Multi-technique study of ionospheric structures causing degradation in trans-ionospheric communications systems. Final report, 3 December 1983-31 January 1987

Multiple diagnostics have been used at different latitude regimes of the globe to probe large- and small-scale ionospheric structures which cause degradation in trans-ionospheric communication systems. It was determined that the equatorial anomaly crest had the most disturbed F-region irregularity environment, giving rise to saturated GHz scintillation and phase scintillations as large as 16 radians at 244 MHz. At the magnetic equator, a host of techniques during the Project Condor rocket campaign in Peru established that the largest GHz scintillations maximize in association with extended 3m backscatter plane structures and that speed-receiver scintillation measurements yield irregularity drift velocitiers in fairly good agreement with the 50 MHz radar interferometer drifts. By combining in-situ data of irregularities with scintillations, a new class of extended VHF scintillation producing irregularities was isolated known as bottomside sinusoidal.