Studying the Effect of the Geomagnetic Storm (Solar Cycle 24) On the Radio Wave Propagation Through the Ionosphere

Abstract

Identifying the ionospheric parameters is one of the important topics in the field of communication support services. In this paper, the Maximum Usable Frequency at 3000 km of the F2 layer (identified as MUF(3000)F2) for high-frequency radio wave propagation has been studied according to its correlation with the Geomagnetic Activity represented by a factor called the Disturbance Solar Time (Dst). Only fifteen disturbed and quiet events of geomagnetic activity associated with the availability of hourly variation of MUF(3000) F2 for three ionosonde station sites have been selected. The three available sites of ionosonde stations are Eglin AFB (30.5° N, 273.45° W), San Vito (40.6° N, 17.8° E), and Dourbes (50.1° N, 4.6° E), and the hourly variations of MUF (3000) F2 were calculated during 2012–2016. The values of the correlation coefficient (CC) were higher and a positive correlation for disturbed events than for quiet events. Geographically, the correlation between the MUF(3000)F2 and the disturbance solar time (Dst) increases with increasing latitude from Eagle AFB to Dourbes. For Eagle AFB and San Vito stations, the values of CC equal (0.473842, -0.21695) for disturbed activity, which relate to positive and negative correlation, respectively. In contrast, for quiet activity, the values of cc equal (-0.36477, 0.15829), respectively. For the high-latitude station (Dourbes), for both disturbed and quiet activity, the correlation between the average value of MUF(3000)F2 and average Dst has a negative correlation (CC=-0.2626, 0.2718). Increasing geomagnetic activity has no significant effect on the average MUF(3000)F2 values. The main shortcomings of this study are the unavailability of the entire dataset and the MUF(3000)F2 related to geomagnetic disturbances, which is represented by the Dst, thereby affecting a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the above parameters.