• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.489-499
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• 2004

The climatological characteristics of the polar ionospheric currents obtained from the simultaneous observations of the ionospheric electric field and conductivity are examined. For this purpose, 43 and 109 days of measurements from the Chatanika and Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radars are utilized respectively. The ionospheric current density is compared with the corresponding ground magnetic disturbance. Several interesting characteristics about the polar ionosphere are apparent from this study: (1) The sun determines largely the conductance over the Sondrestrom radar, while the nighttime conductance distribution over the Chatanika radar is significantly affected by auroral precipitation. (2) The regions of the maximum N-S electric field over the Chatanika radar are located approximately at the dawn and dusk sectors, while they tend to shift towards dayside over the Sondrestrom radar. The N-S component over Son-drestrom is slightly stronger than Chatanika. However, the E-W component over Chatanika is negligible compared to that of Sondrestrom. (3) The E-W ionospheric current flows dominantly in the night hemisphere over Chatanika, while it flows in the sunlit hemisphere over Sondrestrom. The N-S current over Chatanika flows prominently in the dawn and dusk sectors, while a strong southward current flows in the prenoon sector over Sondrestrom. (4) The assumption of infinite sheet current approximation is far from realistic, underestimating the current density by a factor of 2 or more. It is particularly serious for the higher latitude region. (5) The correlation between ${\Delta}H\;and\;J_E$ is higher than the one between ${\Delta}D\;and\;J_N$, indicating that field-aligned current affects ${\Delta}D$significantly.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) and Korea Astronomy and Space Institute (KASI) have been participating in the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) Scientific Association as an affiliate institution in order to observe the polar ionosphere since 2015. During the period of December 16-21, 2016 and January 3-9, 2018, the observations for the polar ionospheric parameters such as the electron density profiles, ion drift, and electron/ion temperature are carried out in the polar cap/cusp region by the EISCAT Svalbard radar (ESR). The purpose of the observations is to investigate the characteristic of the winter ionosphere in the dayside polar cap/cusp region. In this paper, we briefly report the results of the ESR observations for winter daytime ionosphere and also the simultaneous observations for the ionosphere-thermosphere system together with the balloon-borne instrument High-Altitude Interferometer WIND Experiment (HIWIND) performed by the High Altitude Observatory (HAO), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). We further introduce our research activities using long-term EISCAT observations for the occurrence of ion upflow and the climatology of the polar ionospheric density profiles in comparison with the mid-latitude ionosphere. Finally, our future research plans will briefly be introduced.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.243-254
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• 2002

Sondrestrom 비간섭 산란 레이더로부터 구한 전자밀도분포를 이용하여, 전리층의 전기전도도를 추정할때 야기되는 불확실성들을 검토하였다. 첫째, 실제로 관측된 전자밀도와 전자와 양이온의 온도차이 및 Debye length효과를 보정한 전자밀도를 사용했을 경우에 야기되는 전리층 전기전도도의 차이점을 비교하였다. 보정한 전자밀도로부터 추정된 전기전도도는 실측 전자밀도를 사용했을 때 보다 큰 값을 나타내었다. 둘째, 전기전도도 추정에 이용되는 전자-중성대기 및 양이 온-중성대기의 충돌빈도모델에 따른 차이점도 비교해 보았다. 약 110km 이하의 고도에서는 전기전도도가 충돌빈도모델에 크게 의존하지 않았지만, 약 110km 이상의 고도에서는 이용된 모델에 따라 전기전도도의 값이 달랐다. 셋째, 전자 및 양이온의 부정확한 온도측정이 전기전도도의 추정에 미치는 영향을 알아보았다. 전자 및 양이온의 온도측정에 약 10% 이내의 오차가 포함된 경우가 전기전도도의 계산에는 큰 영향을 미치지 않았다. 마지막으로, 고도 적분된 전기전도도의 추정시 적용되는 적분 구간에 대해서도 검토해 본 결과, Hall 및 Pedersen 전기전도도의 값이 각각 하부 및 상부 적분 고도의 선택에 매우 민감하다는 것이 밝혀졌다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.311-315
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• 2015

In this study, we estimated the topside scale height of plasma density (Hm) using the Swarm constellation and ionosondes in Korea. The Hm above Korean Peninsula is generally around 50 km. Statistical distributions of the topside scale height exhibited a complex dependence upon local time and season. The results were in general agreement with those of Tulasi Ram et al. (2009), who used the same method to calculate the topside scale height in a mid-latitude region. On the contrary, our results did not fully coincide with those obtained by Liu et al. (2007), who used electron density profiles from Arecibo Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) between 1966 and 2002. The disagreement may result from the limitations in our approximation method and data coverage used for estimations, as well as the inherent dependence of Hm on Geographic LONgitude (GLON).

