Evaluation of Spread F Detection Methods over Midlatitude

The midlatitude nighttime ionosphere exhibits multiple diffused plasma structures, collectively referred to as midlatitude Spread F (SF), which can persist from a few minutes to several hours.Numerous authors have contributed to identifying the climatology of midlatitude SF; however, the methodologies used for SF detection have raised concerns regarding their accuracy and reliability.With the widespread availability of ionograms, automatic SF detection techniques have become a common approach for identifying SF occurrence.Ionospheric parameters, such as QF and FF, are used as SF indicators.These parameters serve as essential indices for nowcasting SF activity; however, their reliability in accurately identifying SF occurrence remains questionable, particularly when using Auto-scaled ionospheric data.In this study, we aim to evaluate the accuracy and validity of these SF detection parameters by comparing the results with manually identified SF cases over Nicosia and Moscow.By conducting this comparative analysis, we seek to determine the effectiveness of these automated indices and assess whether they can serve as reliable tools for detecting SF activity.