Multiple Studies of Wind and Wave Patterns

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The proposed research effort is aimed at the further understanding of the interaction between the various regions of the earth's atmosphere. One central thrust is to study the interaction between atmospheric waves generated in the dense lower atmosphere with the plasma in the ionosphere. These waves. create considerable structure on the bottom of the ionosphere from which many radio and communications systems reflect signals. The resulting distortion is well known but not so well understood. In addition much fine scale structure results which cause even higher frequency signals to "twinkle" much as starlight does due to atmosphere turbulence. We hope to gain new insights into just how these waves affect the mid-latitude ionosphere on all these scales by conducting an intensive campaign in the Puerto Rican sector where the NSF is clustering a number of state-of-the-art instruments. We will add to this instrumentation by taking our portable radar to the nearby island of St. Croix for the campaign. In addition to gravity waves we are interested in how lightning may affect the ionosphere and plan some joint observations with the Millstone Hill Observatory to see if short wavelength electrostatic waves can be detected preferentially over thunderstorms. Upward striking lightning has been detected from the space shuttle and ionosphereic effects seem quite likely. Another topic of interest is the turbulence induced in the ionosphere by the flow fields in and around the aurora. This turbulence may be sufficiently intense that the present interpretation of incoherent scatter radar data is in error.