February 16, 2010, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

February 16, 2010, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Ionospheric irregularities in the low- and mid-latitude ionosphere: radar/rocket/satellite observations and numerical modeling

Dr. Tatsuhiro Yokoyama (Kyoto University and Cornell University)

The Earth's ionosphere at low and middle latitudes is surrounded by closed dipole magnetic fields. It is relatively moderate compared with the high latitude ionosphere, which is disturbed by various magnetospheric phenomena. However, irregular density structures induced by plasma instabilities do exist in the lower latitudes, and they affect radio wave propagation and may cause serious navigation errors. Efforts to understand and predict these irregularities based on ground-based/airborne observations and numerical modeling will be presented.