Research on the Earth's upper atmosphere using ionospheric radars

Abstract

This work describes the operation and applications of the AIS-INGV ionosonde installed at the National Technological University, Bahía Blanca Regional Faculty (UTN-FRBB). It is used to monitor the ionosphere in real-time by generating ionograms that allow the estimation of characteristic ionospheric parameters (foF1, foF2, MUF(3000), Es, h'Es, among others). Since the ionosphere is the effective medium through which HF radio signals and waves propagate, its study is vital for communication systems. Through ionograms, numerous "Spread F" events and disturbances caused by the arrival of geomagnetic storms to Earth's environment have been identified. Additionally, we present the use of the data for the preparation of weekly space weather reports, which include a description of the Sun, solar wind, and interplanetary magnetic field, as well as a comparison of local ionospheric conditions with those of other regions.