Raytracing simulation of HF radio wave propagation in high latitude ionosphere

High Frequency (HF) radio waves remain to be an effective and fruitful remote sensing tool for understanding the behavior of the ionosphere. The polar cap region of the ionosphere is home to large scale ionospheric which have attracted significant research interest in recent years. HF remote sensing techniques are sensitive to these irregularities, which are not represented well by existing ionospheric models. This makes it difficult to interpret remote sensing data, especially in undersampled geographic regions such as the Antarctic. In this presentation, we will show HF ray trace simulation results of the polar ionosphere over Antarctica and compare them to experimental data from an HF transmitter/receiver radio link recently established between the McMurdo and South Pole stations. In doing so, we will demonstrate the dynamic nature of the polar ionosphere and adjust the inputs of the ray trace modeling to provide to provide insight into the ionospheric conditions at the time of the measurements. After establishing the reliability of our methodology, we will extend our technique to broad areas outside the scope of existing experimental facilities in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. This work provides a method of obtaining a broad view of the ionosphere's behavior in remote regions and its repercussions on HF radio wave propagation and remote sensing techniques.