Master of Science, Miami University, 2012, Computational Science and Engineering

This thesis reports the investigation of the dynamics and associated phenomena occurring in the ionospheric E- and F-region heights above Arecibo. The observational data was derived with an incoherent scatter radar (ISR) from Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico. The thesis focuses primarily on two aspects. One is to study the atmospheric tidal and planetary waves. This is the first time that dual-beam ISR has been used for E- and F-region tidal and planetary wave studies. The vertical structures of the observed tidal and planetary waves are analyzed rigorously. This study is the first to report the existence and possible excitation mechanism of a terdiurnal tide in the F-region at low latitude. The second aspect is to give a more complete explanation of the midnight collapse phenomenon. The F-region electric field, ambipolar diffusion, and tidal components in the meridional wind all play a role in causing the midnight collapse at Arecibo.

Committee: Qihou Zhou PhD (Advisor); Jade Morton PhD (Committee Member); Dmitriy Garmatyuk PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Aeronomy; Engineering