HR: 18:05h
AN: SA24A-08    [Abstracts]
TI: Joint Radar Backscatter Observations from Pohnpei and Christmas Island
AU: * Tsunoda, R T
EM: tsunoda@sri.com
AF: SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
AU: Ecklund, W L
EM: warnerecklund@cs.com
AF: None, 6648 Lakeview Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AB: The space-time characteristics of radar backscatter associated with the development of plasma bubbles in the nighttime equatorial ionosphere were investigated using two approaches. One was to operate two radars, separated by 45 degrees in longitude and 3 hours in local time, simultaneously and continuously, in order to assess whether the spatial correlation of conditions favorable for bubble development remains high over such a distance, and whether such conditions can persist for that length of time. The other approach was to operate the radars using multiple beams, in order to separate spatial from temporal effects, such as produced by large-scale wave structure during the post-sunset rise of the F layer. Multiple beams were also used to determine the temporal evolution of backscatter plumes (bubbles) as they drifted eastward, successively through the radar beams. These results are interpreted in terms of possible processes that lead to bubble development, and its day-to-day variability.
DE: 2415 Equatorial ionosphere
DE: 2439 Ionospheric irregularities
DE: 2772 Plasma waves and instabilities (2471)
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly