ResourceName
Australian Space Weather Services Christchurch Ionogram
ReleaseDate
2021-03-29 17:14:50Z
Description
Ionograms are an image of frequency versus time delay (virtual height) of HF echoes from the ionosphere recorded by an ionosonde. An ionosonde is a swept frequency HF pulsed radar used to monitor the ionosphere. SWS WDC has archived ionogram data from 26 stations, 12 of them are still active at present. An IPS 5D ionosonde had been sounding since May 2012 at Christchurch and until it was closed in April 2014. The 5D vertical sounding ionosondes normally sweep in frequency from about 1 to 21.5 MHz. Frequency step resolution for the 5D is 5kHz, with up to 4095 steps available. The step interval is variable, becoming more coarse at higher frequencies as ionograms are generally displayed on a logarithmic scale. Every five minutes, a Ionogram data file was recorded, cleaned and the cleaned ionogram is transfered to SWS Sydney head office for autoscaling and further analysis. The raw ionogram file is recorded in a DVD monthly, which will be posted to Sydney SWS head office every month. During 15/08/1994 to 22/06/2012, Christchurch also had an IPS 4D ionosonde. and During 15/01/2014 to 01/04/2014, a CADI ionosonde. SWS WDC archives all raw ionogram files and cleaned ionogram files. The Christchurch digital clean ionogram data is available since 05/10/1995, and digital raw ionogram data since 15/08/1994. The Christchurch scaled hourly ionospheric data include parameters of foF2, foF1, FoE, foEs, fbEs, fmin, fxl, f'scaling F/s, M(3000)F2, h'F2, h'F, h'E, h'Es, h'Scaling R/S and Type Es. They are avalable since 06/08/1942 to 24/12/2011. The Christchurch median data of foF2 and M(3000)F2 are available since 05/1939 to 12/2011.
The Christchurch station was closed in January 2014.
Acknowledgement
We are thankful to the Space Weather Network, Bureau of Meteorology of Australia for the observations of Christchurch ionogram data.
Contacts
InformationURL
Name
Documentation (not with most browsers)
URL
Description
includes descriptions of data format of raw ionogram data and clean ionogram data
Language
en
InformationURL
Name
Software (not with most browsers)
URL
Description
Softwares to view clean ionogram data with scaling function
Language
en
The original ionogram data are raw data, they are then cleaned by reducing noise signals at the station.
The manually scaled data is calibrated and the autoscaled data is uncalibrated.
Name
Virtual Height
Description
The apparent height of an ionospheric layer deduced from the time delay of a reflected radio pulse upon the assumption that it travelled at the speed of light over its entire path. However, the radio wave actually slows down as it is refracted so that the virtual height is greater than the true height of the refracting layer.
Cadence
PT5M
Units
Km
ValidMin
50
ValidMax
1000
Mixed