Modeling Amateur Radio Soundings of the Ionospheric Response to the 2017 Great American Eclipse

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-28-2018

Abstract

On 21 August 2017, a total solar eclipse traversed the continental United States and caused large-scale changes in ionospheric densities. These were detected as changes in medium- and high-frequency radio propagation by the Solar Eclipse QSO Party citizen science experiment organized by the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (hamsci.org). This is the first eclipse-ionospheric study to make use of measurements from a citizen-operated, global-scale HF propagation network and develop tools for comparison to a physics-based model ionosphere. Eclipse effects were observed ±0.3 hr on 1.8 MHz, ±0.75 hr on 3.5 and 7 MHz, and ±1 hr on 14 MHz and are consistent with eclipse-induced ionospheric densities. Observations were simulated using the PHaRLAP raytracing toolkit in conjunction with the eclipsed SAMI3 ionospheric model. Model results suggest 1.8, 3.5, and 7 MHz refracted at h≥125 km altitude with elevation angles θ≥22°, while 14 MHz signals refracted at h < 125 km with elevation angles θ < 10°.

Identifier

85047759875 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Geophysical Research Letters

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077324

e-ISSN

19448007

ISSN

00948276

First Page

4665

Last Page

4674

Issue

10

Volume

45

Grant

AGS-1552188/479505-19C75

Fund Ref

National Science Foundation

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