Ozone trends in the mid-latitude stratopause region based on microwave measurements at Lindau (51.66° N, 10.13° E), the ozone reference model,and model calculations

We compared 8 years of ozone measurements taken at Lindau (51.66° N, 10.13° E) at altitudes between 40 and 60 km using the microwave technique with the CIRA ozone reference model that was established 20 years ago (Keating et al., 1990). We observed a remarkable decrease in ozone density in the stratopause region (i.e., an altitude of 50 km), but the decrease in ozone density in the middle mesosphere (i.e., up to 60 km in altitude) is slight. Likewise, we observed only a moderate decrease in the atmospheric region below the stratopause. Other studies have found the strongest ozone decrease at 40 km and a more moderate decrease at 50 km, which is somewhat in contradiction to our results. This decrease in ozone density also strongly depends on the season. Similar results showed model calculations using the GCM COMMA-IAP when considering the increase in methane. In the lower mesosphere/stratopause region, the strongest impact on the concentration of odd oxygen (i.e., O₃ and O) was observed due to a catalytic cycle that destroys odd oxygen, including atomic oxygen and hydrogen radicals. The hydrogen radicals mainly result from an increase in water vapor with the growing anthropogenic release of methane. The finding suggesting that the stratopause region is apparently attacked more strongly by the water vapor increase has been interpreted in terms of the action of this catalytic cycle, which is most effective near the stratopause and amplified by a positive feedback between the ozone column density and the ozone dissociation rate, thereby chemically influencing the ozone density. However, the rising carbon dioxide concentration cools the middle atmosphere, thereby damping the ozone decline by hydrogen radicals.     

Space Weather in the Equatorial Ionosphere

The ‘scintillations’ observed on signals received in the equatorial region from GPS satellites are due to plasma instabilities in the F region of the ionosphere, also detected as spread F. These instabilities give rise to depletions of ionisation or ‘bubbles’. The occurrence of these events and their relation to the equatorial electrojet are reviewed. Possibilities of short-term forecasting are examined with particular attention to problems encountered in modelling the equatorial electrojet. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Commonalities Between Ionosphere and Chromosphere

Three types of processes, occurring in the weakly ionized plasmas of the Earth’s ionosphere as well as in the solar chromosphere, are being compared with each other. The main objective is to elaborate on the differences introduced primarily by the grossly different magnitudes of the densities, both with respect to the neutral and, even more so, to the plasma constituents. This leads to great differences in the momentum coupling from the plasma to the neutral component and becomes clear when considering the direct electric current component transverse to the magnetic field, called “Pedersen current”; in the ionosphere, which has no quasi-static counterpart in the chromosphere. The three classes of processes are related to the dynamical response of the two plasmas to energy influx from below and from above. In the first two cases, the energy is carried by waves. The third class concerns plasma erosion or ablation in the two respective regions in reaction to the injection of high Poynting and/or energetic particle fluxes.     

Using GPS-TEC data to calibrate VTEC computed with the IRI model over Nigeria

This paper presents the development of a Total Electron Content (TEC) map for the Nigerian ionosphere. In this work, TEC measurements obtained from the AFRL-SCINDA GPS (Air Force Research Laboratory-Scintillation Network Decision Aid, Global Positioning System) equipment installed at Nsukka (6.87°N, 7.38°E) are used to adapt the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model for the Nigerian Ionosphere. The map is being developed as a computer program (implemented in the MATLAB programming language) that shows spatial and temporal representations of TEC for the Nigerian ionosphere. The method is aimed at showing how the IRI model can be used to estimate VTEC over wide areas by incorporating GPS measurements. This method is validated by using GPS VTEC data collected from a station in Ilorin (8.50°N, 4.55°E).     

