The comparison of incoherent scatter data with IRI-2001 in East-Siberian region

The paper deals with the comparison of observations by the Irkutsk incoherent scatter radar (ISR) during the period of 1998-2003 with predictions of the International Reference Ionosphere model, IRI-2001. For the comparison, we used data for only magnetically calm days (Kp ⩽ 4). Our study showed: (1) good agreement between IRI and ISR data during the equinoxes for the electron density Ne, electron temperature Te and ion temperatures Ti; (2) during daytime hours in summer the model overestimates the measured electron densities by 30-50% and underestimates the electron temperatures by 400-800 K, in winter, on the other hand, the model predictions of electron density are lower by 15-25% and are larger than the measured electron and ion temperatures; (3) during winter the radar shows a night enhancement in Ne at predawn, while the model predicts a weak enhancement near midnight.