Studies of the Auroral Zone Ionosphere Using the Mithras Data Base. Fiscal Years 1983-1985

摘要

The Autmospheric Science group participated in the multi-radar MITHRAS experimental campaign. Coordinated observations of the Earth's ionosphere, magnetosphere, and thermosphere were conducted using the Millstone Hill, Massachusetts, Chatanika, Alaska, and European EISCAT incoherent scatter radars in conjunction with a variety of ground based and satellite experiments. Chatanika and EISCAT are about 11 hours apart in magnetic local time, and Millstone Hill precedes Chatanika and follows EISCAT by more than 6 hours. Each of the three radars was able to study aruroal zone latitudes, but at widely spaced longitudes. Hence the MITHRAS program was well suited to study the class of problems which involve universal time/local time ambiguities, or equivalenty, space/time differences. Set operating modes were used at the radar sites to best match the requirements of the several campaign objectives. The overall MITHRAS program was motivated by a desire to provide a well documented set of radar observations of the mid and high latitude ionosphere during the brief interval when three incoherent scatter facialities would be available. At Millstone Hill the MITHRAS program involved the development of specific radar operating modes and analysis techniques appropriate for multi-instrument studies. An extensive data set resulted from the campaign.