Lunar tidal variations in the equivalent slab thickness of the ionosphere over Hawaii

Abstract

For many years, lunar tidal variations in several ionospheric parameters deduced from bottomside soundings have been extensively studied. These investigations have led to the establishment of an essentially global pattern of the lunar variations that in turn have contributed to an understanding of the dynamical structure of the ionosphere. Summaries of lunar tidal analyses of observational data as well as theories of lunar variations are given by Martyn [1950] and Matsushita [1961]. With the advent of geostationary satellites, it has now become possible to extend this study to include the topside ionosphere.