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Long term evolution of the surface refractivity for arctic regions

Bettouche, Y.
Kouki, A.
Agba, B.
Obeidat, Huthaifa A.N.
Alhassan, H.
Rodriguez, Jonathan
Jones, Steven M.R.
Publication Date
2019-07
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©2019 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
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Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
2019-06-22
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Abstract
In this paper, local meteorological data for a period of 35 years (from 1979 to 2013) from Kuujuaq station have been used to calculate the surface refractivity, N and to estimate the vertical refractivity gradient, dN1, in the lowest atmospheric layer above the ground. Monthly and yearly variations of the mean of N and dN1 are provided. The values obtained are compared with the corresponding values from the ITU maps. The long-term trend of the surface refractivity is also investigated. The data demonstrate that the indices N and dN1 are subject to an evolution which may have significance in the context of climate change (CC). Monthly means of N show an increasing departure from ITU-R values since 1990. Yearly mean values of the dN1 show a progressive decrease over the period of study. Seasonal means of dN1 show a decrease over time, especially for summer. Such a trend may increase the occurrence of super-refraction. However, currently available ITU-R recommendations for microwave link design assume a stationary climate, so there is a need for a new modelling approach.
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Published version
Citation
Bettouche Y, Kouki A, Agba B et al (2019) Long term evolution of the surface refractivity for arctic regions. Radio Science. 54(7): 602-611.
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