Collaborative Research: CEDAR--Application of the RENOIR System in Brazil to Study the Gravity Wave Trigger Mechanism In the Production of Equatorial Spread F and Scintillations

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This project is a 3-year collaborative effort between University of Illinois and Clemson University. The objective is to utilize observations from a suite of instruments newly deployed in northeastern Brazil to study the effects caused by thermosphere-ionosphere (TI) coupling and equatorial plasma instabilities, particularly those effects that are initiated by thermospheric gravity wave (GW) activity. The Remote Equatorial Nighttime Observatory for Ionospheric Regions (RENOIR) consists of two Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPI), a single wide-field imaging system, a dual-frequency GPS receiver, and two arrays of single-frequency GPS scintillation monitors. The two FPI instruments will be used in a bi-static configuration to measure thermospheric wind and temperature fluctuations within a common volume region. This will provide evidence for gravity wave activity that is one of the suggested trigger mechanisms for the production of equatorial spread-F (ESF) and plasma bubbles. ESF activity will be documented through two-dimensional maps of 630.0-nm and 777.4-nm nightglow intensities using the wide-field airglow imaging system. In addition, as part of these routine observations, GPS measurements of the total electron content (TEC) and scintillation properties associated with ionospheric irregularities will be made. RENOIR in Brazil represents an international collaboration between Clemson University, the University of Illinois, the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), and the Federal University at Campina Grande. Students from institutions in both the United States and Brazil will be involved in all aspects of this project, enhancing their education while training the next generation of scientists and engineers. The results of this project will advance the understanding of equatorial ionospheric irregularities, which has direct societal benefits through the adverse effects these irregularities can have on trans-ionospheric radio wave propagation