短波射线追踪技术中的电离层混合建模方法

在国际参考电离层模型和多层准抛物模型的基础上,提出了一种混合应用两种模型进行电离层建模的新方法.利用射线追踪技术,分别对混合模型和传统国际参考电离层模型下短波射线在电离层中的轨迹进行了仿真,得到了电波群路径.通过与实测电波群路径的对比,结果表明:对中国中纬度地区在电离层混合模型下的射线追踪精度优于传统国际参考电离层模型下的射线追踪精度,同时混合建模方法降低了多层准抛物模型对输入条件的要求,扩展了多层准抛物模型在射线追踪技术中的应用范围.     

Comparison of Diurnal,Seasonal and Solar Cycle Variations of High-latitude,Mid-latitude and Low-latitude Ionosphere

Comparison of regular (diurnal, seasonal and solar cycle) variations of high-latitude,mid-latitude and low-latitude ionospheric characteristics has been provided on basis of local empirical models of the peak electron density and the peak height. The local empirical models were derived from the hand-scaled ionogram data recorded by DPS-4 digisondes located at Norilsk (69°N, 88°E), Irkutsk (52°N, 104°E) and Hainan (19°N, 109°E) for a 6-year period from December, 2002 to December, 2008. The technique used to build the local empirical model is described. The primary focus is diurnal-seasonal behavior under low solar activity and its change with increasing solar activity. Both common and specific features of the high-latitude (Norilsk), mid-latitude (Irkutsk) and low-latitude (Hainan) regular variations were revealed using their local empirical models.      

一种基于人工扰动电离层的通信对抗技术研究

研究了扰动后的电离层对不同波段的电磁波传播的影响,并探讨了该项技术在通信对抗上的具体应用。结果表明:受扰电离层可以引导VLF波进行"哨声模式"传播,进而实现对潜通信;可以使得HF波传播轨迹发生偏转、逃逸、聚焦和散焦,进而实现短波干扰;可以降低卫星通信频率,进而利用新波段实现卫星保密通信,同时还能产生透镜效应,对实现卫星通信的VHF电波产生额外增益,增强通信效果。     

强γ射线参考辐射场散射影响研究

采用蒙特卡罗程序MCNP对强γ射线参考辐射场的散射特性进行了模拟,确立了辐射场实验空间内的剂量率和能谱分布。通过多种角度对屏蔽墙散射和在束散射体散射进行了细致的分析,为校准实验室钴源辐射场的实验应用和屏蔽设计提供参考。     

现场校准试验用便携式γ射线照射装置研制

固定式环境γ辐射剂量率监测仪表是承担环境连续监测任务的主要设备,这类仪表通常不便于拆卸和安装,而且送检周期较长（一周左右）,影响了连续监测点数据的连续性。为了固定式仪表的按期校准,结合蒙卡方法研制了便携式γ射线照射装置,利用PTW剂量计对辐射场进行标定,最后利用便携式照射装置对固定式环境γ辐射剂量率监测仪表进行现场校准实验。     

Study of long path VLF signal propagation characteristics as observed from Indian Antarctic station,Maitri

To examine the quality and propagation characteristics of the Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio waves in a very long propagation path, Indian Centre for Space Physics, Kolkata, participated in the 27th Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica during 2007–2008. One Stanford University made AWESOME VLF receiving system was installed at the Indian Antarctic station Maitri and about five weeks of data were recorded successfully from the Indian transmitter VTX and several other transmitting stations worldwide. The quality of the signal from the VTX transmitter was found to be very good, consistent and highly stable in day and night. The signal shows the evidences of the presence of the 24 h solar radiation in the Antarctic region during local summer. Here we report the both narrow band and broadband VLF observations from this site. The diurnal variations of VTX signal (18.2 kHz) are presented systematically for Antarctica path and also compared the same with the variations for a short propagation path (VTX-Kolkata). We compute the spatial distribution of the VTX signal along the VTX-Antarctica path using the most well-known LWPC model for an all-day and all-night propagation conditions. The calculated signal amplitudes corresponding to those conditions relatively corroborate the observations. We also present the attenuation rate of the dominant waveguide modes corresponding to those propagation conditions where the effects of the Antarctic polar ice on the attenuation of different propagating waveguide modes are visible.