Browsing by Author "McClure, J. P."

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    Comparison of Te and Ti from Ogo 6 and from various incoherent scatter radars
    (American Geophysical Union, 1973-01-01) McClure, J. P.; Hanson, W. B.; Nagy, A. F.; Cicerone, R. J.; Brace, L. H.; Baron, M.; Bauer, P.; Carlson, H. C.; Evans, J. V.; Taylor, G. N.; Woodman Pollitt, Ronald Francisco
    Langmuir probe and retarding potential analyzer (RPA) data on the electron and ion temperatures Te and Ti obtained from Ogo 6 are compared with Te and Ti values obtained from the incoherent scatter network. The satellite to radar temperature ratio TeS/TeR is 1.15 on the average for these comparisons. This discrepancy is larger than the uncertainties usually placed on the probe and radar Te values. It is, however, a smaller discrepancy than that found in many previous comparisons of this type. Our data do not appear to give any insight into the cause of the discrepancy. The ion temperature ratio TiS/TiR is approximately 1.0, independent of the particular radar examined. The internal accuracy of the RPA Ti data set was ±5% or better. Thus this comparison serves as an intercalibration of the incoherent scatter network. Since no significant systematic errors (i.e., errors larger than the statistical errors) exist between the RPA and radar Ti data, it appears very unlikely that any significant systematic errors exist in either data set. It should be noted, however, that the comparison data were limited to mainly nighttime hours and thus to relatively low temperatures and were heavily weighted to altitudes between 400 and 600 km, where suspected sources of systematic error are minimum.
    Palabras clave:Incoherent scattering radarAtmospheric temperatureIonosphere
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    Radar observations of equatorial spread F in a region of electrostatic turbulence
    (American Geophysical Union, 1972-10-01) McClure, J. P.; Woodman Pollitt, Ronald Francisco
    Radar observations of a welldeveloped layer of strong equatorial spread F are presented. The scattering cross section, correlation lifetime, and vertical electromagnetic drift velocity of the spread-F irregularities were measured as a function of altitude and time with resolutions of 10 km and I min, respectively. The vertical drift velocities were often 100 m/sec, which is greater by a factor of 3 to 4 times than the vertical drift velocity of the normal undisturbed equatorial ionosphere at similar times. Also the velocity pattern exhibited a turbulent structure, changing sign irregularly every few tens of km and every few minutes, on the average. This observation confirms a recent satellite implication that, based on similarities in their statistical occurrence patterns, electrostatic turbulence and spread F are related. Finally, the finding that the correlation lifetimes of the 3-meter irregularities responsible for radar backscatter vary inversely with the scattering cross section confirms and extends earlier radar results.
    Palabras clave:Incoherent Scatter RadarRadarTurbulence