CO

ST 2

71 A

ctio

n

Eff

ects

of t

he U

pper

Atm

osph

ere

on T

erre

stri

al a

nd E

arth

-spa

ceC

omm

unic

atio

ns: I

ntro

duct

ion

(EA

CO

S)

BR

UN

O Z

OL

ESI

(1) a

nd L

JIL

JAN

A R

. CA

ND

ER

(2)

(1) I

stitu

to N

azio

nale

di G

eofis

ica

e V

ulca

nolo

gia,

Rom

a, It

aly

(2) R

uthe

rfor

d A

pple

ton

Lab

orat

ory

Eri

ce 2

4-29

Sep

tem

ber 2

004

2004

CO

ST :

Eur

opea

n C

oope

ratio

n in

the

Fiel

d o

f Sci

entif

ic a

nd T

echn

ical

Res

earc

h

A fr

amew

ork

for

scie

ntifi

c an

d te

chni

cal c

oope

ratio

n,al

low

ing

the

coor

dina

tion

of n

atio

nal r

esea

rch

onE

urop

ean

leve

l

Bas

ic a

nd p

reco

mpe

titiv

e re

sear

ch a

s wel

l as a

ctiv

ities

of p

ublic

util

ity

CO

ST A

ctio

n 27

1 : E

ffec

ts o

f the

Upp

erA

tmos

pher

e on

Ter

rest

rial

and

Ear

th-S

pace

Com

mun

icat

ions

( E

AC

OS

)

•

TC

Rec

omm

enda

tion:

29

Oct

ober

199

9•

CSO

App

rova

l: 10

Dec

embe

r 199

9•

Firs

t MC

mee

ting:

9 O

ctob

er 2

000

•St

art d

ate:

16

Aug

ust 2

000

•D

urat

ion:

48

mon

ths

•E

nd d

ate:

15

Aug

ust 2

004

CO

ST A

ctio

n 27

1 : E

ffec

ts o

f the

Upp

erA

tmos

pher

e on

Ter

rest

rial

and

Ear

th-S

pace

Com

mun

icat

ions

Aus

tria

7 J

une

2000

Gre

ece

31

May

200

0Po

land

10

May

200

0H

unga

ry 2

3 M

ay 2

000

Bul

gari

a 16

Aug

ust 2

000

Ital

y

3 Ju

ly 2

000

Cze

ch R

ep. 2

6 Ju

ne 2

000

Spai

n 1

0 M

ay 2

000

Port

ugal

26

Oct

ober

200

0

Lat

via

9 J

une

2000

Finl

and

6

Sep

tem

ber

2000

Tur

key

26 M

ay 2

000

Fran

ce

1

0 M

ay 2

000

Uni

ted

Kin

gdom

29

June

200

0G

erm

any

17

May

200

0Se

rbia

and

Mon

tene

gro

1st

Mar

ch 2

002

Bel

gium

1st

Sep

tem

ber

2002

Sign

ator

ies a

nd d

ate

of si

gnat

ure

•Uni

vers

idad

e do

Alg

arve

, Por

tuga

l

•Pol

ish

Aca

dem

y of

Sci

ence

s, Sp

ace

Res

earc

h C

entre

,Po

land

•Ist

ituto

Naz

iona

le d

i Geo

fisic

a e

Vul

cano

logi

a, It

aly

•Ist

ituto

di F

isic

a A

pplic

ata,

CN

R, I

taly

•Int

erna

tiona

l Cen

ter f

or T

heor

etic

al P

hysi

cs “

Abd

us S

alam

”,Ita

ly

•Dep

artm

ent o

f Tel

ecom

mun

icat

ions

, Aris

tote

lian

Uni

vers

ityof

The

ssal

onik

i, G

reec

e

•Nat

iona

l Obs

erva

tory

of A

then

s, G

reec

e

•Geo

detic

& G

eoph

ysic

al R

esea

rch

Inst

itute

, Hun

garia

nA

cade

my

of S

cien

ces

•Uni

vers

ity o

f Bat

h, U

nite

d K

ingd

om

•Uni

vers

ity o

f Wal

es, A

bery

stw

yth,

Uni

ted

Kin

gdom

•Uni

vers

ity o

f Lee

ds, U

nite

d K

ingd

om

•Uni

vers

ity o

f Lei

cest

er, U

nite

d K

ingd

om

•Mid

dle

East

Tec

hnic

al U

nive

rsity

, Ank

ara,

Tur

key

• Geo

mag

netic

Inst

itute

, Bel

grad

e, S

erbi

a-M

onte

negr

o

•Ins

itute

fur M

eteo

rolo

gie

und

Geo

phys

ik, U

nive

rsita

t Gra

z,A

ustri

a

•Bul

garia

n A

cade

my

of S

cien

ces,

Geo

phys

ical

Inst

itute

,B

ulga

ria

•Ins

titut

e of

Atm

osph

eric

Phy

sics

, Aca

dem

y of

Sci

ence

s of

Cze

ch R

epub

lic

•Geo

phys

ical

Obs

erva

tory

, Sod

anky

la, F

inla

nd

•DLR

/DFD

Fer

nerk

undu

ngss

tatio

n, N

eust

relit

z, G

erm

any

•Uni

vers

ite P

aris

-SU

D 1

1, L

abor

atoi

re d

'Etu

de d

esTr

ansm

issi

ons I

onos

pher

ique

s, Fr

ance

•Uni

vers

ite d

e R

enne

s, Fr

ance

•Rut

herf

ord

App

leto

n La

bora

tory

, Uni

ted

Kin

gdom

•DER

A, M

alve

rn, U

nite

d K

ingd

om

•Ist

anbu

l Tec

hnic

al U

nive

rsity

(İTÜ

) Fac

ulty

of A

eron

autic

san

d A

stro

naut

ics,

Turk

ey

•IN

TA, A

tmos

pher

ic S

ound

ing

Part

icip

atin

g In

stitu

tions

CO

ST 2

71 A

CT

ION

OB

JEC

TIV

ES

CO

ST 2

71 i

s an

Act

ion

for

the

prom

otio

n, s

timul

atio

n an

d co

-or

dina

tion

of

the

Euro

pean

re

sear

ch

in

iono

sphe

ric

and

plas

mas

pher

ic

area

s. A

ccor

ding

to

th

e M

emor

andu

m

ofun

ders

tand

ing

the

mai

n ob

ject

ives

of

the

CO

ST 2

71 A

ctio

n ar

eto

:

– Pe

rfor

m s

tudi

es t

o in

fluen

ce t

he t

echn

ical

dev

elop

men

t an

dim

plem

enta

tion

of n

ew c

omm

unic

atio

n se

rvic

es, p

artic

ular

ly f

orth

e G

NSS

and

oth

er a

dvan

ced

Earth

-spa

ce a

nd s

atel

lite

tosa

telli

te a

pplic

atio

ns.

