Analysis of Ionospheric foF2 by Solar Activity over the Korean Peninsula

Abstract

The F2 layer is the upper sector of the ionospheric F region, and it is ~250 km above sea level. It has a high electron density and thus plays an important role in shortwave communications. The variations of the critical frequency of the F2 layer (foF2) offer clues regarding the events happening within the entire F2 layer, and foF2 analysis is essential for stable shortwave communications. This study analyzes the seasonal and annual variations of the foF2 as well as the reactions of the F2 layer height at two locations in South Korea by employing the mean and standard deviation (SD) used in previous studies. To ensure a more elaborate analysis, the median and quartiles were used for analyzing the ionosphere. We thereby compensate for the limitations of the mean and SD in developing the SD, despite the convenience of the SD for probability analysis. The application of the median and quartiles for the analysis of ionospheric data led to analysis results with greater detail. This was achieved by determining the relative SD and concurrently displaying the outliers and range of variations

Investigating the Compatibility of IRI and ASAPS Models in Predicting the foF2 Ionospheric Parameter over the Mid Latitude Region

“…Jeon et al (2016) used the mean and standard deviation to analyze the seasonal and annual changes of f o F2 as well as the relationships of F2 layer height at two sites in South Korea. The median and spring for the study of the ionosphere were used to ensure a more accurate analysis [9]. Mohammed (2016) studied the accuracy of predicting the hourly f o F2 values using IRI-2012 and VOACAP models for three Iraqi cities during high solar activity.…”