Studies of the generation and dynamics of polar cap ionization structures using Expanded Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (ECHAIN) and satellite measurements

加拿大作为一个北极国家和一个高度依赖现代技术的社会，从科学和经济的角度给我们带来了许多挑战。在现代依赖技术的社会中，经济发展和公民安全的最重要工具之一是可靠的通信和导航系统。基于卫星的通信系统不是最佳的解决办法，由于北极的地理位置，导航系统并不总是可靠的。最近对北极开发的重视，重新引起了人们对使用高频（HF， 3-30兆赫）无线电波进行通信和开发准确可靠的导航产品的兴趣。然而，长距离高频无线电通信依赖于电离层将高频无线电波反射回地球。卫星导航系统的性能和精度也取决于电离层的变化和结构。因此，在规划和建立远程高频无线电通信链路和导航系统时，了解电离层的状态和了解其特性变得至关重要。北极电离层与太阳风和磁层的直接相互作用（“空间天气”）造成的时空变化，进一步使在地球这一偏远地区规划高频通信和导航系统的任何尝试复杂化。因此，提高我们对北极电离层的认识对于这些系统的成功运行也至关重要。通过这一建议，我们试图利用扩展的加拿大高纬度北极电离层网络（ECHAIN）和卫星测量来了解不同尺度（时间和空间）的极地帽电离结构的产生和动力学。这种理解将有助于模拟/减轻电离层对这些系统的影响，并使开发新的北极高频通信和导航协议成为可能。

Canada, as an Arctic nation and a society heavily dependent on modern technology, presents us with many challenges from scientific and economic points of view. In the modern technologically dependent society, one of the most important tools for economic development and safety and security of citizens is reliable communication and navigation systems. Satellite-based communication systems do not constitute an optimum solution and navigation systems are not always reliable because of the geographical location of the Arctic. Recent emphasis on the development of the Arctic has triggered a renewed interest in use of High Frequency (HF, 3-30 MHz) radio waves for communication and development of accurate and reliable navigation products. However, long range HF radio communication relies on the ionosphere to reflect HF radio waves back towards Earth. Performance and accuracy of satellite-based navigation systems also depends on ionospheric variations and structures. Therefore, knowledge of the state of the ionosphere and understanding its properties becomes critical when planning and setting up long range HF radio communication links and navigation systems. Temporal and spatial variations of the Arctic ionosphere, caused by its direct interaction with the solar wind and magnetosphere ("space weather"), further complicates any attempt to plan HF communication and navigation systems in this remote region of Earth. Therefore, improving our knowledge of the Arctic ionosphere is crucial also for the successful operation of these systems. Through this proposal we seek to understand the generation and dynamics of polar cap ionization structures of varying scale sizes (both temporal and spatial) using Expanded Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (ECHAIN) and satellite measurements. This understanding will help to model/mitigate ionospheric effects on these systems and enable development of new HF communication and navigation protocols for the Arctic.