– D

evel

op m

etho

ds a

nd a

lgor

ithm

s to

pre

dict

and

min

imis

e th

eef

fect

s of

io

nosp

heric

pe

rturb

atio

ns

and

varia

tions

on

com

mun

icat

ions

and

to e

nsur

e th

at th

e be

st m

odel

s ov

er E

urop

ear

e m

ade

avai

labl

e to

the

ITU

-R.

– C

olle

ct

addi

tiona

l an

d ne

w

iono

sphe

ric

and

plas

mas

pher

ic d

ata

for

now

cast

ing

and

fore

cast

ing

purp

oses

.

– St

imul

ate

furth

er c

o-op

erat

ion

in t

he d

omai

n of

iono

sphe

ric

and

plas

mas

pher

ic

pred

ictio

n an

dfo

reca

stin

g fo

r te

rres

trial

an

d Ea

rth-s

pace

com

mun

icat

ions

, in

clud

ing

inte

ract

ive

repe

rcus

sion

son

the

corr

espo

ndin

g st

anda

rds i

n th

is fi

eld,

taki

ng in

toac

coun

t the

pre

sent

and

futu

re n

eeds

of

user

s.

CO

ST 2

71 A

CT

ION

WO

RK

ING

ME

TH

OD

AN

D S

TR

UC

TU

RE

Initi

ally

16

tech

nica

l que

stio

ns w

ere

cons

ider

ed a

nd a

stat

e-of

-the

art s

peci

al is

sue

of th

e jo

urna

l Qua

dern

i di

Geo

fisic

a C

ande

r and

Zol

esi,

2001

) was

sta

rted

early

in th

e A

ctio

n w

ith e

mph

asis

on

the

resu

lts a

vaila

ble

inth

e w

ork

area

s of

the

CO

ST 2

71 A

ctio

n in

eac

hpa

rtici

patin

g co

untry

w

ith

an

indi

catio

n of

th

eir

sign

ifica

nce.

The

wor

k, s

ettle

d in

15

area

s, it

was

ar

rang

ed u

nder

four

wor

king

gro

ups a

nd a

ssoc

iate

d w

ork

pack

ages

.

A

stat

e-of

-the-

art

docu

men

ts o

f the

cur

rent

activ

ities

an

d re

sults

avai

labl

e in

th

e w

ork

area

s of

the

Act

ion

inea

ch

parti

cipa

tion

coun

try

with

an

indi

catio

n of

th

eir

sign

ifica

nce

was

publ

ishe

d in

200

1 .

Wor

king

Gro

up 1

: im

pact

of v

aria

bilit

y of

spac

een

viro

nmen

t on

com

mun

icat

ions

Lea

ders

: I. S

tani

slaw

ska

, G. S

ole,

P.W

into

ft a

ndA

. Bel

ehak

i

WP1

. Im

pact

of s

pace

wea

ther

on

com

mun

icat

ion

Led

by Y

.Tul

unay

WP2

. Rea

l-tim

e sa

telli

te a

nd te

rres

trial

mea

sure

men

tsfo

r now

cast

ing,

fore

cast

ing

and

war

ning

pur

pose

sLe

d by

R.S

tam

per I

.Kut

iev

and

Lj.C

ande

r

WP3

. Lon

g-te

rm tr

ends

in th

e io

nosp

here

and

upp

er a

tmos

pher

e pa

ram

eter

sLe

d by

J.B

rem

er

WP4

. Upp

er a

tmos

pher

e pa

ram

eter

s mon

itorin

g fo

r now

cast

ing

and

fore

cast

ing

purp

oses

Led

by A

. Mik

hailo

v

Impa

ct o

f sp

ace

wea

ther

on

com

mun

icat

ion

– to

def

ine/

iden

tify

the

pres

ent a

nd fu

ture

ant

icip

ated

terr

estri

al a

nd E

arth

spac

e ra

dio

syst

ems,

to id

entif

y pr

opag

atio

n ph

enom

ena

whi

ch c

an le

ad to

impa

irmen

ts o

fth

ese

radi

o sy

stem

s th

at n

eed

to b

e m

odel

ed, t

o id

entif

y th

ose

spac

ew

eath

er p

aram

eter

s th

at c

reat

e im

pact

adv

erse

ly a

nd s

igni

fican

tly o

npr

opag

atio

n co

nditi

ons a

nd to

dev

elop

miti

gatio

n te

chni

ques

.R

eal-t

ime

sate

llite

and

ter

rest

rial

mea

sure

men

ts f

or n

owca

stin

g,fo

reca

stin

g an

d w

arni

ng p

urpo

ses

– to

est

ablis

h a

spac

e w

eath

erda

taba

se c

onsi

stin

g of

bot

h pa

st a

nd n

ew m

easu

rem

ents

and

to

use

thes

e m

easu

rem

ents

to

de

velo

p no

wca

stin

g an

d fo

reca

stin

gpr

opag

atio

n pr

oced

ures

and

softw

are

tool

s.Lo

ng-te

rm

tren

ds

in

the

iono

sphe

re

and

uppe

r at

mos

pher

epa

ram

eter

s –

to in

vest

igat

e an

d un

ders

tand

the

natu

re o

f the

long

-term

beha

viou

r of

all

iono

sphe

ric r

egio

ns a

nd p

oten

tial e

ffec

t of

the

long

-te

rm tr

ends

on

pred

ictio

n m

odel

s.U

pper

at

mos

pher

e pa

ram

eter

s m

onito

ring

fo

r no

wca

stin

g an

dfo

reca

stin

g pu

rpos

es –

to

deve

lop

met

hods

to

extra

ct t

herm

osph

eric

para

met

ers

usin

g ro

utin

e io

nosp

heric

obs

erva

tions

and

to

deve

lop

ave

rsio

n of

th

e Se

lf-C

onsi

sten

t m

etho

d w

hich

w

ould

us

e ro

utin

eel

ectro

n de

nsity

ion

oson

de p

rofil

es t

o m

onito

r th

e up

per

neut

ral

atm

osph

ere

abov

e Eu

rope

.

Wor

king

Gro

up 2

: Ass

essm

ent o

f spa

ce p

lasm

a ef

fect

s for

sate

llite

sap

plic

atio

nsL

eade

rs: R

. Lei

tinge

r an

d N

.Jak

owsk

i

WP1

. P

lasm

a ef

fect

s on

GN

SS a

pplic

atio

ns

Led

by

N.J

akow

ski

WP2

. A

sses

smen

t of

pl

asm

a pr

opag

atio

n er

rors

in

navi

gatio

n sy

stem

s an

d m

erits

and

sho

rtco

min

gs o

f no

vel

data

sour

ces.

L

ed b

y R

.Lei

tinge

r

WP3

. I

nves

tigat

ion

of e

xtre

mes

of i

oniz

atio

n

Led

by

P.Sp

alla

Plas

ma

effe

cts

on G

NSS

app

licat

ions

– t

o ex

plor

e th

e am

plitu

de a

nddy

nam

ics

of h

oriz

onta

l stru

ctur

es in

TEC

by

com

bini

ng d

ata

deriv

ed f

rom

diff

eren

t m

easu

ring

tech

niqu

es (

grou

nd a

nd s

pace

bas

ed G

PS,

NN

SS,

Sate

llite

alti

met

ry),

in p

artic

ular

und

er p

ertu

rbed

ion

osph

eric

con

ditio

ns.

Sinc

e TI

D’s

and

pha

se fl

uctu

atio

ns d

egra

de a

ccur

acy

in G

NSS

app

licat

ions

,th

ese

phen

omen

a sh

all b

e de

tect

ed a

nd a

naly

sed

unde

r var

ious

geo

phys

ical

cond

ition

s.

Ass

essm

ent

of p

lasm

a pr

opag

atio

n er

rors

in

navi

gatio

n sy

stem

s an

dm

erits

and

sho

rtco

min

gs o

f no

vel

data

sou

rces

– t

o as

sess

ion

osph

eric

effe

cts

in n

on-io

nosp

heric

app

licat

ions

of

GN

SS s

igna

ls,

a) i

onos

pher

icin

fluen

ces

in t

he u

se o

f G

NSS

occ

ulta

tion

for

stra

tosp

here

/trop

osph

ere

appl

icat

ions

, b) t

he e

ffec

ts o

f hig

her o

rder

iono

sphe

ric p

ropa

gatio

n er

rors

inad

vanc

ed g

roun

d ba

sed

appl

icat

ions

, lik

e w

ater

vap

our r

etrie

val.

Inve

stig

atio

n of

ext

rem

es o

f io

niza

tion

– to

dea

l with

obs

erva

tions

aim

edto

com

e up

with

reas

onab

le o

ccur

renc

e st

atis

tics w

hen

poss

ible

, to

guid

e th

eda

ta c

olle

ctio

n, to

col

lect

wel

l doc

umen

ted

extre

mes

and

to p

rovi

de a

list

of

crite

ria to

def

ine

the

type

and

nat

ure

of e

xtre

me

case

s.

Wor

king

Gro

up 3

: Ion

osph

eric

eff

ects

on

terr

estr

ial

com

mun

icat

ions

Lea

ders

: J. L

asto

wck

a an

d A

.Bou

rdill

on W

P1.

Eff

ects

of

larg

e-sc

ale

fluct

uatio

ns o

n te

rres

tria

lco

mm

unic

atio

ns L

ed b

y D

.Alta

dill

WP2

. E

ffec

ts o

f sm

all-s

cale

ion

osph

eric

irr

egul

ariti

es,

inte

rfer

ence

an

d no

ise

on

terr

estr

ial

com

mun

icat

ion,

incl

udin

g re

mot

e se

nsin

g, r

adio

loca

lizat

ion

and

rada

r

L

ed b

y C

.Gou

tlard

W

P3.

Mid

-latit

ude

iono

sphe

ric

feat

ures

in

ra

dio

prop

agat

ion

mod

els

Led

by P

.Ben

cze

WP4

. D

evel

opm

ent o

f met

hods

and

alg

orith

ms

to m

inim

ize

the

effe

cts

of s

mal

l and

larg

e sc

ale

fluct

uatio

ns o

n te

rres

tria

lco

mm

unic

atio

ns L

ed b

y M

.War

ring

ton

Eff

ects

of

la

rge-

scal

e flu

ctua

tions

on

te

rres

tria

l co

mm

unic

atio

ns

– to

dete

rmin

e at

reg

iona

l/glo

bal s

cale

the

perc

enta

ge c

ontri

butio

n to

the

varia

bilit

yof

mai

n io

nosp

heric

par

amet

ers.

Eff

ects

of

smal

l-sca

le i

onos

pher

ic i

rreg

ular

ities

, in

terf

eren

ce a

nd n

oise

on

terr

estr

ial

com

mun

icat

ion,

inc

ludi

ng r

emot

e se

nsin

g, r

adio

loc

aliz

atio

n an

dra

dar

– to

giv

e a

defin

ition

of

the

clas

ses

of i

rreg

ular

ities

to

be t

aken

int

oac

coun

t, an

ana

lysi

s of

the

ir ef

fect

s on

the

per

form

ance

s of

the

sys

tem

s, th

ees

tabl

ishm

ent o

f a c

atal

ogue

of t

he k

now

n ch

arac

teris

tics

and

of th

e eq

uipm

ent

avai

labl

e fo

r the

stud

ies.

Mid

-latit

ude

iono

sphe

ric

feat

ures

in r

adio

pro

paga

tion

mod

els

– to

ass

ess

the

role

of

iono

sphe

ric a

nd p

lasm

asph

eric

irr

egul

ariti

es o

f va

rious

dim

ensi

ons

inra

dio

prop

agat

ion

at m

iddl

e la

titud

es.

