NPOESS Scintillation Study

• Main Author: Basu, Bamandas
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric Physics; Computer Programming and Software; DATA BASES; DRIFT; DRIFT VELOCITY; EQUATORIAL ANOMALY; EQUATORIAL REGIONS; Geography; GRAVITY ANOMALIES; INCOHERENT SCATTERING; IONOSPHERIC MODELS; NPOESS(NATIONAL POLAR ORBITING OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE SYSTEM); SCINTILLATION; TEC(TOTAL ELECTRON CONTENT)

Theoretical study of the total electron content (TEC) in the nighttime equatorial anomaly region shows that linear relationships with statistically significant correlation coefficients exist between the maximum value of the post-sunset enhanced plasma drift velocity and the peak-to-valley ration of anomaly TEC. The maximum value of the post-sunset vertical plasma drift velocity is an important, perhaps the most important, parameter for determining both the intensity and the latitudinal distribution of equatorial scintillation. When this parameter is not available from any direct measurement, the relationships may be used to estimate it from the peak-to-valley ratio of anomaly TEC, which, in turn, can be derived from the ultraviolet (UV) imagery data of the anomaly region acquired by NPOESS sensors and NPOESS-heritage sensors; e.g. GUVI on TIMED and SSUSI on DMSP. This indicates the possibility of NPOESS data being used for a scintillation-forecasting scheme. The relationships presented here are valid for the longitude sector of the Jicamarca incoherent scatter radar whose drift velocity measurements have been used in the ambient plasma density model for TEC calculations. Similar relationships for other longitudinal sectors need to be investigated. The original document contains color images. All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white.