Distribution of seasonal variation of point refractivity gradient and geo-climatic factor over Ede-Nigeria

Abstract

The quantification of anomalies in radio signal transmission has been a serious challenge in using data from radiosondes to determine meteorological parameters in Ede, Nigeria. The point refractivity gradient and geoclimatic factor were analyzed in this study. Air temperature, relative humidity, and pressure for five years (2017 – 2021) are the meteorological parameters used. These parameters were collected from the ERA5 (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, 2017) radiosonde data archives. The results revealed the monthly and seasonal fluctuations in the point refractivity gradient and geoclimatic component within the study period. From the results, Geoclimatic Factor (K) and the yearly average Point Refractivity Gradient (dN1) for Ede are 3.37E-05 and -143.712 N-units/Km respectively. In July, the highest dN1 value of - 48.332 N-units/Km was recorded, while the lowest value of -225.534 N-units/Km was recorded in November. In addition, the wet season has a higher point refractivity gradient than the dry season, although the wet season has a lower geoclimatic factor. The values obtained in this study are to be considered and adopted for improving the microwave link Quality of service (QoS) and availability in this region.

Keywords

• temperature
• relative humidity
• seasons
• geoclimatic factor
• point refractivity gradient