Dev

elop

men

t of

met

hods

and

alg

orith

ms

to m

inim

ize

the

abov

e-re

ferr

edef

fect

s on

te

rres

tria

l co

mm

unic

atio

ns,

incl

udin

g re

mot

e se

nsin

g,

radi

olo

caliz

atio

n an

d ra

dar

– to

iden

tify

and

esta

blis

h a

list o

f th

e m

ost i

mpo

rtant

prob

lem

s du

e to

the

ion

osph

eric

cha

ract

eris

tics

and

varia

bilit

y. T

he p

ossi

ble

met

hods

, if

any,

to m

inim

ize

the

dele

terio

us e

ffec

ts o

f th

e io

nosp

here

will

be

deve

lope

d. W

hen

poss

ible

, spe

cific

alg

orith

ms w

ill b

e pr

opos

ed.

Wor

king

Gro

up 4

: Spa

ce p

lasm

a ef

fect

s on

Ear

th-s

pace

and

sate

llite

to sa

telli

te c

omm

unic

atio

ns.

Lea

ders

: S. R

adic

ella

and

E. T

ulun

ay

WP1

. E

ffec

ts o

f sp

ace

plas

ma

vari

abili

ty a

nd i

rreg

ular

ities

on

Ear

th-s

pace

and

sat

ellit

e to

sat

ellit

e co

mm

unic

atio

n ch

anne

lsLe

d by

Y. B

enig

uel

WP2

. D

evel

opm

ent

of a

lgor

ithm

s an

d so

ftw

are

to t

reat

with

dist

urba

nces

in

E

arth

-spa

ce

and

sate

llite

to

sa

telli

teco

mm

unic

atio

ns L

ed b

y E

.Tul

unay

WP3

. A

pplic

atio

n of

the

oret

ical

con

side

ratio

ns t

o th

e st

udy

ofsp

ace

plas

ma

effe

cts

Led

by H

. Rot

hkae

l

WP4

. E

ffec

ts o

f th

e el

ectr

on d

ensi

ty v

ertic

al a

nd h

oriz

onta

lgr

adie

nts

on

the

sate

llite

-sat

ellit

e co

mm

unic

atio

ns

Led

byS.

Rad

icel

la

Eff

ects

of

spac

e pl

asm

a va

riab

ility

and

irr

egul

ariti

es o

n E

arth

-spa

ce a

ndsa

telli

te t

o sa

telli

te c

omm

unic

atio

n ch

anne

ls –

to

deve

lop

a da

taba

se o

fsp

ace

plas

ma

varia

bilit

y an

d irr

egul

ariti

es

char

acte

ristic

s, us

ing

both

mea

sure

men

ts a

nd r

esul

ts f

rom

theo

retic

al m

odel

s an

d to

rev

iew

the

effe

cts

of v

aria

bilit

y an

d irr

egul

ariti

es o

n co

mm

unic

atio

ns,

cons

ider

ing

diff

eren

tlo

catio

ns o

f tra

nsm

itter

and

rece

iver

.D

evel

opm

ent

of a

lgor

ithm

s an

d so

ftwar

e to

tre

at w

ith d

istu

rban

ces

inE

arth

-spa

ce a

nd s

atel

lite

to s

atel

lite

com

mun

icat

ions

– to

for

ecas

t TEC

intim

e an

d sp

ace

1 to

24

h in

adv

ance

by

usin

g N

eura

l N

etw

orks

, si

gnal

proc

essi

ng

and

othe

r re

leva

nt

tech

niqu

es

and

to

obta

in

a qu

antit

ativ

ede

scrip

tion

of t

he T

EC v

aria

bilit

y an

d de

velo

pmen

t of

alg

orith

ms

for

now

cast

ing

and

fore

cast

ing.

App

licat

ion

of t

heor

etic

al c

onsi

dera

tions

to

the

stud

y of

spa

ce p

lasm

aef

fect

s –

to

stud

y th

e io

nosp

heric

di

stur

banc

es

gene

rate

d by

na

tura

lel

ectro

mag

netic

and

ele

ctro

stat

ic in

stab

ilitie

s.E

ffec

ts o

f th

e el

ectr

on d

ensi

ty v

ertic

al a

nd h

oriz

onta

l gr

adie

nts

on t

hesa

telli

te-s

atel

lite

com

mun

icat

ions

– t

o as

sess

the

eff

ect

of e

lect

ron

dens

itygr

adie

nts

in t

he s

lant

to

verti

cal

time

dela

y co

nver

sion

in

Earth

-spa

ceco

mm

unic

atio

ns, t

o as

sess

the

eff

ect

of e

lect

ron

conc

entra

tion

grad

ient

s in

sate

llite

to s

atel

lite

com

mun

icat

ion,

to v

alid

ate

and

impr

ove

exis

ting

tops

ide

elec

tron

conc

entra

tion

mod

els

usin

g th

e la

rge

Rus

sian

top

side

pro

files

data

base

and

to v

alid

ate

mod

els o

f ele

ctro

n co

ncen

tratio

n pr

ofile

s..

MA

IN R

ESU

LT

S

1 The

impa

ct o

f spa

ce w

eath

er o

nco

mm

unic

atio

nY

.K. T

UL

UN

AY

(1) a

nd P

. A. B

RA

DL

EY

(2)

(1) F

acul

ty o

f Aer

onau

tics a

nd A

stro

naut

ics,

Ista

nbul

Tec

hnic

alU

nive

rsity

(˙IT

Ü),

Mas

lak,

Ista

nbul

, Tur

key

(2) P

ando

ra, S

cotla

nds D

rive

, Fer

nham

Com

mon

, Slo

ugh,

Ber

ks, U

.K.

2 Now

cast

ing,

fore

cast

ing

and

war

ning

for

iono

sphe

ric

prop

agat

ion:

supp

ortin

g da

taba

ses

R. S

TAM

PER

(1),

J. LI

LEN

STEN

(2)

and

N. J

AK

OW

SKI (

3)(1

) Rut

herf

ord

Appl

eton

Lab

orat

ory,

Chi

lton,

Did

cot,

Oxo

n, U

.K.

