Results of the AEROS satellite program: Summary

Published literature reporting aeronomic data collected on two AEROS missions is summarized. The extreme ultraviolet solar radiation and other significant parameters of the thermosphere/ionosphere were investigated. Kinetic pressure, the quantity of atomic nitrogen, and partial densities of helium, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and atomic nitrogen were determined. The thermal electron population, superthermal energy distribution, plasma density, ion temperature, and composition according to ion types were measured. The chief energy supply in the thermosphere was calculated. Aeronomic calculations showing that variations in the parameters of the ionosphere cannot be correlated with fluctuations of extreme ultraviolet solar radiation were performed. The AEROS data were compared with data from S3-1, ISIS, and AE-C satellites. Models of the thermosphere and ionosphere were developed

Ionospheric Modelling using GPS to Calibrate the MWA. II : Regional ionospheric modelling using GPS and GLONASS to estimate ionospheric gradients

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA), after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. The version of record is available on line at https://doi.org/10.1017/pasa.2016.22 COPYRIGHT: © Astronomical Society of Australia 2016.We estimate spatial gradients in the ionosphere using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS (Russian global navigation system) observations, utilising data from multiple GPS stations in the vicinity of Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO). In previous work the ionosphere was characterised using a single-station to model the ionosphere as a single layer of fixed height and this was compared with ionospheric data derived from radio astronomy observations obtained from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). Having made improvements to our data quality (via cycle slip detection and repair) and incorporating data from the GLONASS system, we now present a multi-station approach. These two developments significantly improve our modelling of the ionosphere. We also explore the effects of a variable-height model. We conclude that modelling the small-scale features in the ionosphere that have been observed with the MWA will require a much denser network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations than is currently available at the MRO.Peer reviewe

Ionospheric Modelling during the Past Decades

217-234Starting with oversimplified models (e.g. reflecting mirror) geometrical optics in a parabolic layer achieved a satisfactory explanation of the most important phenomena in ionospheric hf-propagation. Later, more detailed descriptions of the electron-density profile were developed, e.g. the International Reference Ionosphere. These are based on ground and space observations. The C.C.I.R. 'numerical maps' describing the world-wide behaviour of the peak data are rediscussed now. Sophisticated theoretical models based on aeronomic theory have been developed during the last 15 years. These need an enormous computing effort