Empirical F-region model development based on S3-1 satellite measurements
Document ID: 303
1 USAF, Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom AFB, Bedford, MA, U.S.A.
Presented: Symposium on the Effect of the Ionosphere on Radiowave Systems
Washington, DC, April 14-16, 1981
Abstract
The ion mass spectrometer experiment on the S3-1 satellite collected measurements of the density of N(+), O(+), N2(+), NO(+), and O2(+) in the altitude region 150 to 500 km for a period of approximately six months. Measurements from approximately 1800 orbits, which cover all latitudes for both summer and winter and four local time periods, have been studied to characterize the ionospheric variations. Mean profiles and median profiles with upper and lower quartile values, which show the data range, have been deduced from the measurements. The variation of the ion species densities with latitude, solar zenith angle, season, geomagnetic activity, and altitude has been compared with ionospheric models, such as the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). Differences in profile shapes and relative composition from the IRI model are discussed. The response of the ionosphere to geomagnetic storm effects is shown in several cases where molecular ion densities can become dominant over atomic ion species to altitudes above 300 km.
Keywords: atmospheric models, F-region, ionospheric composition, ionospheric ion density, magnetic storms, satellite sounding, F 2 region, ionospheric sounding, mass spectroscopy
| Citation: | "Empirical F-region model development based on S3-1 satellite measurements", Philbrick, C. R., Symposium on the Effect of the Ionosphere on Radiowave Systems, U.S. Navy, 1981, pp. 1 - 7, Bibliographic Code: 1981eirs.sympR....P, Preprints. (A82-18051 06-32) |