Space Weather Support for Communications

Ionospheric variability (space weather) significantly impacts ground and space-based communications. In essence, the electrically charged particles of the ionosphere (i.e., the partially ionized portion of the atmosphere starting at about 40 nautical miles (nm) above the Earth's surface) can attenuate, totally absorb, reflect, change direction of propagation, and change the phase and amplitude of radio waves. The magnitude of the impact is dependent on ionospheric space weather conditions resulting from: (1) the variability of the solar radiation entering the upper atmosphere (primarily extreme ultraviolet (EUV)); (2) the solar plasma entering the Earth's magnetic field; (3) the gravitational atmospheric tides produced by the Sun and the Moon; and (4) the vertical swelling of the atmosphere due to the daytime heating of the Sun.