Occurrence climatology of the electron density irregularities in the mid-latitude E region

Electron density irregularities in the ionosphere interrupt the propagation of electromagnetic waves and are problematic for navigation and communication systems. For this practical importance, significant efforts have been made to establish information on the occurrence climatology of such irregularities, to understand the onset conditions of such irregularities, and to predict or avoid the impact of these irregularities on the society. While the irregularities occur in all latitudes, less attention has been paid to the irregularities in middle latitudes. This may be because the irregularities in middle latitudes are not as severe as those in other latitude regions. However, middle latitudes are also the place where various forms of irregularities occur. A 40.8 MHz VHF radar was built at Daejeon (36.18°N, 127.14°E, 26.7°N dip latitude) in South Korea aiming at continuous monitoring of the behavior of the middle-latitude electron density irregularities in the Far East Asian sector. The radar has been continuously operated by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) since December 2009. Using the Daejeon VHF radar data acquired since December 2009, we examine the occurrence types of the irregularities and the dependence of the irregularities on geophysical conditions (local time, altitude, season, solar cycle, and magnetic activity). These results can be used as a tool for investigating the onset conditions of the middle-latitude irregularities.