A Study on the Vertical Circulation and Structure of Metallic Ions in the Mid-Latitude Ionosphere

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The investigators will study physical processes in the 120-180 km region of the atmosphere, particularly the intermediate layer, an ionization layer present at mid-latitude in this altitude range. Although the incoherent scatter radar (ISR) observations at Arecibo show that the intermediate layer forms practically every day, its composition, structure, and formation mechanism are still not well understood. The investigators will use the Arecibo ISR, in conjunction with lidars and all-sky imagers, to determine the ion composition of the intermediate layers, to develop a one-dimensional metallic ion circulation model, and to study the horizontal inhomogeneity of intermediate and their relation to gravity waves in the E and F valley region. The project will lead to improved knowledge about vertical metallic ion distribution, the intermediate layer composition, and formation mechanism. It would also improve general understanding of atmospheric dynamics related to gravity wave, tides and planetary wave, since the long lifetime of metallic ions makes them a good tracer to study the dynamics at various scales. Many aspects of the research will be directly integrated into several courses at the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Miami University. Radar coding techniques to increase the signal-to-noise ratio will be incorporated into an online junior level course, Signals and Systems. A new method that is superior to wavelet analysis in analyzing non-stationary signals will be part of the Digital Signal Processing course for senior/graduate students. Many aspects of the research will be included in a new senior/graduate level course, Atmospheric Remote Sensing, to introduce students to the field of aeronomy and as undergraduate senior capstone projects topics. Also, the online course will be made available free to Central State University, a historically black university, through the Ohio 3rd Frontier Network. All the ISR data will be made publicly available.