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Ann. Geophys., 21, 1177-1182, 2003
www.ann-geophys.net/21/1177/2003/
© European Geosciences Union 2003
Automated detection of satellite contamination in incoherent scatter radar spectra
J. Porteous1, A. M. Samson1, K. A. Berrington1, and I. W. McCrea2
1School of Science and Mathematics, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S1 1WB, UK
2Space Science Department, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon, OX11 0QX, UK
Abstract. Anomalous ion line
spectra have been identified in many experiments. Such spectra are defined as
deviations from the standard symmetric "double-humped" spectra
derived from incoherent scatter radar echoes from the upper atmosphere. Some
anomalous spectra – where there are sharp enhancements of power over
restricted height ranges – have been attributed to satellite contamination in
the beam path. Here we outline a method for detecting such contamination, and
review in detail a few cases where the method enables the identification of
anomalous spectra as satellite echoes, subsequently ascribed to specific
orbital objects. The methods used here to identify such satellites provide a
useful way of distinguishing anomalous spectra due to satellites from those of
geophysical origin. Analysis of EISCAT Svalbard Radar data reveals that an
average of 8 satellites per hour are found to cross the beam. Based on a
relatively small sample of the data set, it appears that at least half of the
occurrences of anomalous spectra are caused by satellite contamination rather
than being of geophysical origin.
Key words. Ionosphere (auroral
ionosphere, instruments and techniques) – Radio Science (signal processing)
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