atmospheric wave propagation

Atmospheric wave propagation is a fundamental aspect of radio transmission. In this process, an antenna converts an electric current into an electromagnetic wave that travels through the air. Unlike guided channels like wires, the atmosphere is a variable medium, affected by changes in the ionosphere and troposphere.12

Radio waves can travel in straight lines or bend around obstacles through diffraction, enabling communication even without a direct line of sight, as with mobile phones. Atmospheric attenuation, which can degrade signal quality, is minimal below 10 gigahertz but increases with absorption by gases like oxygen and water vapor at higher frequencies. Scattering from particles like water droplets also causes losses, particularly at microwave frequencies.1