[PBARC] Understanding Solar Indices

[E. Glenn Wolf, Jr.]

Understanding Solar Indices 


By Ken Larson      KJ6RZ 

Long distance HF radio communications is made possible by a region of
charged particles in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, 30 to 200 miles above the
Earth’s surface. This region is called the ionosphere. 

The ionosphere is formed when extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from the sun
strips electrons from the neutral atoms in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The
more familiar ultraviolet light has a shorter wavelength than visible light
and is more energetic. Extreme ultraviolet light is even more energetic.
When a bundle of EUV light (called a photon) hits a neutral atom, such as an
oxygen atom, its energy is transferred to an electron in the neutral atom.
This additional energy allows the electron to escape from the atom and dart
freely around on its own. The neutral atom thereby becomes positively
charged, because it has lost a negatively charged electron, and is known as
a positive ion. The process in which the photon strips an electron from a
neutral atom is known as photoionization. Recombination is the reverse of
photoionization. Recombination occurs when a negatively charged electron and
positively charged ion combine together again to produce a neutral atom.
Recombination occurs continuously 24 hours a day. However, photoionization,
caused by the EUV light from the sun, occurs only during day light hours.
Thus the level of ionization in the ionosphere increases during the day when
EUV light is present and decreases at night due to the lack of EUV energy
and the continuous recombination process. 

The ions in the ionosphere are too massive to respond to the rapid
oscillations of a radio wave and thus have little affect on radio wave
propagation. However, the free electrons are over 20,000 times lighter than
the ions and do respond to radio wave oscillations. 

Three major bands of ionization (called the D, E, and F layers) occur in
ionosphere. The F layer (the highest layer) is the one primarily responsible
for long distance HF communications.

The free electrons in the F layer, 140 to 200 miles above the Earth,
interact with radio waves causing them to bent back toward the Earth’s
surface. The electrons react easier with low frequency radio waves than with
higher frequency signals. As a result, a relative thin F layer will bend low
frequency radio waves back to Earth. Long distance communications on the
amateur radio low frequency 160 meter (1.8 MHz), 80 meter (3.5 MHz) and 40
meter (7 MHz) bands is possible at night when ionization in the F layer is
low. The free electrons do not react as easily with the rapid oscillations
of higher frequency radio waves. Thus a higher density of free electrons are
required to bend radio waves in the 30 meter (10 MHz) and 20 meter (14 MHz)
amateur bands back to Earth. Long distance communications on these bands are
typically possible during the day and early evening hours when ionization
levels in the F layer are high to moderate. Even higher densities of
electrons are needed to bend radio waves in the 17 meter (18 MHz), 15 meter
(21 MHz), 12 meter (24.9 MHz), and 10 meter (28 MHz) bands back to Earth.
Long distance communications is generally possible on these bands only
during the day light hours when ionization in the F layer is greatest. Very
high levels of ionization are required to bend signals in the 6 meter (50
MHz) band back to Earth. Ionization in the F layer is never high enough to
bend 2 meter (144 MHz), 1.25 meter (222 MHz), 70 cm (420 MHz), and higher
frequency waves back to Earth. These radio waves travel through the
ionosphere and into outer space. Frequencies in the 2 meter and above
amateur bands are thus required for Earth satellite communications since
they pass through the ionosphere. Terrestrial communications on these bands
are confined to line of sight and repeater operation.

Recombination occurs more quickly in the E layer than in the F layer because
the atmosphere at the altitude of the E layer (60 to 70 miles above the
Earth) is more dense. Thus the E layer typically exists only during the day
light hours. The E layer bends low frequency signals, in the 160 through 40
meter amateur bands, back to Earth during the day, providing short range day
time communications on these bands. The electron density in the E layer is
not sufficient to bend radio waves above 20 meters (14 MHz) back to Earth.

Recombination occurs very quickly in the D layer which is about 30 to 55
miles above the Earth’s surface. The D layer only exists during the day and
is not sufficiently dense to bend HF radio waves back to Earth. The primary
affect of the D layer is to absorb energy from low frequency radio waves,
particularly radio waves in the 160 through 40 meter amateur bands. The 160
and 80 meter bands will typically be dead during the day because of D layer
absorption. 

Small variations occur daily in the ultraviolet energy received from the
sun. On days when relatively high energy levels are received, ionization in
the F layer will increase and long distance HF communications will improve.
Also, the highest usable HF frequency will increase. For example, the 15
meter band (21 MHz) my be usable for communications with Australia. On low
energy level days, the F layer is not as heavily ionized, the highest usable
HF frequency decreases, and long distance HF communications deteriorates.
During a low energy level day the 15 meter band may be dead with 20 meters
(14 MHz) being the highest usable frequency band. 

In addition to daily variations, the amount of ultraviolet energy received
varies over an 11 year cycle in accordance with sunspot activity on the
sun's surface. During a sunspot minimum there will be few if any sunspots
visible on the sun’s surface, ultraviolet energy from the sun will be at its
lowest level, and the 20 through 10 meter amateur bands may be unusable for
months at a time due to low F layer ionization. Over the following several
years sunspots will gradually appear and increase in number reaching a
maximum approximately 5½ years after the sunspot minimum. At the sunspot
maximum over 200 sunspots are typically visible. Ultraviolet energy from the
sun will be at its highest level during a sunspot maximum and reliable HF
communications on the 160 through 10 meter amateur radio bands will be
possible on a regular basis. The sunspots will then begin decreasing,
causing a deterioration in long distance HF communications, until the next
sunspot minimum is reached.

