SIZE OF IRREGULARITIES IN THE E REGION OF THE IONOSPHERE

Abstract

Three-station fading records taken at Ottawa on frequencies ranging between 2.0 and 2.6 Mc/s have been analyzed to determine the E region wind velocities (V) and frequencies of fading (N) for the period June 1953 to April 1955. An empirical relation V = 2.41 Nλ has been deduced, on a statistical basis, to represent the above observations. In this equation, λ represents the wavelength of operation. The constant of proportionality (K) in this relation has been studied comparatively for three different locations in the northern hemisphere. This constant has been related to a characteristic length L which specifies the horizontal size of the irregularities in the E region of the ionosphere by the equation: L = (1/2)Kλ. Variation of this size with latitude is discussed.