Institute for Scientific Research
Boston College
Seminar
Speaker: Dr Angeline G. Burrell, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
Title: Using SuperDARN Groundscatter to Investigate the Bottomside Ionosphere
When: Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2015, at 2:00pm.
Where: Conference Room, ISR, 202 Kenny Cottle Hall, 885 Centre St., Newton Campus.
Abstract:
The polar ionosphere is a dynamic region that readily responds to changes in solar irradiance, solar
wind, the magnetosphere, and the neutral atmosphere. The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network
(SuperDARN) offers an invaluable dataset for studying long-term ionospheric variability at polar
latitudes, as it has been continuously providing extensive coverage since 1995 (the solar minimum
preceding the 23rd solar cycle).
An under-utilised portion of the SuperDARN dataset is the ground-backscatter: the backscatter that
returns from a reflection point on the ground along an open (or irregularity-free) propagation path. The
ground-backscatter provides a measure the ionospheric density at the peak of the radar signal’s path.
These measurements are used to examine the solar cycle variations in the bottomside ionosphere at
northern, polar latitudes.