Atmospheric Ducting and Beyond‐Line‐of‐Sight Communication

Abstract

Atmospheric ducts are caused by rapid decrease in the refractive index of the lower atmosphere, and they significantly alter the near‐surface wave propagation by trapping propagating signals. In this way, atmospheric ducts behave like a waveguide, and trapped signals can even propagate more than 1000 km in the ducting layer. Therefore, communication and radar systems can be adversely affected by the presence of atmospheric ducts. However, atmospheric ducts not only create interference, but also enable an alternative and promising way for communicating to extreme distances, also known as beyond‐Line‐of‐Sight (b‐LoS) communication. In this article, a comprehensive introduction to atmospheric ducts and their effects on near‐surface wave propagation as well as wave propagation modeling and possible utilization of atmospheric ducts for b‐LoS communication systems are presented.