Charles S. Carrano

Latitudinal and Local Time Variation of Ionospheric Turbulence Parameters during the Conjugate Point Equatorial Experiment in Brazil

Previous authors have reported on the morphology of GPS scintillations and irregularity zonal drift during the 2002 Conjugate Point Equatorial Experiment (COPEX) in Brazil. In this paper, we characterize the turbulent ionospheric medium that produced these scintillations. Using 10 Hz GPS carrier-to-noise measurements at Boa Vista (2.9°N, 60.7°W), Alta Floresta (9.9°S, 56.1°W), and Campo Grande (20.5°S, 54.7°W), we report on the variation of turbulent intensity, phase spectral index, and irregularity zonal drift as a function of latitude and local time for the evening of 1-2 November 2002. The method of analysis is new and, unlike analytical theories of scintillation based on the Born or Rytov approximations, it is valid when the scintillation index saturates due to multiple-scatter effects. Our principal findings are that (1) the strength of turbulence tended to be largest near the crests of the equatorial anomaly and at early postsunset local times, (2) the turbulent intensity was generally stronger and lasted two hours longer at Campo Grande than at Boa Vista, (3) the phase spectral index was similar at the three stations but increased from 2.5 to 4.5 with local time, and (4) our estimates of zonal irregularity drift are consistent with those provided by the spaced-receiver technique.

Ionospheric acoustic and gravity waves associated with midlatitude thunderstorms

Acoustic waves with periods of 2–4 min and gravity waves with periods of 6–16 min have been detected at ionospheric heights (250–350 km) using GPS total electron content measurements. The area disturbed by these waves and the wave amplitudes have been associated with underlying thunderstorm activity. A statistical study comparing Next Generation Weather Radar thunderstorm measurements with ionospheric acoustic and gravity waves in the midlatitude U.S. Great Plains region was performed for the time period of May–July 2005. An increase of ionospheric acoustic wave disturbed area and amplitude is primarily associated with large thunderstorms (mesoscale convective systems). Ionospheric gravity wave disturbed area and amplitude scale with thunderstorm activity, with even small storms (i.e., individual storm cells) producing an increase of gravity waves.

The Influence of Equatorial Scintillation on L-Band SAR Image Quality and Phase

It is well known that many of the nighttime acquisitions of the L-band Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array-type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) instrument over equatorial regions show significant distortions of the image amplitude information. These distortions have the form of amplitude stripes that are roughly aligned with the local geomagnetic field. While ionospheric scintillation has been identified as the source of these distortions, the exact nature of the induced artifacts on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image quality and SAR signal phase has not yet been studied in sufficient detail. Hence, this paper provides a quantitative analysis of equatorial scintillation effects on SAR image quality and SAR phase. We have performed a statistical analysis of ALOS PALSAR images over equatorial regions to describe the observed distortions and relate them to ionospheric parameters. An ionospheric simulator was developed and validated that is capable of simulating ionospheric distortions based on ionospheric scintillation parameters. Using this simulator, we found that ionospheric scintillation in the equatorial zone can cause significant distortions of SAR image amplitudes, image focus, and SAR signal phase. We determined threshold ionospheric environmental conditions that lead to the formation of these image distortions. Based on these thresholds, we quantified the likelihood of occurrence of ionospheric distortions for the global equatorial belt and for L-band sensors ALOS PALSAR, ALOS-2 PALSAR-2, and NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR).

A theory of scintillation for two‐component power law irregularity spectra: Overview and numerical results

We extend the power law phase screen theory for ionospheric scintillation to account for the case where the refractive index irregularities follow a two-component inverse power law spectrum. The two-component model includes, as special cases, an unmodified power law and a modified power law with spectral break that may assume the role of an outer scale, intermediate break scale, or inner scale. As such, it provides a framework for investigating the effects of a spectral break on the scintillation statistics. Using this spectral model, we solve the fourth moment equation governing intensity variations following propagation through two-dimensional field-aligned irregularities in the ionosphere. A specific normalization is invoked that exploits self-similar properties of the structure to achieve a universal scaling, such that different combinations of perturbation strength, propagation distance, and frequency produce the same results. The numerical algorithm is validated using new theoretical predictions for the behavior of the scintillation index and intensity correlation length under strong scatter conditions. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to investigate the morphologies of the intensity spectrum, scintillation index, and intensity correlation length as functions of the spectral indices and strength of scatter; retrieve phase screen parameters from intensity scintillation observations; explore the relative contributions to the scintillation due to large- and small-scale ionospheric structures; and quantify the conditions under which a general spectral break will influence the scintillation statistics.

Wavelet‐based analysis and power law classification of C/NOFS high‐resolution electron density data

This paper applies new wavelet-based analysis procedures to low Earth-orbiting satellite measurements of equatorial ionospheric structure. The analysis was applied to high-resolution data from 285 Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite orbits sampling the postsunset period at geomagnetic equatorial latitudes. The data were acquired during a period of progressively intensifying equatorial structure. The sampled altitude range varied from 400 to 800 km. The varying scan velocity remained within 20° of the cross-field direction. Time-to-space interpolation generated uniform samples at approximately 8 m. A maximum segmentation length that supports stochastic structure characterization was identified. A two-component inverse power law model was fit to scale spectra derived from each segment together with a goodness-of-fit measure. Inverse power law parameters derived from the scale spectra were used to classify the scale spectra by type. The largest category was characterized by a single inverse power law with a mean spectral index somewhat larger than 2. No systematic departure from the inverse power law was observed to scales greater than 100 km. A small subset of the most highly disturbed passes at the lowest sampled altitudes could be categorized by two-component power law spectra with a range of break scales from less than 100 m to several kilometers. The results are discussed within the context of other analyses of in situ data and spectral characteristics used for scintillation analyses.

