Dr. Joseph Huba | Ionosphere Plasma Turbulence and Its Impact on Space Systems

In this video, Dr. Joseph Huba of Syntek Technologies, through results produced by computer simulations, describes how the ionosphere can become turbulent and create waves that can circle the earth.
The Sun is a good neighbor to have, giving us light and warmth. But the Sun also produces a steady stream of high energy particles (mostly hydrogen ions) called the solar-wind that continually bombards the earth. Fortunately, the earth has a magnetic field that reaches into space. The magnetic field deflects the solar wind and prevents it from harming our atmosphere. One outcome of the solar wind interacting with our atmosphere is that a plasma (ionized gas) is formed high in our atmosphere creating the ionosphere, a layer of ionized gas. The ionosphere is a good thing in that it reflects radio waves that help us communicate over long distances. However, the ionosphere can also interact with and eventually damage satellites in low-earth-orbit. The ionosphere also sometimes becomes turbulent, creating waves that extend up and down in the atmosphere, affecting communication and reaching spacecraft.