Height of Night-time F Layer Irregularities at the Equator

Abstract

IT has been established by observations at low latitudes that there exists near the equator a belt in the F region in which large irregularities in electron density give rise to equatorial spread F¹ severe radio star scintillations² and the scatter of radio waves³. Work by Hewish⁴ and Briggs⁵ on extra-terrestrial radio sources shows how the height of the irregularities may be inferred from observations of the diffraction pattern on the ground. But the methods used are rather indirect, and therefore subject to some uncertainty. More recently Cohen and Bowles⁶, using radar techniques, arrived at an estimation of irregularities of height for equatorial locations. It is not certain that these irregularities are to be identified with those responsible for satellite and radio star scintillation.