Ionospheric Vertical Drifts Obtained by Digisonde DPS4D and other Different Techniques

0477985 - ÚFA 2018 BE eng A - Abstract
Kouba, Daniel - Boška, Josef
Ionospheric Vertical Drifts Obtained by Digisonde DPS4D and other Different Techniques.
Papers from URSI: XXXIInd General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (URSI GASS). Ghent: URSI, 2017. G36-2, G23P-6.
[URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (URSI GASS) 2017 /32./. 19.08.2017-26.08.2017, Montreal]
Institutional support: RVO:68378289
Keywords : Pruhonice ionospheric observatory * ionospheric E layer * ionospheric F layer * ionospheric drifts measurement
Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology

Since 2004 the ionospheric observatory in Pruhonice (Czech Republic, 50N, 14.9E) provides regular ionospheric sounding using Digisonde DPS4D. Pruhonice ionospheric station also perform F region drift soundings in autodrift mode. Since 2005 E region drifts measurement, using fixed frequencies and F region soundings in autodrift mode with 15 minutes sampling for each region are measured routinely. The vertical velocity is thus estimated according to the change of characteristics scaled from the classical quarter-hour ionograms. In present paper the direct drift measurement is compared with technique based on measuring of the virtual height at fixed frequency from the F-layer trace on ionogram, technique based on variation of h’F and hmF.

Different methods of vertical drift velocity estimation give different results, probably for these main reasons: Single-point calculation (hmF2, h'F2) is often loaded with big error (uncertainty, misinterpretation). The classic time difference of 15 minutes between ionograms is probably too large for indirect methods. Much better agreement of results is for smaller steps (7.5 or 5 minutes).Distinctly different results can sometimes be calculated using integral methods (ionogram F-trace, electron density profile) for single measurement and different parts of profile/trace (height dependence?).The integration method (density profile, F-trace) are less prone to big errors than the one point methods (hmF2, h’F2).It is necessary to compare in details different methods for different latitudes, various cadence of ionograms and different daytime. It is also appropriate to explore statistical properties of the obtained results – despite significant differences of individual results, similar statistical properties occurred.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0274215