Open AccessImaging ionospheric inhomogeneities using spaceborne synthetic aperture radar
Author(s) -
Pi Xiaoqing,
Freeman Anthony,
Chapman Bruce,
Rosen Paul,
Li Zhenhong
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2010ja016267
Subject(s) - ionosphere , synthetic aperture radar , remote sensing , geology , radar , satellite , geodesy , geophysics , physics , computer science , astronomy , telecommunications
We present a technique and results of 2‐D imaging of Faraday rotation and total electron content using spaceborne L band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR). The results are obtained by processing PolSAR data collected using the Phased Array type L‐band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) on board the Advanced Land Observation Satellite. Distinguished ionospheric inhomogeneities are captured in 2‐D images from space with relatively high resolutions of hundreds of meters to a couple of kilometers in auroral‐, middle‐, and low‐latitude regions. The observed phenomena include aurora‐associated ionospheric enhancement arcs, the middle‐latitude trough, traveling ionospheric disturbances, and plasma bubbles, as well as ionospheric irregularities. These demonstrate a new capability of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar that will not only provide measurements to correction of ionospheric effects in Earth science imagery but also significantly benefit ionospheric studies.