Geoclimatic factor and point refractivity evaluation in Quebec-Canada

It is well known that the propagation of electromagnetic waves is affected by the refractivity of the atmosphere. This refractivity is characterized by the value of the radio refractive index, which depends on the temperature, pressure, and humidity in the atmosphere. In this paper, we estimate the radio refractive index (N), the point refractivity gradient (dN₁) as well as, the geoclimatic factor (K) at altitude 65 m above the ground based on the radiosonde meteorological data in the coastal north-east station, Spet-iles (Quebec), at latitude 50.22°N and longitude 66.27° W, with altitude of 52 m above mean sea level from 2009 to 2013. These data have been obtained from NOAA/ESRL ¹ Earth System Research Laboratory database. The average values of daily, monthly and seasonal variations of the dN₁ and K are analysed for a given year. Thereafter, the obtained average annual values of the dN₁ and K for several years are compared with the values obtained from the ITU-R world map.