Solar and Magnetospheric Influence on High-Frequency Radar Signal Propagation

Abstract:

The polar ionosphere is a dynamic region that readily responds to changes in solar irradiance, solar wind, the magnetosphere, and the neutral atmosphere. The most recent solar minimum brought to light gaps in the current understanding of the relationship between ionospheric structure and solar irradiance. The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) observes the high-latitude ionosphere using coherent scatter High Frequency (HF) radars. SuperDARN has been operational over one and a half solar cycles, and so provides an invaluable dataset for studying long-term ionospheric variability at the northern and southern poles. This study explores the influence of solar and magnetospheric forcing on HF ground-backscatter. Ground-backscatter, the backscatter that returns from a reflection point on the ground rather than from an ionospheric irregularity, provides a measure of the ionospheric density along the propagation path of the radar signal. By exploring the conditions that inhibit or enhance the propagation of ground-backscatter, we improve our understanding of the state of the bottomside ionosphere.