First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel

<p>We present the first observations from a new low-cost oblique ionosonde located in Antarctica. The transmitter is located at McMurdo Station, Ross Island, and the receiver at Amundsen–Scott Station, South Pole. The system was demonstrated successfully in March 2019, with the experiment yiel...

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Main Authors:	A. T. Chartier, J. Vierinen, G. Jee
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Copernicus Publications 2020-06-01
Series:	Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Online Access:	https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/13/3023/2020/amt-13-3023-2020.pdf

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spelling	doaj-6eec248f333a492288cd4240c1afd0ee2020-11-25T02:51:46ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482020-06-01133023303110.5194/amt-13-3023-2020First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channelA. T. Chartier0J. Vierinen1G. Jee2Space Exploration Sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USADepartment of Physics and Technology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, NorwayKorea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea<p>We present the first observations from a new low-cost oblique ionosonde located in Antarctica. The transmitter is located at McMurdo Station, Ross Island, and the receiver at Amundsen–Scott Station, South Pole. The system was demonstrated successfully in March 2019, with the experiment yielding over 30 000 ionospheric echoes over a 2-week period. These data indicate the presence of a stable E layer and a sporadic and variable F layer with dramatic spread F of sometimes more than 500 km (in units of virtual height). The most important ionospheric parameter, NmF2, validates well against the Jang Bogo Vertical Incidence Pulsed Ionospheric (VIPIR) ionosonde (observing more than 1000 km away). GPS-derived TEC data from the Multi-Instrument Data Analysis Software (MIDAS) algorithm can be considered necessary but insufficient to predict 7.2 MHz propagation between McMurdo and the South Pole, yielding a true positive in 40 % of cases and a true negative in 73 % of cases. The success of this pilot experiment at a total grant cost of USD 116 000 and an equipment cost of <span class="inline-formula">∼</span> USD 15 000 indicates that a large multi-static network could be built to provide unprecedented observational coverage of the Antarctic ionosphere.</p>https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/13/3023/2020/amt-13-3023-2020.pdf
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	A. T. Chartier J. Vierinen G. Jee
spellingShingle	A. T. Chartier J. Vierinen G. Jee First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
author_facet	A. T. Chartier J. Vierinen G. Jee
author_sort	A. T. Chartier
title	First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel
title_short	First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel
title_full	First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel
title_fullStr	First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel
title_full_unstemmed	First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel
title_sort	first observations of the mcmurdo–south pole oblique ionospheric hf channel
publisher	Copernicus Publications
series	Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
issn	1867-1381 1867-8548
publishDate	2020-06-01
description	<p>We present the first observations from a new low-cost oblique ionosonde located in Antarctica. The transmitter is located at McMurdo Station, Ross Island, and the receiver at Amundsen–Scott Station, South Pole. The system was demonstrated successfully in March 2019, with the experiment yielding over 30 000 ionospheric echoes over a 2-week period. These data indicate the presence of a stable E layer and a sporadic and variable F layer with dramatic spread F of sometimes more than 500 km (in units of virtual height). The most important ionospheric parameter, NmF2, validates well against the Jang Bogo Vertical Incidence Pulsed Ionospheric (VIPIR) ionosonde (observing more than 1000 km away). GPS-derived TEC data from the Multi-Instrument Data Analysis Software (MIDAS) algorithm can be considered necessary but insufficient to predict 7.2 MHz propagation between McMurdo and the South Pole, yielding a true positive in 40 % of cases and a true negative in 73 % of cases. The success of this pilot experiment at a total grant cost of USD 116 000 and an equipment cost of <span class="inline-formula">∼</span> USD 15 000 indicates that a large multi-static network could be built to provide unprecedented observational coverage of the Antarctic ionosphere.</p>
url	https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/13/3023/2020/amt-13-3023-2020.pdf
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First observations of the McMurdo–South Pole oblique ionospheric HF channel

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