Gigahertz scintillations and spaced-receiver drift measurements during Project Condor equatorial F region rocket campaign in Peru

Technical Report · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5265320

Basu,; Basu,; LaBelle, J; Kudeki, E; Fejer, B G

Radar backscatter at 50 MHz, rocket, and VHF/GHz scintillation measurements of spread-F irregularities at the magnetic equator in Peru were made during the Project Condor campaign in March 1983. The paper discusses the coordinated set of observations on two evenings, March 1 and March 14, 1983, when the altitude of the F-region peak differed by more than 150 km. The full complement of equatorial spread-F phenomena, namely, the occurrence of 3-m plume structures and VHF/GHz scintillations, were recorded on both these evenings. It was found that the radar backscatter with extended plumes occurs in association with maximum 1.7-GHz scintillations. This established that the height-integrated rms electron-density deviation of approx. 200-m scale irregularities causing 1.7-GHz scintillations maximizes in extended 3-m plume structures. The magnitude of 1.7-GHz scintillations recorded at high-elevation angles (approx. 76 deg) near the magnetic equator did not exceed a value of S/sub 4/ = 0.2 (4 dB) in contrast to the near saturated 1.5-GHz scintillations routinely observed at Ascension Island near the crests of the equatorial anomaly of F/sub 2/ ionization. The observed scintillation magnitudes at 1.7 GHz have, however, been found to be compatible with the ambient F region and the irregularity parameters measured by the rocket.

• Research Organization: Emmanuel Coll., Boston, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5265320
• Report Number(s): AD-A-168831/6/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BACKSCATTERING
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISTURBANCES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRON DENSITY
F REGION
GEOMAGNETIC EQUATOR
IONOSPHERE
LATIN AMERICA
PERU
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLUMES
SCATTERING
SCINTILLATIONS
SOUTH AMERICA
SPREAD F