Tracking Polar Cap Patches in a Reconstructed Ionosphere Obtained from Ground and Space Based Observations
Abstract
Discrete high density plasma structures in the Earth's Ionosphere that convect across the polar cap from the dayside to nightside are known as polar cap patches. This high latitude phenomenon can interfere and disrupt satellite and HF communications when the associated sharp electron density gradients are encountered, and therefore, accurate modeling and forecasting of such events would be greatly beneficial. In this study we have utilized the GPS Ionospheric Inversion (GPSII) assimilative model to reconstruct the ionosphere from a variety of ground and space-based observations including ionosonde, incoherent scatter radar, GPS receivers, in-situ satellites, and SuperDARN radar measurements. These input data allow for large spatial and short temporal coverage of the high latitude ionosphere and are excellent for polar cap patch investigations. Polar cap patches, as observed in the reconstructed critical frequencies (foF2) and total electron content (TEC), are compared with optically observed patches utilizing an Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) operated 630.0 nm all-sky airglow imager installed at Qaanaaq, Greenland.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMSA53A..08N
- Keywords:
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- 2407 Auroral ionosphere;
- IONOSPHERE;
- 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions;
- IONOSPHERE;
- 2475 Polar cap ionosphere;
- IONOSPHERE;
- 2752 MHD waves and instabilities;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS