Assessment of Tropospheric Duct Characteristics and their Implications for Microwave Signal Propagation over Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Abstract

Complexity and non-linear trend in the internal activities of the troposphere has been a great factor influencing the transmission and receiving of good quality signal globally. The formation of Duct is the most severe and deviation from the standard propagation conditions which occurs majorly in coastal and maritime areas. The tropospheric duct significantly affects the design and performance of communication system and can also enhance signal to travel beyond radio horizon which can lead to unexpected interference. Consequently, in this study, we focused on how factors like temperature, humidity, and pressure influence radio refractivity and the formation of tropospheric ducts at different heights (200 m and 300 m) in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, using ten years (2015-2024) of meteorological data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-5 reanalysis. The analysis of the result showed that modified refractivity remains consistently high throughout the year with the value above 330 Nunit at both altitudes