This project will address the physical nature of irregularities in the bottomside F-region equatorial ionosphere. These processes are a significant contributor to equatorial ionosphere weather, and can affect the performance of HF communication and over-the-horizon radar systems. The investigators will conduct a low-cost experimental campaign using the dual coherent and incoherent radar capabilities at Jicamarca to study the genre of irregularities known as bottomside spread-F. They will use numerical simulation modeling of the F-layer in conjunction with the observational data to formulate a theoretical basis for observations and provide predictive capability for the occurrence of bottomside spread-F and full scale equatorial spread-F.
