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A possible mechanism for echo striation generation of radar backscatter from midlatitude sporadic E
Author(s) -
Maruyama Takashi,
Fukao Shoichiro,
Yamamoto Mamoru
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/1999rs002296
Subject(s) - striation , ionosphere , sporadic e propagation , radar , backscatter (email) , f region , middle latitudes , geology , scale (ratio) , wavelength , remote sensing , radio wave , physics , optics , geophysics , telecommunications , atmospheric sciences , computer science , paleontology , quantum mechanics , wireless
The morphological resemblance is described between the quasi‐periodic scintillations of VHF radio wave transmissions from a satellite and the 46.5‐MHz radar backscatters of the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) radar radio waves, which are both associated with ionospheric irregularities in the sporadic E layer. Because these observation techniques are sensitive to different wavelengths of irregularities, the resemblance may be caused by coexisting irregularities. That is, radio wave scintillations reveal medium‐scale density‐enhanced regions with a specific scale length of several hundred meters in which small‐scale irregularities are embedded. The MU radar echoes may reveal backscatter signals from small‐scale irregularities. A periodic structure on a range‐time‐intensity (RTI) map reflected the spatial structure of the medium‐scale density‐enhanced regions. A model is proposed to explain the striations on the RTI map, which extend up to heights of several tens of kilometers even though sporadic E layers are usually thin.