Studies of Ionospheric Irregularities: Origins and Effects

The long-term goal of this project is to study waves, irregularities, and propagation in the earth's ionosphere, particularly with respect to GPS. The project has two foci: first, to understand how the ionosphere affects GPS signals and second, how GPS can be used for remote sensing of the ionosphere. In association with these goals, we additionally conduct in situ experiments on satellites and sounding rockets to directly measure ionospheric waves and irregularities that affect signal propagation.