Ionospheric criticial frequencies and solar cycle effects
Abstract
The long term solar activity dependencies of ionospheric F1 and F2 regions critical frequencies (foF1 and foF2) are investigated observationally for the last four solar cycles (1976-2015). We here show that the ionospheric F1 and F2 regions have different solar activity dependencies in terms of the sunspot group (SG) numbers: F1 region critical frequency (foF1) peaks at the same time with small SG numbers, while the foF2 reaches its maximum at the same time with the large SG numbers especially during the solar cycle 23. Thus, we may conclude that the sensitivities of ionospheric F1 and F2 region critical frequencies to sunspot group (SG) numbers are associated with different physical processes that are yet to be investigated in detail. Such new results provide further evidence that the two ionospheric regions have different responses to the solar activity. We also analyzed short term oscillatory behavior of ionospheric critical frequencies and found some solar signatures.
- Publication:
-
41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016cosp...41E.996K