Re: Strange Space Weather over Africa

Sam Wormley wrote:
Strange Space Weather over Africa
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/13nov_africa.htm?list89139

Nov. 13, 2007: Something strange is happening in the atmosphere above
Africa and researchers have converged on Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to
discuss the phenomenon. The Africa Space Weather Workshop kicked off
Nov. 12th with nearly 100 scientists and students in attendance.

"The strange phenomenon that brings all these people together is the
ion plume, a newly discovered form of space weather," says University
of Colorado atmospheric scientist and Workshop co-organizer Tim
Fuller-Rowell.

Researchers liken the plumes to smoke billowing out of a factory
smokestack'except instead of ordinary ash and dust, ion plumes are
made of electrified gas floating so high above ground they come in
contact with space itself. "The plumes appear during geomagnetic
storms and they can interfere with satellite transmissions, airline
navigation and radio communications," says Fuller-Rowell. Indeed, it
is their effect on GPS signals that led to the discovery of plumes
over North America just a few years ago.

See: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/13nov_africa.htm?list89139


From Private email
Nov. 13, 2007: Something strange is happening in the atmosphere
above Africa

Chuck after reading this about a strange ion plume over Central
Africa it seems a strange coincidence that on the same date ZS6CCY
in South Africa was booming into the states on 75 meters. (3795 kHz
SSB) Everyone was calling him and he was also working into the west
coast. He said I was very strong also. I don't think its unusual
for Bill to work into the states on 75 meters but this time he was
strong. another coincidence was that 30 days earlier I also worked
him on Oct. 13. He was also very strong on that date. Could this
strange plume that attenuate radio signals at one location enhances
radio signals at another? Also is there a pattern or a 30 day
cycle? The sun takes from 25 to 36 days to rotate so good radio
conditions would more likely be caused by the suns rotation than a
ion plume. All this still seems interesting but we really don't
know, at least I don't know. Jim G.
.

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