Global distribution of atmospheric radio noise derived from thunderstorm activity

Abstract Based on global maps of thunderstorm activity observed by the Ionosphere Sounding Satellite-b, atmospheric radio noise levels over the world have been calculated. Global distribution maps of atmospheric radio noise were made for frequencies of 2.5, 5,10 and 20 MHz, for every 4 h in Universal Time for the autumn period. The calculated results show better agreement with worldwide measurements than those given by CCIR Report No. 322, and moreover, some characteristics of atmospheric radio noise can be well explained by the present method.