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Ann. Geophys., 16, 1392-1399, 1998
www.ann-geophys.net/16/1392/1998/
© European Geosciences Union 1998
Validation of the CUTLASS HF radar gravity wave observing capability using EISCAT CP-1 data
N. F. Arnold, T. B. Jones, T. R. Robinson, A. J. Stocker, and J. A. Davies
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
Abstract. Quasi-periodic fluctuations in the returned
ground-scatter power from the SuperDARN HF radars have been linked to the
passage of medium-scale gravity waves. We have applied a technique that extracts
the first radar range returns from the F-region to study the spatial extent and
characteristics of these waves in the CUTLASS field-of-view. Some ray tracing
was carried out to test the applicability of this method. The EISCAT radar
facility at Tromsø is well within the CUTLASS field-of-view for these waves and
provides a unique opportunity to assess independently the ability of the HF
radars to derive gravity wave information. Results from 1st March, 1995, where
the EISCAT UHF radar was operating in its CP-1 mode, demonstrate that the radars
were in good agreement, especially if one selects the electron density
variations measured by EISCAT at around 235 km. CUTLASS and EISCAT gravity wave
observations complement each other; the former extends the spatial field of view
considerably, whilst the latter provides detailed vertical information about a
range of ionospheric parameters.
Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere – atmosphere
interactions) · Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (thermospheric dynamics)
· Radio science (ionospheric propagations)
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