
• Other Authors: Alfonsi, Lu.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Kavanagh, A. J.; Space Plasma Environment and Radio Science Group, Department of Communication Systems, InfoLab 21, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4WA, UK, Amata, E.; Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario I.N.A.F., Via del fosso del cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy, Cilliers, P.; Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO), P.O. Box 32, Hermanus, South Africa, Correia, E.; Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil and Centro de Rádio Astronomia e Astrofísica Mackenzie (CRAAM), Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Rua da Consolação 930, CEP: 01302-907 São Paulo, Brazil, Freeman, M.; British Antarctic Survey, High Cross Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK, Kauristie, K.; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin aukio 1, Helsinki, Finland, Liu, R.; Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China, Luntama, J.-P.; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin aukio 1, Helsinki, Finland, Mitchell, C. N.; Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK, Zherebtsov, G. A.; Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Irkutsk, Russia, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Space Plasma Environment and Radio Science Group, Department of Communication Systems, InfoLab 21, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4WA, UK, Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario I.N.A.F., Via del fosso del cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy, Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO), P.O. Box 32, Hermanus, South Africa, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil and Centro de Rádio Astronomia e Astrofísica Mackenzie (CRAAM), Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Rua da Consolação 930, CEP: 01302-907 São Paulo, Brazil, British Antarctic Survey, High Cross Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin aukio 1, Helsinki, Finland, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK, Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Irkutsk, Russia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd. 2008
• Subjects: Polar ionosphere; International polar year; Conjugacy; Interhemispheric studies; 01. Atmosphere::01.02. Ionosphere::01.02.02. Dynamics; 01. Atmosphere::01.02. Ionosphere::01.02.06. Instruments and techniques; 05. General::05.07. Space and Planetary sciences::05.07.01. Solar-terrestrial interaction; 05. General::05.07. Space and Planetary sciences::05.07.02. Space weather; South Pole; Fuller; International Polar Year; IPY; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/4542; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2008.06.013

During the International Polar Year (IPY), one area of great interest is co-coordinated, multi-instrument probing of the ionosphere at high latitudes. This region is important not only for the applications that rely upon our understanding of it, but also because it contains the footprints of processes that have their origin in the interplanetary space. Many different techniques are now available for probing the ionosphere, from radar measurements to the analysis of very low frequency (VLF) wavepaths. Combining these methods provides the ability to study the ionosphere from high in the F-region to the bottom of the D-layer. Thus, coupling processes from the magnetosphere and to the neutral atmosphere can be considered. An additional dimension is through comparisons of the response of the two polar ionospheres to similar (or the same) geomagnetic activity. With more instruments available at the South Pole inter-hemispheric, studies have become easier to accomplish such that a fuller picture of the global response to Sun–Earth coupling can be painted. This paper presents a review of the current state of knowledge in ionospheric probing. It cannot provide a comprehensive guide of the work to date due to the scale of the topic.Rather it is intended to give an overview of the techniques and recent results from some of the instruments and facilities that are a part of the IPY cluster 63—Heliosphere Impact on Geospace. In this way it is hoped that the reader will gain a flavor of the recent research performed in this area and the potential for continuing collaboration and capabilities during the IPY (2007–2009). Published 2293-2308 3.9. Fisica della magnetosfera, ionosfera e meteorologia spaziale JCR Journal reserved