Thread by @I_am_the_Story

Scientists of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) have developed a new model for radio wave propagation through the ionosphere.

#India #communication twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

1. The ionosphere is a region of Earth’s upper atmosphere ranging from about 100 - 1000 km and acts as a gateway for radio communication between the ground and space. Radio waves of certain frequencies (HF band) are reflected back to the ground by the ionosphere which facilitates… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2. Despite the increasing use of satellite communications, traditional long-distance high-frequency (HF) radio communication, remains an important mode of communication during the situations like natural disasters, mid-ocean surveillance, over-the-horizon target detection, and so… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

3. Severe ionospheric disturbances that arise due to a range of space weather events like Solar flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and Geomagnetic storms significantly affect Skywave communications.  This variability of the ionosphere due to disturbances in space weather can… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

4. In their recent study published in the journal Space Weather, a group of scientists from IIG found a deep depletion of the ionosphere over the low latitudes of the Indian sub-continent region due to a severe geomagnetic storm on 17th March 2015.

5. The HF radio wave propagation model developed by IIG scientists indicates that this ionospheric depletion can severely limit the usable HF spectrum by more than 50% for Skywave communication during this disturbed period.

6. The skip zones where the Skywave signals are not receivable are expanded for very large areas resulting in the loss of communications. This information is crucial for developing robust strategies in mitigating the space effects on Skywave communication systems supporting… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

7. The HF radio propagation model developed by IIG scientists is very crucial in planning the right strategies for the operation of Skywave communication systems during active space weather periods. The development of such strategies is essential for ensuring reliable Skywave… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…