Radar Studies of Short-Term Variability in the Electrodynamics of the Low Latitude Ionosphere

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This project will address the nature of short-term (1 month) variability of electrodynamic processes in the low-latitude ionosphere under both quiet and active geomagnetic conditions using statistical analysis of existing data from multiple sources. Specifically, the observations include incoherent scatter radar data from Jicamarca Radio Observatory in Peru, coherent scatter data from the JULIA radar system in Peru, and magnetic field data from the CHAMP satellite and ground-based magnetometers. The aim of the analysis is to quantify the effects on ionospheric variability from drivers in the lower atmosphere, such as planetary and tidal waves and sudden stratospheric warming events, as well as those associated with solar wind variability, which are communicated through the magnetosphere and high latitude ionosphere. The resulting quantifications will be used to develop empirical, altitude-dependent models of vertical and zonal winds and their response to climatological/weather variations.