Predicted and measured bottomside F-region electron density and variability of the D1 parameter under quiet and disturbed conditions over Europe

Modelling and forecasting of ionospheric parameters is very useful for different radio communication purposes. As long as variations in the ionosphere form regular patterns, the empirical International Reference Ionosphere model, IRI 2000, provides sufficiently accurate corrections to the maximum el...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Buresova, D, Altadill, D, Mosert, M., Miró Amarante, Gloria
Format: article
Status:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Publication Date:2004
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repository:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/104286
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/104286
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2004.04.007
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ionosphere
Geomagnetic storms
Electron density
F1 region
International Reference Ionosphere (IRI)
Description
Summary:Modelling and forecasting of ionospheric parameters is very useful for different radio communication purposes. As long as variations in the ionosphere form regular patterns, the empirical International Reference Ionosphere model, IRI 2000, provides sufficiently accurate corrections to the maximum electron density, NmF2, to predict the ionospheric effects on radio wave propagation. During geomagnetic storms, however, agreement between the IRI 2000 model and observations is still insufficient. This paper deals with the analysis of measured and model predicted F-region electron densities under quiet and disturbed conditions with the main emphasis placed on the distribution of the F1-region daytime ionisation. Available electron density profiles obtained from ionograms for selected periods from several European ionospheric stations (Pruhonice, Ebro, Arenosillo) were compared with IRI 2000 model results. Comparative analysis shows that discrepancies do exist predominantly during the storm main phase. The model predicted daytime electron densities at the fixed F1-region heights are closer to observed values during summer than winter. Dependences of D1 on solar activity and season are also analysed.