Collaborative Research: CEDAR--The Space-time Properties of High Latitude Ionospheric Irregularities by a Two-dimensional Array of GPS Scintillation Receivers

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The project entails the deployment of a two-dimensional (2D) array of GPS scintillation receivers in Calgary Alberta. The deployment of a large number of GPS scintillation receivers over a 2 km region will allow for the investigation of the temporal evolution of the 2D spatial distribution of observed amplitude and phase scintillations. The 2D time-evolving observations of GPS scintillations will be combined with comprehensive theoretical-numerical 3D forward propagation of electro-magnetic waves through random media, and inverse diffraction tomography techniques to provide quantitative linkage between the observations and analysis of the ground array, and the underlying physics and structuring of the ionospheric irregularities causing the scintillation observations. Furthermore, data assimilative techniques will be used to estimate large scale gradients in electron density, winds and fields, and compared with the scintillation results and auroral imaging to investigate to what degree knowledge of the large scale background ionosphere improves our understanding of smaller scale structuring.