CEDAR: Characterization of Plasma Structures in the High-Latitude Ionosphere with SuperDARN HF Radar Observations

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

The investigators will study the macroscale irregularity features seen in high frequency radar observations. The plasma of the high-latitude ionosphere is highly structured on spatial scales from hundreds of kilometers to meters. The effects of these irregularities are readily apparent in technical systems, such as radar, navigation, and communication. The radars of the SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network) system detect backscatter from decameter-scale irregularities, from which behavior of larger scale structures may be inferred. Thus, the observations will provide information about the occurrence frequency, spatial distribution and motion of the irregularities and their relation to larger scale ionospheric features such as patches, blobs, and polar cap arcs. Because the SuperDARN radars are widely distributed over the northern and southern Polar Regions, the data is especially useful in tracking the origin and dynamic behavior of plasma structures. The observations will also be compared with simultaneously derived convection maps to test models that describe the evolution of patches as they move through the high latitude ionosphere. The investigators will provide community access to data products that will help other investigators study irregularity features for specific events. The scientific studies enabled by the observations will contribute to the development of space weather models that specify and predict ionospheric conditions that might impact the operation of technical systems.