Evaluation of the effect of sporadic-E on high frequency radio wave propagation in the Arctic

Cameron, Taylor; Fiori, R. A. D.; Themens, David R.; Warrington, E.M.; Thayaparan, T.; Galeschuk, Draven

doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2022.105826

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Two features can be observed from Figures 8-10: (a) Es enables short range communications, with rays at higher elevation angle reaching closer ranges, and (b) both foEs and hEs have an impact on HF rays such that, higher foEs and lower hEs cause HF rays to reach shorter ranges. Our observations are thus consistent with the results presented in Cameron et al (2022) who showed that HF transmissions in Qaanaaq, Greenland were received in Alert, Canada. The authors used ray-tracing to show that the prolonged and consistent observations of frequencies reaching 14.4 MHz with a uniform and high signal-to-noise ratio were consistent with reflection from Es layers at ∼100 km.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Es layers can have a significant impact on radio wave propagation. For example, High Frequency (HF), and Very High Frequency (VHF), radio waves can experience refraction and reflection associated with Es density gradients (Cameron et al., 2022; Chartier et al., 2022). Es might open new modes of propagation by altering the reflection height of HF and VHF waves, sometimes enabling long distance multi‐hop propagation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dynamics of Mid‐Latitude Sporadic‐E and Its Impact on HF Propagation in the North American Sector

Kunduri,

Erickson,

Baker

et al. 2023

JGR Space Physics

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Sporadic‐E (Es) are thin layers of enhanced ionization observed in the E‐region, typically between 95 and 120 km altitude. Es plays an important role in controlling the dynamics of the upper atmosphere and it is necessary to understand the geophysical factors influencing Es from both the scientific and operational perspectives. While the wind‐shear theory is widely accepted as an important mechanism responsible for the generation of Es, there are still gaps in the current state of our knowledge. For example, we are yet to determine precisely how changes in the dynamics of horizontal winds impact the formation, altitude, and destruction of Es layers. In this study, we report results from a coordinated experimental campaign between the Millstone Hill Incoherent Scatter Radar, the SuperDARN radar at Blackstone, and the Millstone Hill Digisonde to monitor the dynamics of mid‐latitude Es layers. We report observations during a 15‐hr window between 13 UT on 3 June 2022 and 4 UT on 4 June 2022, which was marked by the presence of a strong Es layer. We find that the height of the Es layer is collocated with strong vertical shears in atmospheric tides and that the zonal wind shears play a more important role than meridional wind shears in generating Es, especially at lower altitudes. Finally, we show that in the presence of Es, SuperDARN ground backscatter moves to closer ranges, and the height and critical frequency of the Es layer have a significant impact on the location and intensity of HF ground scatter.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Mid‐Latitude Sporadic‐E and Its Impact on HF Propagation in the North American Sector

Kunduri,

Erickson,

Baker

et al. 2023

JGR Space Physics

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“…According to the wind‐shear theory, an increase in meteor echoes can lead to the accumulation of metallic ions of meteoric origin in the E‐region due to vertical shears in winds, thereby generating sporadic‐Es (Haldoupis, 2011). Features like sporadic‐E have a significant influence on HF propagation (for example, Cameron et al., 2022) and cannot be expressed in climatological model ionospheres like IRI, likely causing higher errors in summer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Examination of SuperDARN Backscatter Modes Using Machine Learning Guided by Ray‐Tracing

et al. 2022

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The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is a network of High Frequency (HF) radars that are typically used for monitoring plasma convection in the Earth's ionosphere. A majority of SuperDARN backscatter can broadly be divided into three categories: (a) ionospheric scatter due to reflections from plasma irregularities in the E and F regions of the ionosphere, (b) ground scatter caused by reflections from the ground/sea surface following reflection in the ionosphere, and (c) backscatter from meteor trails left by meteoroids as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. Due to the complex nature of HF propagation and mid‐latitude electrodynamics, it is often not straightforward to distinguish between different modes of backscatter observed by SuperDARN. In this study, we present a new two‐stage machine learning algorithm for identifying different backscatter modes in SuperDARN data. In the first stage, a neural network that “mimics” ray‐tracing is used to predict the probability of ionospheric and ground scatter occurring at a given location along with parameters like the elevation angles, reflection heights etc. The inputs to the network include parameters that control HF propagation, such as signal frequency, season, UT time, and geomagnetic activity levels. In the second stage, the output probabilities from the neural network and actual SuperDARN data are clustered together to determine the category of the backscatter. Our model can distinguish between meteor scatter, 1/2 hop E‐/F‐region ionospheric as well as ground/sea scatter. We validate our model by comparing predicted elevation angles with those measured at a SuperDARN radar.

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“…During Solar Proton Events, solar protons strike the ionosphere, leading to a decrease in the reflection height and an increase in the HF absorption termed Polar Cap Absorption (PCA) (Cameron et al., 2022; Neal et al., 2013). PCA can disrupt HF communications in the polar regions, and therefore aircraft in the polar regions cannot communicate with HF radio.…”

Section: Communication Blackoutmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Economic Costs of the 2003 Halloween Storm Effects on the North Hemisphere Aviation Using Flight Data in 2019

et al. 2023

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The study of space weather is increasingly important as space weather can affect a vast array of technologies and activities in space and on Earth, including Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) systems such as power grids (Watari, 2015), the oil and gas industry (Viljanen et al., 2006), communications (Kelly et al., 2014, ground transportation (Eroshenko et al., 2010), satellite infrastructure (Loto'aniu et al., 2015), and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) (Humphreys et al., 2010). The Sun is the ultimate cause of space weather, which occasionally erupts solar flares (Svestka, 2012), Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) (Webb & Howard, 2012), and Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) (Ryan et al., 2000). The interaction between CME and the Earth's magnetic field can produce major geomagnetic storms (Gonzalez et al., 1999). Radio blackouts, solar radiation storms, and geomagnetic storms are recognized as the three fundamental types of space weather (Eastwood et al., 2017

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Evaluation of the effect of sporadic-E on high frequency radio wave propagation in the Arctic

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Dynamics of Mid‐Latitude Sporadic‐E and Its Impact on HF Propagation in the North American Sector

Dynamics of Mid‐Latitude Sporadic‐E and Its Impact on HF Propagation in the North American Sector

An Examination of SuperDARN Backscatter Modes Using Machine Learning Guided by Ray‐Tracing

Examining the Economic Costs of the 2003 Halloween Storm Effects on the North Hemisphere Aviation Using Flight Data in 2019

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