ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2017, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 223-231

Diurnal, seasonal and long-term variations of bending angle in satellite-to-satellite telecommunication links as an indicator of the atmosphere’s state

S.S. Matyugov 1 , O.I. Yakovlev 1 , A.A. Pavelyev 1 , A.G. Pavelyev 1 
1 V.A. Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics RAS, Fryazino Branch, Fryazino, Russia
Accepted: 16.05.2017
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2017-14-4-223-231
Analysis of atmospheric bending angle dependence on minimum height of radio wave trajectory using radio occultation remote sensing data obtained during 2007–2013 for the European part of Russia is presented. The vertical profiles of the refractive angle and impact parameters have been determined using time differentiation of phase differences of the reference and atmospheric signals emitted by a satellite of the GPS navigation system and recorded on a low-orbital space craft FORMOSAT 3. The phase of the reference signal was calculated for the case of free space using a high-precision prediction of the orbits of the emitting and receiving satellites by an on-board receiver. The altitude of the obtained data was estimated from the impact parameter using the data of high-precision determinations of orbital parameters of GPS satellites and FORMOSAT 3. Long-term changes in the angle of atmospheric refraction as a high-precision characteristic of the state of the atmosphere are revealed. Tables of exact bending values ξ are given, diurnal and seasonal features of the refractive angle vertical profile variations in the 0.5–25 km altitudes are discussed. An analytical approximation of the bending angle altitude dependence corresponding to the region between the 50–60° Northern latitude is given. It is shown that there is a regular trend in bending angle indicating the atmospheric state change. The efficiency of the refractivity angle as an unconventional parameter is indicated for remote monitoring of small changes in atmospheric conditions in various regions of the Earth.
Keywords: atmosphere, radio occultation, remote sensing, satellites, bending angle, refraction, weather, climate
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