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Abstract The Mid‐latitude All‐sky‐imaging Network for Geophysical Observations (MANGO) employs a combination of two powerful optical techniques used to observe the dynamics of Earth's upper atmosphere: wide‐field imaging and high‐resolution spectral interferometry. Both techniques observe the naturally occurring airglow emissions produced in the upper atmosphere at 630.0‐ and 557.7‐nm wavelengths. Instruments are deployed to sites across the continental United States, providing the capability to make measurements spanning mid to sub‐auroral latitudes. The current instrument suite in MANGO has six all‐sky imagers (ASIs) observing the 630.0‐nm emission (integrated between ∼200 and 400 km altitude), six ASIs observing the 557.7‐nm emission (integrated between ∼90 and 100 km altitude), and four Fabry‐Perot interferometers measuring neutral winds and temperature at these wavelengths. The deployment of additional imagers is planned. The network makes unprecedented observations of the nighttime thermosphere‐ionosphere dynamics with the expanded field‐of‐view provided by the distributed network of instruments. This paper describes the network, the instruments, the data products, and first results from this effort. 

Small-scale ionospheric plasma structures can cause scintillation in radio signals passing through the ionosphere. The relationship between the scintillated signal and how plasma structuring develops is complex. We model the development of small-scale plasma structuring in and around an idealized polar cap patch observed by the Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radars (RISR) with the Geospace Environment Model for Ion-Neutral Interactions (GEMINI). Then, we simulate a signal passing through the resulting small-scale structuring with the Satellite-beacon Ionospheric-scintillation Global Model of the upper Atmosphere (SIGMA) to predict the scintillation characteristics that will be observed by a ground receiver at different stages of instability development. Finally, we compare the predicted signal characteristics with actual observations of scintillation from ground receivers in the vicinity of Resolute Bay. We interpret the results in terms of the nature of the small-scale plasma structuring in the ionosphere and how it impacts signals of different frequencies and attempt to infer information about the ionospheric plasma irregularity spectrum.