(2) L

abor

atoi

re d

e Pl

anét

olog

ie d

e G

reno

ble,

Bâtim

ent D

de

phys

ique

, Gre

nobl

e, F

ranc

e(3

) Ger

man

Aer

ospa

ce C

ente

r (D

LR),

Inst

itute

of C

omm

unic

atio

ns a

nd N

avig

atio

n,N

eust

relit

z, G

erm

any

3 Now

cast

ing,

fore

cast

ing

and

war

ning

for

iono

sphe

ric

prop

agat

ion:

tool

s and

met

hods

R. S

TAM

PER

(1),

A. B

ELEH

AK

I (2)

, D. B

UR

ESO

VA

(3),

Lj. R

.C

AN

DER

(1),

I. K

UTI

EV (4

), M

. PIE

TREL

LA (5

), I.

STA

NIS

LAW

SKA

(6),

S. S

TAN

KO

V (4

), I..

TSA

GO

UR

I (2)

, Y. T

ULU

NA

Y (7

)an

d B

. ZO

LESI

(5)

(1) R

uthe

rfor

d Ap

plet

on L

abor

ator

y, C

hilto

n, D

idco

t, O

xon,

U.K

.(2

) Nat

iona

l Obs

erva

tory

of A

then

s, G

reec

e(3

) Aca

dem

y of

Sci

ence

of C

zech

Rep

ublic

, Pra

gue,

Cze

ch R

epub

lic(4

) Bul

gari

an A

cade

my

of S

cien

ces,

Sofia

, Bul

gari

a(5

) Ist

ituto

Naz

iona

le d

i Geo

fisic

a e

Vulc

anol

ogia

, Rom

a, It

aly

(6) S

pace

Res

earc

h C

entr

e, W

arsa

w, P

olan

d(7

) Ist

anbu

l Tec

hnic

al U

nive

rsity

, Ins

tanb

ul, T

urke

y

4 A r

evis

ed m

etho

d to

ext

ract

ther

mos

pher

ic p

aram

eter

sfr

om

inco

here

nt

scat

ter

obse

rvat

ions

A.

V.

MIK

HA

ILO

V

(1)

and

J.LI

LEN

STEN

(2)

(1)

Inst

itute

of

Terr

estr

ial

Mag

netis

m,

Iono

sphe

rean

d Ra

dio

Wav

e Pr

opag

atio

n (I

ZMIR

AN),

Russ

ian

Acad

emyo

f Sc

ienc

es,

Troi

tsk

(Mos

cow

Re

gion

),Ru

ssia

(2)

Labo

rato

ire

de

Plan

étol

ogie

de

G

reno

ble,

Bâtim

ent D

de

phys

ique

, Gre

nobl

e, F

ranc

e

5 Lon

g-te

rm tr

ends

in th

e io

nosp

here

and

uppe

r at

mos

pher

e pa

ram

eter

sJ.

BR

EMER

(1),

L. A

LFO

NSI

(2),

P. B

ENC

ZE (3

), J.

LAST

OV

ICK

A(4

), A

. MIK

HA

ILO

V (5

) and

N. R

OG

ERS

(6)

(1) L

eibn

iz-I

nstit

ute

of A

tmos

pher

ic P

hysi

cs, K

ühlu

ngsb

orn,

Ger

man

y(2

) Ist

ituto

Naz

iona

le d

i Geo

fisic

a e

Vulc

anol

ogia

, Rom

a, It

aly

(3) G

eode

tic a

nd G

eoph

ysic

al R

esea

rch

Inst

itute

of t

he H

unga

rian

Aca

dem

y of

Sci

ence

s, So

pron

, Hun

gary

(4) I

nstit

ute

of A

tmos

pher

ic P

hysi

cs, A

cade

my

of S

cien

ces o

f Cze

ch R

epub

lic, P

ragu

e, C

zech

Rep

ublic

(5) I

nstit

ute

of T

erre

stri

al M

agne

tism

, Ion

osph

ere

and

Radi

o W

ave

Prop

agat

ion

(IZM

IRAN

), Ru

ssia

n Ac

adem

yof

Sci

ence

, Tro

itsk

(Mos

cow

Reg

ion)

, Rus

sia

(6) C

entr

e fo

r Pro

paga

tion

and

Atm

osph

eric

Res

earc

h, Q

inet

iQ, M

alve

rn, U

.K.

6 Beh

avio

ur

of

larg

e sc

ale

stru

ctur

es

of

the

elec

tron

con

tent

as

a ke

y pa

ram

eter

for

ran

geer

rors

in G

NSS

app

licat

ions

.N

. JA

KO

WSK

I (1)

, R. L

EITI

NG

ER (2

) and

L. C

IRA

OLO

(3)

(1) D

euts

ches

Zen

trum

für

Luft

und

Raum

fahr

t (D

LR),

Inst

itut f

ür K

omm

unik

atio

n un

d N

avig

atio

n (I

KN

), N

eust

relit

z,G

erm

any

(2) I

nstit

ut fü

r Geo

phys

ik A

stro

phys

ik u

nd M

eteo

rolo

gie

(IG

AM),

Kar

l-Fra

nzen

s-U

nive

rsitä

t, G

raz,

Aust

ria

(3) I

stitu

to d

i Fis

ica

Appl

icat

a «N

ello

Car

rara

» (I

FAC

), Fi

renz

e, It

aly

7 Rad

io o

ccul

tatio

nte

chni

ques

fo

rpr

obin

g th

eio

nosp

here

N. J

AK

OW

SKI (

1), R

.LE

ITIN

GER

(2) a

nd M

.A

NG

LIN

G (3

)(1

) D

euts

ches

Zen

trum

für

Luf

tun

d Ra

umfa

hrt (

DLR

), In

stitu

t für

Kom

mun

ikat

ion

und

Nav

igat

ion,

Neu

stre

litz,

Ger

man

y(2

) In

stitu

t fü

r G

eoph

ysik

Astr

ophy

sik

und

Met

eoro

logi

e(I

GAM

), K

arl-F

ranz

ens-

Uni

vers

ität,

Gra

z, Au

stri

a(3

) C

entr

e fo

r RF

Pro

paga

tion

and

Atm

osph

eric

Re

sear

ch,

Qin

etiQ

, Mal

vern

, U.K

.

8 Tot

al

elec

tron

co

nten

t –

A

key

para

met

er

inpr

opag

atio

n: m

easu

rem

ent

and

use

in i

onos

pher

icim

agin

gL.

KER

SLEY

(1),

D. M

ALA

N (1

), S.