The amount of energy received from the sun is measured daily in terms of the
solar flux. The solar flux can vary from as low as 50 to as high as 300.
During a sunspot maximum, solar flux values will typically exceed 200
resulting in excellent long distance HF communications on the 20 through 10
meter amateur bands. Solar flux values will range from 50 to 80 during
sunspot minimums yielding poor long distance communications with 40 meters
(7 MHz) typically being the highest usable frequency band.

An increase in solar flux values for a period of several days generally
indicates an improvement in long distance HF communications during that time
period. For example, the highest usable frequency will generally increase
and HF communications improve if the solar flux has been running about 110
and then jumps to around 130 for several days. In contrast, the highest
usable frequency will decrease and HF communications deteriorate if the
solar flux instead falls to 90.

	


Solar Flux 	 Expected Band Conditions	
50 - 70	 Bands above 40 meters unusable 	
70 - 90	 Poor to fair propagation on 20 meters and below	
90 - 120 	 Fair conditions up through 15 meters 	
120 - 150	 Fair to good conditions on all bands up through 10 meters

150 - 200	 Excellent conditions through 10 meters with openings on 6
meters	
> 200	       Reliable communications on all bands through 6 meters	


The sun is continuously ejecting large quantities of changed particles
(atoms stripped of their electrons) into space. Some of these particles
eventually arrive at the Earth and interact with the Earth’s geomagnetic
field. The amount of charged particles ejected by the sun varies from day to
day and also with the 11 year sunspot cycle. The amount of particles
arriving from the sun increases as the cycle approaches the sunspot maximum.
Small numbers of particles arriving from the sun have relatively little
affect on the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Under these conditions the
geomagnetic field is considered to be quite. Large numbers of charged
particles can cause considerable disturbances in the geomagnetic field. A
disturbed geomagnetic field is called a geomagnetic storm. 

For any given solar flux value, HF communications will improve when the
geomagnetic field is quiet, and worsen during a geomagnetic storm. A
geomagnetic storm cause the F layer to become unstable, fragment, and even
seem to disappear. Storm conditions are more severe in the regions around
the Earth’s magnet poles since the charged particles from the sun are drawn
to the poles by the Earth’s magnetic field. As a result, signal paths that
traverse the polar regions will be more affected by a geomagnetic storm than
signal paths that cross the equator.

The condition of the geomagnetic field is measured in terms of A and K
values in accordance with the following table:

	


A 	      K 	 Geomagnetic Field 	A 	      K
Geomagnetic Field 	
0 - 3 	0 	 Quiet	            48 - 79 	5 	 Minor storm 	
4 - 6 	1 	 Quiet to unsettled 	80 - 131 	6 	 Major storm

7 - 14 	2 	 Unsettled 	            132 - 207   7 	 Severe
storm 	
15 - 47	3 - 4	 Active	            208 - 400   8 - 9	 Very major storm



The occurrences of solar flares also increases with increasing sunspot
activity. A solar flare creates a burst of additional EUV energy and also
ejects large quantities of charged particles into space. The EUV energy
reaches the Earth in about 8 minutes creating what is know as a Sudden
Ionospheric Disturbance (SID). The burst of EUV increases the ionization
levels in the D, E, and F layers. The increased F layer ionization may help
the propagation of high frequency signals (15 meters and above). However,
the increased ionization in the D and E levels may result in the complete
absorption of radio signals in the 160 through 40 meter bands and seriously
degrade propagation at 30 and 20 meters. A SID may last from a few minutes
to several hours, with conditions gradually returning to normal. The charged
particles from the flare will arrive at the Earth in 20 to 40 hours. The
particles will generally create a geomagnetic storm on their arrival.

Improved HF band conditions are thus indicated by higher than normal solar
flux values and low A and K values.

Mid latitude solar indices (solar flux, A, and K values) are broadcast at 20
minutes after the hour by radio station WWV on 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz. They
are also available on the Internet at www.qrz.com <http://www.qrz.com/>  and
in the K7VVV Solar Updates that are posted regularly on the ARRLWeb at
www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/> . The K7VVV updates are very good and
provide links to other web sites for more information on solar indices and
HF propagation. A good discussion of solar indices is also provided in the
September 2002 QST magazine. 

K7VVV reports that the solar flux mean for December 26 through January 1 was
117.1 while the planetary A index mean was 17.1. The average daily solar
flux for the past six year is shown in the table below:

	


Year 	       1997	 1998	       1999	       2000	       2001
2002	
Solar Flux	 81	 117.9	 153.7	 179.6	 181.6	 179.5	


This is an interesting chart since it indicates that the current sunspot
maximum, as measured by solar flux values, was reached in 2001. Moreover,
solar activity has remained near this peak for the last 3 years! 

	
 
73,
Glenn
N5RN