Abstract
The Empirical-Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Model (E-CHAIM) has been
shown to reasonably reproduce important general features of the electron
density distribution in the high-latitude ionosphere such as solar cycle
and seasonal variations of the F layer peak and the location of the
ionospheric trough. The utility of the model for practical applications,
such as predictions of HF radio wave propagation, is less clear. In this
study, we consider ground-scatter (GS) data for three SuperDARN radars
at various latitudes to compare the observed skip distance against ray
tracings based on E-CHAIM predictions. Monthly-averaged GS band
locations in 2010-2018 are computed for every half-hour of the day, and
are correlated with modelled skip distances. We show that the agreement
is better during summer months and we discuss the quality of predictions
at various latitudes.