E. P

RY

SE (1

), LJ

. R. C

AN

DER

(2),

R.A

.B

AM

FOR

D (2

), A

. BEL

EHA

KI (

3),

R L

EITI

NG

ER (

4), S

.M. R

AD

ICEL

LA (

5), C

.N. M

ITC

HEL

L (6

) an

d P.

S.J.

SPEN

CER

(6)

(1) U

nive

rsity

of W

ales

, Abe

ryst

wyt

h, U

.K.

(2) R

uthe

rfor

d Ap

plet

on L

abor

ator

y, C

hilto

n, U

.K.

(3) N

atio

nal O

bser

vato

ry, A

then

s, G

reec

e(4

) Uni

vers

ity o

f Gra

z, Au

stri

a(5

) The

Abd

us S

alam

Inte

rnat

iona

l Cen

tre

for T

heor

etic

al P

hysi

cs, A

eron

omy

and

Radi

opro

paga

tion

Labo

rato

ry, T

ries

te, I

taly

(6) U

nive

rsity

of B

ath,

U.K

.

9 Rel

atio

ns

betw

een

elec

tron

cont

ent

and

peak

den

sity

–re

gula

r an

d ex

trem

ebe

havi

our

R. L

EITI

NG

ER (

1), L

. CIR

AO

LO (

2), L

.K

ERSL

EY (

3),

S.S.

KO

UR

IS (

4) a

nd P

.SP

ALL

A (2

)(1

) In

stitu

te f

or G

eoph

ysic

s, As

trop

hysi

cs a

ndM

eteo

rolo

gy (I

GAM

), U

nive

rsity

Gra

z, Au

stri

a(2

) Ist

ituto

di F

isic

a Ap

plic

ata

(IFA

C),

Fire

nze,

Italy

(3) U

nive

rsity

of W

ales

, Abe

ryst

wyt

h, U

.K.

(4)

Aris

tote

lian

Uni

vers

ity

of

Thes

salo

niki

,G

reec

e

10 Plan

etar

y an

d gr

avity

wav

e si

gnat

ures

in

the

Fre

gion

iono

sphe

re w

ith im

pact

to r

adio

pro

paga

tion

pred

ictio

ns a

nd v

aria

bilit

yD

. ALT

AD

ILL

(1),

E.M

. APO

STO

LOV

(2),

J. B

OSK

A (3

), J.

LAST

OV

ICK

A (3

) and

P. S

AU

LI (3

)(1

) Obs

erva

tori

o de

l Ebr

o, (U

RL-C

SIC

), H

orta

Alta

38,

E43

520

Roqu

etes

, Spa

in(2

) Geo

phys

ical

Inst

itute

, Bul

gari

an A

cade

my

of S

cien

ces,

Sofia

, Bul

gari

a(3

) Ins

titut

e of

Atm

osph

eric

Phy

sics

, Aca

dem

y of

Sci

ence

s of C

zech

Rep

ublic

, Pra

gue,

Cze

chRe

publ

icP

roho

nice

Jan

uary

-Dec

embe

r 198

0

Day

Day

foF2 (0.1 MHz) Period (day)

11 Inve

stig

atio

n in

to

the

prob

lem

of

char

acte

riza

tion

of

the

HF

iono

sphe

ric

fluct

uatin

g ch

anne

l of

prop

agat

ion:

con

stru

ctio

n of

a ph

ysic

ally

ba

sed

HF

chan

nel s

imul

ator

V.E

. GH

ERM

(1),

N.N

. ZER

NO

V (1

) and

H.J.

STR

AN

GEW

AY

S (2

)(1

) The

Uni

vers

ity o

f St.

Pete

rsbu

rg, R

ussi

a(2

) Sch

ool o

f Ele

ctro

nic

and

Elec

tical

Engi

neer

ing,

Uni

vers

ity o

f Lee

ds, U

.K.

12 Beh

avio

ur

of

the

F1-

regi

on, a

nd E

s an

d sp

read

F p

heno

men

a at

Eur

opea

nm

iddl

e la

titud

es,

part

icul

arly

un

der

geom

agne

tic

stor

mco

nditi

ons

P. B

ENC

ZE (1

), D

. BU

RES

OV

Á (2

), J.

LAST

OV

ICK

A (2

) and

F. M

ÄR

CZ

(1)

(1)

Geo

detic

and

Geo

phys

ical

Res

earc

h In

stitu

teof

the

Hun

gari

an A

cade

my

of S

cien

ces,

Sopr

on,

Hun

gary

(2)

Inst

itute

of

At

mos

pher

ic

Phys

ics

of

the

Acad

emy

of S

cien

ces

of t

he C

zech

Rep

ublic

,Pr

ague

, Cze

chRe

publ

ic

13 A w

ay t

o in

crea

se t

he b

itra

te

in

iono

sphe

ric

radi

olin

ksC

. PER

RIN

E (1

), Y

.M. E

RH

EL (2

), D

.LE

MU

R (1

), L.

BER

TEL

(1)

and

A. B

OU

RD

ILLO

N (1

)(1

) Ins

titut

d’E

lect

roni

que

etTé

léco

mm

unic

atio

ns d

e Re

nnes

, Uni

vers

ité d

eRe

nnes

, Fra

nce

(2) I

nstit

ut d

’Ele

ctro

niqu

e et

Télé

com

mun

icat

ions

de

Renn

es, C

entr

e de

Rech

erch

es d

es E

cole

s de

Coë

tqui

dan,

Gue

r,Fr

ance

14 Prop

agat

ion

of

HF

radi

ow

aves

ove

r no

rthe

rly

path

s:m

easu

rem

ents

, si

mul

atio

nan

d sy

stem

s asp

ects

E.M

. WA

RR

ING

TON

, A.J.

STO

CK

ER,

N.Y

. ZA

ALO

V, D

.R. S

IDD

LE a

nd I.

A.

NA

SYR

OV

Dep

artm

ent o

f Eng

inee

ring

, Uni

vers

ity o

fLe

ices

ter,

U.K

.

15 Scin

tilla

tions

eff

ects

on

eart

h te

rres

tria

l lin

ks f

orte

leco

mm

unic

atio

n an

d na

viga

tion

purp

oses

Y. B

ÉNIG

UEL

(1),

B. F

OR

TE (2

), S.

