Studying characteristics of traveling ionospheric disturbances using U-shaped traces on vertical incidence ionograms

This paper presents a case study when due to the descending additional U-shaped trace on vertical incidence ionograms, increased critical frequency stabilizes. This corresponds to an ionospheric disturbance that moves toward the ionosonde and then stays overhead. Within a 2D model, traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are superimposed on the inverted background ionosphere. So ray tracing is used to obtain propagation paths through non-stratified ionosphere thus synthesizing the disturbed ionogram traces. Investigated are changes in the cusp shape caused by varying TID parameters. A cusp-fitting method to determine the TID amplitude, spatial scale, and horizontal drift velocity are shown. (C) 2020 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study used ray tracing to simulate traveling ionospheric disturbances in a non-stratified ionosphere, investigated changes in ionogram traces due to disturbances, and demonstrated a method for determining TID parameters.