Articles | Volume 42, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-395-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-395-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regular paper
| Highlight paper
| 
24 Sep 2024
Regular paper | Highlight paper |
| 24 Sep 2024
| 24 Sep 2024
Calibrating estimates of ionospheric long-term change
Christopher John Scott
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6BB, UK
RAL Space, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
Matthew N. Wild
RAL Space, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
Luke Anthony Barnard
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6BB, UK
Bingkun Yu
Institute of Deep Space Sciences, Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, Hefei, 230088, China
Tatsuhiro Yokoyama
Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Michael Lockwood
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6BB, UK
Cathryn Mitchel
Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
John Coxon
Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
Andrew Kavanagh
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
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Editor-in-chief
The topic of long-term changes and trends in the upper atmosphere, since Roble and Dickinson's seminal 1989 paper, remains relevant and current with ongoing controversies. Some of these issues have been resolved over time, while others have become even more controversial. This paper makes a significant contribution to this important topic. The authors have demonstrated that at least one of the widely used established empirical formulae for the ionospheric peak height, hmF2, introduces diurnal, seasonal, and long-term biases into hmF2 estimates. These biases are of similar, if not greater, magnitude than those expected from the long-term cooling resulting from increased greenhouse gases concentration.
The topic of long-term changes and trends in the upper atmosphere, since Roble and Dickinson's...
Short summary
Long-term change in the ionosphere are expected due to increases in greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere. Empirical formulae are used to estimate height. Through comparison with independent data we show that there are seasonal and long-term biases introduced by the empirical model. We conclude that estimates of long-term changes in ionospheric height need to account for these biases.
Long-term change in the ionosphere are expected due to increases in greenhouse gases in the...