RA

DIC

ELLA

(2),

H. S

TRA

NG

EWA

YS

(3),

V. G

HER

M (4

), an

d N

. ZER

NO

V (4

)(1

) IEE

A, C

ourb

evoi

e, F

ranc

e(2

) The

Abd

us S

alam

Inte

rnat

iona

l Cen

tre

for T

heor

etic

al P

hysi

cs, A

eron

omy

and

Radi

opro

paga

tion

Labo

rato

ry, T

ries

te, I

taly

(3) U

nive

rsity

of L

eeds

, U.K

.(4

) St.

Pete

rsbu

rg U

nive

rsity

, Rus

sia

16 Dev

elop

men

t of

A

lgor

ithm

s an

d so

ftw

are

for

fore

cast

ing,

now

cast

ing

and

vari

abili

ty o

f TE

CE.

TU

LUN

AY

(1) (

2), E

.T. S

ENA

LP (1

), LJ

.R. C

AN

DER

(3),Y

. TU

LUN

AY

(4),

A.H

. BIL

GE

(5),

E. M

IZR

AH

I (5)

, S.S

. KO

UR

IS (6

) and

N. J

AK

OW

SKI (

7)(1

) Dep

artm

ent o

f Ele

ctri

cal a

nd E

lect

roni

cs E

ngin

eeri

ng, M

iddl

e Ea

st T

echn

ical

Uni

vers

ity, B

alga

t, An

kara

, Tur

key

(2) T

UBI

TAK

Mar

mar

a Re

sear

ch C

ente

r, In

form

atio

n Te

chno

logi

es R

esea

rch

Inst

itute

, Geb

ze, K

ocae

li, T

urke

y(3

) Rut

herf

ord

Appl

eton

Lab

orat

ory,

Chi

lton,

Did

cot,

Oxo

n, U

.K.

(4) F

acul

ty o

f Aer

onau

tics a

nd A

stro

naut

ics,

Ista

nbul

Tec

hnic

al U

nive

rsity

, Mas

lak,

Ista

nbul

, Tur

key

(5) D

epar

tmen

t of M

athe

mat

ics,

Ista

nbul

Tec

hnic

al U

nive

rsity

, Mas

lak,

Ista

nbul

, Tur

key

(6) D

epar

tmen

t of E

lect

rica

l and

Com

pute

r Eng

inee

ring

, Ari

stot

elia

n U

nive

rsity

of T

hess

alon

iki,

Gre

ece

(7) G

erm

an A

eros

pace

Cen

ter,

Inst

itute

of C

omm

unic

atio

ns a

nd N

avig

atio

n, N

eust

relit

z, G

erm

any

17 Iono

sphe

ric

dist

urba

nces

gene

rate

d by

diff

eren

t na

tura

l pr

oces

ses

and

by

hum

an

activ

ity

in

eart

hpl

asm

a en

viro

nmen

tH

. RO

THK

AEH

L (1

), N

. IZO

HK

INA

(2),

I.PR

UTE

NSK

Y (2

) S. P

ULI

NET

S (2

) (3)

,M

.PA

RR

OT

(4),

G. L

IZU

NO

V (5

), J.

BLE

CK

I (1)

and

I. ST

AN

ISLA

WSK

A (1

)(1

) Spa

ce R

esea

rch

Cen

tre,

War

saw

, Pol

and.

(2) I

nstit

ute

of T

erre

stri

al M

agne

tism

, Ion

osph

ere

and

Radi

oW

ave

Prop

agat

io (I

ZMIR

AN),

Russ

ian

Acad

emy

of S

cien

ces,

Troi

tsk

(Mos

cow

Reg

ion)

, Rus

sia.

(3) I

nstit

uto

de G

eofís

ica,

UN

AM, C

iuda

d U

ni, D

eleg

ació

n de

Coy

oacá

n, M

éxic

o D

.F.

(4) L

PCE/

CN

RS, O

rlea

ns, F

ranc

e.(5

) Kyi

v Sh

evch

enko

Uni

vers

ity, U

krai

ne

18 Eff

ects

of

grad

ient

s of

the

elec

tron

de

nsity

on

ea

rth-

spac

e co

mm

unic

atio

nsS.

M. R

AD

ICEL

LA (1

), B

. NA

VA

(1),

P.C

OÏS

SON

(1),

L. K

ERSL

EY (2

) and

G.J.

BA

ILEY

(3)

( 1) A

bdus

Sal

am In

tern

atio

nal C

entr

e fo

rTh

eore

tical

Phy

sics

, Aer

onom

y an

dRa

diop

ropa

gatio

n La

bora

tory

,Tr

iest

e, It

aly

(2) U

nive

rsity

of W

ales

, Abe

ryst

wyt

h, U

.K.

(3) U

nive

rsity

of S

heffi

eld,

U.K

.

1st C

OST

271

Wor

ksho

p Pr

ocee

ding

s C

D“I

onos

pher

ic

Mod

ellin

g an

dV

aria

bilit

y st

udie

s fo

rT

elec

omm

unic

atio

n A

pplic

atio

ns

”,25

-27

Sept

embe

r 20

01,

Sopr

on,

Hun

gary

.

2nd

CO

ST27

1 W

orks

hop

Proc

eedi

ngs

CD

“Pro

duct

s fo

r IT

U-R

and

oth

er R

adio

com

mun

icat

ion

appl

icat

iono

ns”,

1-

6O

ctob

er 2

002,

Far

o, P

ortu

gal.

DIS

SEM

INA

TIO

N O

F R

ESU

LT

S

Maj

or P

ublic

atio

n

Mos

t of t

he p

aper

s rep

ortin

g ac

tiviti

es o

f the

CO

ST27

1 A

ctio

nha

ve b

een

publ

ishe

d in

the

follo

win

g sp

ecia

l iss

ues:

Spec

ial

volu

me

of A

cta

Geo

phys

ica

Hun

gari

ca o

n th

eC

OST

271

Wor

ksho

p “I

onos

pher

ic

Mod

ellin

g an

dV

aria

bilit

y st

udie

s fo

r T

elec

omm

unic

atio

nA

pplic

atio

ns”,

Vol

ume

37, N

. 2-3

,200

2

Spec

ial

volu

me

of

Ann

als

of

Geo

phys

ics

dedi

cate

d to

the

XX

VI

EG

S G

ener

al A

ssem

bly

Sess

ion

on

Sola

r-T

erre

stri

al

Scie

nces

:’’

Iono

sphe

ric

vari

abili

ty a

nd m

odel

ling”

, Vol

. 45,

N.1

, Feb

ruar

y 20

02

3rd

CO

ST

271

Wor

ksho

p Pr

ocee

ding

s on

“Sig

nific

ant

resu

lts in

CO

ST27

1 A

ctio

n, 2

3 –

27Se

ptem

ber

2003

, Sp

etse

s, G

reec

e, p

ublis

hed

onlin

e at

the

CO

ST27

1 w

eb si

te.

