Book Description

Data collection in the field of environmental science using analog methods has become highly problematic due to the immense information density of most measurements. One possible solution to this problem is the selection of parameters prior to the recording of the data. Certain aspects of the proposed solutions, as well as modern data analysis methods, require preprocessing and digital recording of the information. A sounding system comprising an airborne Granger 3905-1 Ionospheric Sounder and a Pulse Amplitude Digitizer uses the approach of parameter selection. Up to six arbitrarily selected frequencies can be monitored simultaneously; one ionospheric echo per frequency can be gated out and recorded in digital form on tape. This system, together with automatic calibration is the ideal basis for multi-frequency absorption and drift measurements. As a part of an airborne ionospheric laboratory, this equipment has been successfully used for absorption measurements during two eclipse expeditions, for investigations of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly, and for the study of the influence of the albedo on the D-region ionization. Further experiments such as the study of ionospheric irregularities and the ground reflectivity are considered. (Author).