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.75-88
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• 2002

전리층의 전기 전도도와 전기장을 구함으로써 극지방 전리층의 기후학적 특성을 살펴보았다 이를 위해, 총 109일간의 Sondrestrom 비간섭 산란 레이더 자료를 이용하였다. 전기 전도도와 전기장을 이용하여 전리층 전류 분포를 추정하였고, 구해진 전리층 전류 밀도와 그로 인해 유발되는 지상 지자기 변화를 비교하였다. 또한 지상 지자기 변화(특히, D 성분)에 대한 연자기력선 전류의 효과도 검토되었다. Sondrestrom 상공 전리층에 대한 몇 가지 흥미로운 기후학적 특성을 본 연구로부터 알 수 있었다: (1) 주간의 전기 전도도 분포는 주로 태양 EUV복사에 의한 것이며, 야간에는 미약하다. (2) 극관 영역 전리층의 전기 전도도 분포는, 주간에는 태양 EUV복사에 의한 분포를 보이는 반면, 야간에는 Hall 및 Pedersen 전기 전도도의 시간 평균이 각각 1.6 및 1.2 siemen으로 아주 낮다. (3) 남북 성분 전기장의 최대치가 낮 영역에 나타나는 경향이 있다. 동서 성분 전기장은 Chatanika에 비해 강하다 (4) 동서 성분 전류는 낮 영역에서 강하게 흐른다. 정오 바로 전에 강한 남향 전류가 흐른다. (5) 오로라제트전류와 동시에 관측된 지상 지자기 변화 $({{\Delta}}H)$ 사이에 높은 상관관계를 나타낸다. 하지만 무한판상을 가정한 전류가 크게 과소평가 된다. 또한 ${{\Delta}}H$의 관계보다 더 높게 나타나며, 이것은 연자기력선 전류가 ${\Delta}7$에 영향을 미친다는 것을 의미한다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.105-115
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• 2020

The Korean Institute of Technology Satellite (KITSAT-1) is the first satellite developed by the Satellite Technology Research Center and the University of Surrey. KITSAT-1 is orbiting the Earth's orbit as space debris with a 1,320 km altitude after the planned mission. Due to its relatively small size and altitude, tracking the KITSAT-1 was a difficult task. In this research, we analyzed the tracking results of KITSAT-1 for one year using the Midland Space Radar (MSR) in Texas and the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) in Alaska operated by LeoLabs, Inc. The tracking results were analyzed on a weekly basis for MSR and PFISR. The observation was conducted by using both stations at an average frequency of 10 times per week. The overall corrected range measurements for MSR and PFISR by LeoLabs were under 50 m and 25 m, respectively. The ionospheric delay, the dominant error source, was confirmed with the International Reference of Ionosphere-16 model and Global Navigation Satellite System data. The weekly basis orbit determination results were compared with two-line element data. The comparison results were used to confirm the orbital consistency of the estimated orbits.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.121-131
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• 2019

The ionospheric mid-latitude trough (IMT) is the electron density depletion phenomenon in the F region during nighttime. It has been suggested that the IMT is the result of complex plasma processes coupled to the magnetosphere. In order to statistically investigate the characteristics of the IMT, we analyze topside sounding data from Alouette and ISIS satellites in 1960s and 1970s. The IMT position is almost constant for seasons and solar activities whereas the IMT depth ratio and the IMT feature are stronger and clearer in the winter hemisphere under solar minimum condition. We also calculated transition heights at which the densities of oxygen ions and hydrogen/helium ions are equal. Transition heights are generally higher in daytime and lower in nighttime, but the opposite aspects are seen in the IMT region. Utilizing the Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) electron temperature measurements, we find that the electron temperature in the IMT region is enhanced at night during winter. The increase of electron temperature may cause fast transport of the ionospheric plasma to the magnetosphere via ambipolar diffusion, resulting in the IMT depletion. This mechanism of the IMT may work in addition to the simply prolonged recombination of ions proposed by the traditional stagnation model.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.61-68
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• 2019

We have investigated the variations of sporadic E (Es) layer using the measurements of digisondes at Icheon ($37.14^{\circ}N$, $127.54^{\circ}E$, IC) and Jeju ($33.4^{\circ}N$, $126.30^{\circ}E$, JJ) in 2011-2018. The Es occurrence rate and its critical frequency (foEs) have peak values in summer at both IC and JJ in consistent with their known seasonal variations at mid-latitudes. The virtual height of the Es layer (h'Es) during equinox months is greater than that in other months. It may be related to the similar variation of meteor peak heights. The h'Es shows the semidiurnal variations with two peaks at early in the morning and late in the afternoon during equinoxes and summer. However, the semi-diurnal variation is not obvious in winter. The semi-diurnal variation is generally thought to be caused by the semi-diurnal tidal variation in the neutral wind shear, whose measurements, however, are rare and not available in the region of interest. To investigate the formation mechanism of Es, we have derived the vertical ion drift velocity using the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) 14, International Geomagnetic Reference Field, and Naval Research Laboratory Mass Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter Radar-00 models. Our results show that h'Es preferentially occur at the altitudes where the direction of the vertical ion velocity changes. This result indicates the significant role of ion convergence in the creation of Es.