Identifying sources of Ionospheric Variability: planning for EISCAT-3D operations

The important question of how much of the variability in the high latitude ionosphere is driven by atmospheric processes as opposed to space weather impacts remains unanswered.  The EISCAT-3D radar provides a unique opportunity to probe this variability across multiple spatial and temporal scales. One of the key aims of the DRIIVE project (DRivers and Impacts of Ionospheric Variability with EISCAT-3D) is to determine the balance of energy input to the lower ionosphere and quantify the variability under different atmospheric and geomagnetic conditions.  Here we present a preliminary study of the variability using historic data from the EISCAT UHF radar taken over the course of several years in the winter months. We identify wave like signatures that occur simultaneously with Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TID) as seen in coherent radar data (SuperDARN), alongside enhancements due to energetic precipitation.  The magnitude of the variations are compared for different years and different driving conditions. This study will allow us to optimize the design of future experiments for EISCAT-3D to study the variability while developing effective analysis techniques to maximise utility of the new radar system.