Tomographic imaging of the ionospheric mid-latitude trough

Abstract

The paper describes an experimental campaign carried out in the United Kingdom in December 1990 during which simultaneous observations were made, using transmissions from the Navy Navigational Satellite System (NNSS) satellites, at four stations covering a latitudinal range of some 8°. The resulting measurements of total electron content have been used in a reconstruction algorithm to image the electron density on a two-dimensional grid for each of the satellite passes monitored. Results are presented showing the development of the mid-latitude trough throughout one night. The potential usefulness of tomographic techniques in ionospheric sensing is discussed in the light of the results obtained