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Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data

Includes bibliography.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Amin, Mahmud Mohammed
Other Authors: Inggs, Michael ; Cilliers, Pierre
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Electrical Engineering 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Amin, Mahmud Mohammed
author2 Inggs, Michael ; Cilliers, Pierre
author_browse Amin, Mahmud Mohammed
Inggs, Michael ; Cilliers, Pierre
author_facet Inggs, Michael ; Cilliers, Pierre
Amin, Mahmud Mohammed
author_sort Amin, Mahmud Mohammed
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliography.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13565
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:36.693Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Electrical Engineering
publisherStr Department of Electrical Engineering
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13565 Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data Amin, Mahmud Mohammed Inggs, Michael ; Cilliers, Pierre Electrical Engineering Includes bibliography. In this study we have demonstrated that a seasonal and diurnal correlation exists between occurrence frequencies of wave-like structures in the form of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (TID) in the ionosphere and tropospheric lightning in the mid-latitude region over South Africa. Lightning induced changes in total electron content (TEC) are strongest between September and March, with the more-pronounced effects occurring 12:00 - 22:00 UT, but from April through August there is a low probability of having significant lightning-induced TID occurrence. The strongest oscillations in the total electron content of the ionosphere have dominant periods of range 0.6 to 0.8 and 1.2to 2.5 hours, typical periods for medium scale TIDs and large scale TIDs respectively. Since ionospheric scintillation is caused by irregularities in electron density which act as wave scatterers, it is feasible that lightning-induced TIDs may provide the mechanism for causing the concomitant and co-located changes in ionospheric total electron con-tent that was observed. Both the lightning and the ionospheric irregularity have spatial dependence over South Africa dominating around Bloemfontein. We have also found a strong seasonal and diurnal correlation between occurrence frequencies of the high rate of change of TEC index (ROTI _ 0.8 TECU/min) as a proxy for amplitude scintillationS4 index and lighting stroke rate. The correlation coefficient linking diurnal lightning stroke rate and high ROTI is found to be about 86%. While the seasonal correlation between the monthly average ROTI and average stroke rate is about 70%, the seasonal average ROTI and average stroke rate correlation is found to be about 84%. This there-fore implies that the presence of lightning is a likely cause of the generation of TIDs and subsequent irregularities in the ionosphere. 2015-07-29T03:42:12Z 2015-07-29T03:42:12Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13565 eng application/pdf Department of Electrical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Electrical Engineering
Amin, Mahmud Mohammed
Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data
title_full Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data
title_fullStr Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data
title_full_unstemmed Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data
title_short Influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using WWLLN lightning data and GPS data
title_sort influence of lightning on electron density variation in the ionosphere using wwlln lightning data and gps data
topic Electrical Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13565
work_keys_str_mv AT aminmahmudmohammed influenceoflightningonelectrondensityvariationintheionosphereusingwwllnlightningdataandgpsdata