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Climatology of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Observed by HamSCI Amateur Radio with Connections to Geospace and Neutral Atmospheric Sources.
  • +6
  • Diego Sanchez,
  • Nathaniel Frissell,
  • Gareth Perry,
  • V LYNN HARVEY,
  • William Engelke,
  • Anthea Coster,
  • Philip J Erickson,
  • John Michael Ruohoniemi,
  • Joseph B. H. Baker
Diego Sanchez
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Corresponding Author:ds999@njit.edu

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Nathaniel Frissell
University of Scranton
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Gareth Perry
New Jersey Institute of Technology
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V LYNN HARVEY
University of Colorado Boulder
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William Engelke
The University of Alabama
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Anthea Coster
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory
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Philip J Erickson
Massachusetts Institute of Technology pje@mit.edu
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John Michael Ruohoniemi
Virginia Tech
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Joseph B. H. Baker
Virginia Tech
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Abstract

Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) are propagating variations in ionospheric electron densities that affect radio communications and can help with understanding energy transport throughout the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-neutral atmosphere system. Large scale TIDs (LSTIDs) have periods T ≈30-180 min, horizontal phase velocities vH≈‍100-‍250 m/s, and horizontal wavelengths H>1000 km and are believed to be generated either by geomagnetic activity or lower atmospheric sources. TIDs create concavities in the ionospheric electron density profile that move horizontally with the TID and cause skip-distance focusing effects for high frequency (HF, 3-30 MHz) radio signals propagating through the ionosphere. The signature of this phenomena is manifest as quasi-periodic variations in contact ranges in HF amateur radio communication reports recorded by automated monitoring systems such as the Weak Signal Propagation Reporting Network (WSPRNet) and the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN). In this study, members of the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) present a climatology of LSTID activity using RBN and WSPRNet observations on the 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz amateur radio bands from 2017. Results will be organized as a function observation frequency, longitudinal sector (North America and Europe), season, and geomagnetic activity level. Connections to geospace are explored via SYM-H and Auroral Electrojet indexes, while neutral atmospheric sources are explored using NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2).