Spec

ial v

olum

e of

Ann

als

of G

eoph

ysic

s de

vote

dto

th

e se

lect

ed

pape

rs

from

th

e E

GS/

AG

UG

ener

al A

ssem

bly

Sess

ion

on “

Eff

ects

of

the

Iono

sphe

re

on

Ter

rest

rial

an

d E

arth

-Spa

ceC

omm

unic

atio

ns”,

in p

ress

200

4.

CO

ST 2

71 F

inal

Rep

ort :

Sup

plem

ent t

o A

nnal

s of

Geo

phys

ics,

in p

ress

.

Scie

ntifi

c an

d T

echn

ical

Coo

pera

tion

The

rese

arch

link

s es

tabl

ishe

d as

par

t of

prev

ious

CO

ST23

8 an

d 25

1 ac

tions

hav

e le

d to

a n

umbe

r of b

ilate

ral a

ndm

ulti-

late

ral

colla

bora

tion,

whi

ch h

ave

cont

inue

d in

the

CO

ST 2

71 A

ctio

n as

wel

l.

In a

dditi

on,

parti

cipa

nts

of t

his

actio

n ha

ve b

een

very

activ

e in

diff

eren

t int

erna

tiona

l pro

ject

s.

The

pilo

t pr

ojec

t in

volv

ing

Italia

n, G

reek

and

UK

partn

ers

nam

ed G

eom

agne

tic I

ndic

es F

orec

astin

g an

dIo

nosp

heric

Now

cast

ing

Tool

s (G

IFIN

T) a

nd th

e D

LRpi

lot

proj

ect

have

bee

n fin

anci

ally

sup

porte

d by

the

ESA

the

fram

ewor

k of

the

SWEN

ET (

Spac

e W

eath

erEu

rope

an N

etw

ork)

pro

gram

.

Ther

e is

a s

igni

fican

t par

ticip

atio

n of

Act

ion

mem

bers

from

W

orki

ng

Gro

up

1 in

ES

A

Spac

e W

eath

erPr

ogra

m,

in p

artic

ular

in

its S

pace

Wea

ther

Wor

king

Team

(SW

WT)

and

the

Pilo

t Pro

ject

s sch

eme.

The

UR

SI B

eaco

n Sa

telli

te G

roup

clo

sely

lin

ked

toth

e w

ork

of th

e se

cond

and

four

th W

orki

ng G

roup

of

this

ac

tion,

pr

ovid

es

impo

rtant

lin

ks

betw

een

iono

sphe

re,

plas

mas

pher

e an

d up

per

atm

osph

ere

scie

ntis

ts,

engi

neer

s an

d us

ers

of s

atel

lite

beac

onap

plic

atio

ns.

Sev

eral

CO

ST27

1 G

roup

mem

bers

are

adv

iser

s an

dob

serv

ers

in t

he I

nter

natio

nal

Geo

dyna

mic

s Se

rvic

e(I

GS)

and

som

e of

its

offs

prin

g or

gani

satio

ns li

ke th

eG

PS-I

ON

O g

roup

.

D

esig

ned

to m

eet t

he n

eeds

of E

urop

e, th

is a

ctio

nal

so m

ade

an im

pact

to th

e in

tern

atio

nal w

ork

of IT

U-R

Stud

y G

roup

3L

th

roug

h m

ajor

co

ntrib

utio

ns

toR

ecom

men

datio

ns,

prov

isio

n of

dat

a fo

r va

lidat

ion

ofpr

edic

tion

mod

els

for

Euro

pe a

nd b

y a

lead

ing

role

in

Wor

king

Par

ty S

G3L

(Ion

osph

eric

Pro

paga

tion)

.

Ther

e is

a s

trong

inv

olve

men

t of

Act

ion

mem

bers

in

ESA

/EST

EC p

roje

cts:

in c

onne

ctio

n w

ith E

GN

OS

and

GA

LILE

OSA

T an

d in

co

nnec

tion

with

as

sess

men

tst

udie

s fo

r the

use

of G

NSS

occ

ulta

tion

for a

tmos

pher

ican

d io

nosp

heric

rese

arch

.

Mor

eove

r pa

rtici

pant

s of

thi

s ac

tion

have

giv

en a

cons

ider

able

con

tribu

tion

to t

he i

nter

natio

nal

HIg

hR

Ate

Cam

paig

n (H

IRA

C)

of t

he I

nter

natio

nal

GPS

and

in v

alid

atio

n of

the

CH

AM

P re

sults

.

They

ar

e in

volv

ed

in

the

DIA

S (D

igita

l U

pper

Atm

osph

ere

Serv

er)

eCon

tent

fra

mew

ork

activ

ityan

d th

e R

OSE

pro

ject

on

esta

blis

hing

Eur

ope

anin

tern

atio

nal g

eoph

ysic

al o

bser

vato

ry a

t Gau

dos.

Ther

e is

an

activ

e co

llabo

ratio

n of

Act

ion

grou

pm

embe

rs i

n IN

TAS

proj

ects

with

Rus

sian

and

Ukr

aini

an p

artic

ipat

ion.

Fina

lly,

it sh

ould

be

men

tione

d a

colla

bora

tion

with

the

Int

erna

tiona

l R

efer

ence

Ion

osph

ere

(IR

I)W

orki

ng G

roup

by

carr

ying

out

inte

rnat

iona

l Tas

kFo

rce

Act

iviti

es a

t th

e A

bdus

Sal

am I

CTP

on

impr

ovem

ents

of t

he IR

I mod

el.

Web

site

T

he W

eb s

ite o

f th

e C

OST

271

actio

n is

activ

e on

th

e fo

llow

ing

addr

ess:

http

://w

ww

.cos

t271

.rl.a

c.uk

/