HF Doppler Sounding of the Auroral Ionosphere

Presently, a Leicester built HF Doppler transmitter and receiver system is situated in the vicinity of the EISCAT radar site near Tromso (69 N, 19 E). It continuously sounds the ionosphere on a near vertical path, with a CW signal at 4.45 MHz. The system is controlled, in real time, by a PC running specially written control and logging software. The sounder avails the opportunity to observe perturbations on, and also many wave types through, the local ionosphere.

However, the sounding system was designed, specifically, to observe the ionospheric signatures of ULF waves of magnetospheric origin. The Doppler Pulsation Experiment (DOPE) involves measurements of E-region conductivities, electron density profiles and F-region flow velocities by the tristatic European Incoherent Scatter radar (EISCAT) whilst the Doppler sounder, simultaneously, records the HF radio signal reflected from the F-region.

A schematic of the DOPE arrangement is depicted here




An example of a ULF wave signature, near equinox, in a Doppler sounder record.

Here is sample of the observations made by the EISCAT radar during the DOPE run on 960324. The data are plotted at 2.5 minute resolution. (Plot provided by Tony van Eyken at EISCAT, Tromso.)

Also, take a look at the EISCAT data set before that, taken on 960318.

Search the DOPE data base for available data

View the DOPE publications list

For further details or to request data contact:

Darren Wright [email: dmw7@ion.le.ac.uk] or Timothy Yeoman [email: yxo@ion.le.ac.uk]




This work was funded by the Royal Society.

These pages are administered by: jpa2@ion.le.ac.uk