A phase screen simulator for predicting the impact of small-scale ionospheric structure on SAR image formation and interferometry

We describe the SAR Scintillation Simulator (SAR-SS), a new phase screen model for simulating the impact of small-scale ionospheric structure on SAR image formation and interferometry. We compare simulated and observed PALSAR imagery over Brazil, and our preliminary findings show that SAR-SS can reproduce the essential features of azimuthal streaking and contrast degradation caused by small-scale structure in the ionosphere.

A characterization of intermediate‐scale spread F structure from four years of high‐resolution C/NOFS satellite data

Power law spectra have been invoked to interpret equatorial scintillation data for decades. Published analyses of intensity and phase scintillation data typically report power law spectra of the form q−p with 2.4< p < 2.6. However, in situ rocket and satellite measurements of equatorial spread F have shown evidence of spectra with two power law components. Strong scatter simulations and recent theoretical results have shown that two-component power law spectra can reconcile simultaneous equatorial scintillation observations from VHF to S-Band. The Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite Planar Langmuir Probe generated a multiyear high-resolution sampling of equatorial spread F, but published analyses to date have reported only single-component power laws over scales from tens of kilometers to 70 m. This paper summarizes the analysis of high-resolution C/NOFS data collected over the four year period 2011 to 2014. Following an earlier investigation of several months of C/NOFS data by the authors of this paper, the extended data set revealed a pattern of occurrence of two-component spectra in the most highly disturbed data sets. The results confirm a known inverse correlation between turbulent strength and spectral index. The new results are interpreted as an equatorial spread F life cycle pattern with two-component spectra in the early development phase giving way to single-component spectra in the decay phase.

A technique for inferring zonal irregularity drift from single‐station GNSS measurements of intensity (S4) and phase (σφ) scintillations

The zonal drift of ionospheric irregularities at low-latitudes is most commonly measured by cross-correlating observations of a scintillating satellite signal made with a pair of closely-spaced antennas. The AFRL-SCINDA network operates a small number of VHF spaced-receiver systems at low-latitudes for this purpose. A far greater number of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scintillation monitors are operated by the AFRL-SCINDA network (25-30) and the Low Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (35-50), but the receivers are too widely separated from each other for cross-correlation techniques to be effective. In this paper, we present an alternative approach that leverages the weak scatter scintillation theory to infer the zonal irregularity drift from single-station GNSS measurements of S4, σϕ, and the propagation geometry. Unlike the spaced-receiver technique, this approach requires assumptions regarding the height of the scattering layer (which introduces a bias in the drift estimates) and the spectral index of the irregularities (which affects the spread of the drift estimates about the mean). Nevertheless, theory and experiment suggest that the ratio of σϕ to S4 is less sensitive to these parameters than it is to the zonal drift. We validate the technique using VHF spaced-receiver measurements of zonal irregularity drift obtained from the AFRL-SCINDA network. While the spaced receiver technique remains the preferred way to monitor the drift when closely-spaced antenna pairs are available, our technique provides a new opportunity to monitor zonal irregularity drift using regional or global networks of widely separated GNSS scintillation monitors.

Hf Propagation Results from the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (Mosc) Experiment

With support from the NASA sounding rocket program, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) launched two sounding rockets in the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands in May 2013 known as the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment. The rockets released samarium metal vapor at preselected altitudes in the lower F-region that ionized forming a plasma cloud. Data from ALTAIR incoherent scatter radar and high frequency (HF) radio links have been analyzed to understand the impacts of the artificial ionization on radio wave propagation. The HF radio wave ray-tracing toolbox PHaRLAP along with ionospheric models constrained by electron density profiles measured with the ALTAIR radar have been used to successfully model the effects of the cloud on HF propagation. Up to three new propagation paths were created by the artificial plasma injections. Observations and modeling confirm that the small amounts of ionized material injected in the lower-F region resulted in significant changes to the natural HF propagation environment.

Split-step solution of the 4th moment equation for propagation through intense ionospheric disturbances

We solve the 4th moment equation for propagation through an extended random medium using the split-step technique. The statistics of ionospheric variations are specified in terms of a structure function consistent with Rinos power law phase screen model (1979). Solutions of the 4th moment equation are not limited to the weak scatter or asymptotically strong scatter regimes; they are valid over the full range of geophysically observed conditions. We compare numerical results with observations of GPS (L band) scintillations acquired at Ascension Island (7.96°S, 14.41°W) during the previous solar maximum. We demonstrate that accurate predictions of the decorrelation time require proper treatment of the propagation geometry and rate at which the ray path scans through the drifting plasma irregularities.