Comparing Ionospheric Parameterizations Using Incoherent Scatter And Ionosonde Data

Abstract:

One of the main goals of ionospheric research is to estimate the electron density distribution. Although there are several remote sensing and in situ methods to do this, they often require some prior knowledge about these profiles. This prior information can be, for instance, expressed as a parameterization of the ionosphere. Nevertheless, it is usually difficult to determine which of these models represents the ionosphere more appropriately.

In this work, we tested several parameterizations including Exponential profiles, Chapman functions, semi-Epstein layers, and semi-Epstein layers with altitude dependent scale heights. These models were fit to hundreds of density profiles from incoherent scatter radar and digisonde estimations. Furthermore, their goodness of fit was correlated to solar activity, day of year, and time of day to understand in what time frames each model works better. Finally, some applications of these results will be outlined.