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    Estimation of ionospheric reflection height using long wave propagation
    (Göttingen : Copernicus GmbH, 2019) Keuer, D.
    Phase height measurements of low frequency radio waves are used to study the long-term variability of the mesosphere over Europe. Phase height measurements use a characteristic pattern in field strength registration of radio waves interpreted as phase relations between sky wave and surface wave to obtain the apparent height of the reflection point, the Standard Phase Height (SPH). Based on this SPH-method a homogenized daily series was generated since 1959 at Kühlungsborn. Improvements of the measuring method show that the signal is significantly influenced by lower atmospheric layers. Mesospheric reflection is not the exclusive source of the measured behavior. Tropospheric influence can not be neglected. Taking this into account one has to conclude that the strong coherency of the SPH data to mesospheric heights is not as significant as previously assumed. © Author(s) 2019.
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    Distortion of meteor count rates due to cosmic radio noise and atmospheric particularities
    (Göttingen : Copernicus, 2010) Stober, G.; Jacobi, C.; Keuer, D.
    The determination of the meteoroid flux is still a scientifically challenging task. This paper focusses on the impact of extraterrestrial noise sources as well as atmospheric phenomena on the observation of specular meteor echoes. The effect of cosmic radio noise on the meteor detection process is estimated by computing the relative difference between radio loud and radio quiet areas and comparing the monthly averaged meteor flux for fixed signal-to-noise ratios or fixed electron line density measurements. Related to the cosmic radio noise is the influence of D-layer absorption or interference with sporadic E-layers, which can lead to apparent day-to-day variation of the meteor flux of 15-20%. © 2010 Author(s).
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    Long-term variations of the mesospheric wind field at mid-latitudes
    (München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2007) Keuer, D.; Hoffmann, P.; Singer, W.; Bremer, J.
    Continuous MF radar observations at the station Juliusruh (54.6° N; 13.4° E) have been analysed for the time interval between 1990 and 2005, to obtain information about solar activity-induced variations, as well as long-term trends in the mesospheric wind field. Using monthly median values of the zonal and the meridional prevailing wind components, as well as of the amplitude of the semidiurnal tide, regression analyses have been carried out with a dependence on solar activity and time. The solar activity causes a significant amplification of the zonal winds during summer (increasing easterly winds) and winter (increasing westerly winds). The meridional wind component is positively correlated with the solar activity during summer but during winter the correlation is very small and non significant. Also, the solar influence upon the amplitude of the semidiurnal tidal component is relatively small (in dependence on height partly positive and partly negative) and mostly non-significant. The derived trends in the zonal wind component during summer are below an altitude of about 83 km negative and above this height positive. During the winter months the trends are nearly opposite compared with the trends in summer (transition height near 86 km). The trends in the meridional wind components are below about 85 km positive in summer (significant) and near zero (nonsignificant) in winter; above this height during both seasons negative trends have been detected. The trends in the semidiurnal tidal amplitude are at all heights positive, but only partly significant. The detected trends and solar cycle dependencies are compared with other experimental results and model calculations. There is no full agreement between the different results, probably caused by different measuring techniques and evaluation methods used. Also, different heights and observation periods investigated may contribute to the detected differences.