DISTURBANCE IN THE IONOSPHERIC F-REGION FOLLOWING THE JOHNSTON ISLAND NUCLEAR EXPLOSION

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1959 · Nature

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/184032a0· OSTI ID:4208860

Cummack, C H; King, G A.M.

Ionograms at Rarotonga showed the normal undisturbed night F-region on August 1, 1958. A sudden increase in maximum electron density was noted which within ten minutes exceeded the recording limit of the machine. In the next forty minutes the electron density decreased rapidly and after one hundred minutes there was no trace of the normal F-region, but above it at a base height of 560 km was seen a layer the maximum electron density of density of which was roughly one quarter of the normal F-value. The increase at the maximum phase was to at least seven times normal. Another interesting characteristic was the gradual drop of fifty kilometers in height as the ionization decayed. On August 12 an-other disturbance in the ionosphere F-region was observed which was much less severe. Ten-minute recordings were made over the period of the first event and two-minute recordings over the period of the second event. The disturbances are related to published accounts of the American explosion of hydrogen bombs near Johnston Island on August 1 and 12, at heights of 160 km and 100 km. Ionograms from other stations were examined for a better picture of the physical processes. Observations are discussed. The data indicate test ionization occurred by collision and subsequent removal by attachment or recombination in a region of relatively high gas pressure. The spatial form of the ionospheric disturbance is presented graphically as deduced from the Rarotonga ionograms for the event of August 1. (C.H.)

• Research Organization: Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research, Christchurch, N.Z.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-13-019767
• OSTI ID: 4208860
• Journal Information: Nature, Journal Name: Nature Vol. Vol: 184
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

COLLISIONS
CONFIGURATION
DIAGRAMS
DISTURBANCES
ELECTRONS
F-LAYER
GASES
GENERAL
IONIZATION
IONOSONDES
IONOSPHERE
IONS
ISLANDS
LEVELS
MEASURED VALUES
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PACIFIC OCEAN
PRESSURE
PRODUCTION
QUANTITY RATIO
SPACE