pynasonde:An open-source Python library for ionosonde data processing

The Earth’s ionosphere, a charged and magnetized part of the upper atmosphere, is influenced by extraterrestrial drivers, such as solar wind and interplanetary magnetic fields (IMF), as well as by terrestrial processes, including acoustic–gravity waves and thunderstorms. Variability across spatial and temporal scales produces dynamic responses that affect radio propagation, space weather, and technological systems. Medium and High-frequency (MF/HF: 1–20 MHz) radio sounding provides a powerful diagnostic for sensing these conditions and monitoring ionospheric variability. We present pynasonde, an open-source Python application for ionospheric radio observations from MF/HF sounders, such as Digisonde and Vertical Incidence Pulsed Ionosphere Radar (VIPIR). Tailored for space weather, it integrates tools for reading, plotting, echo recognition, noise discrimination, and trace classification. By transforming raw datasets from vertical sounders into geophysical parameters, pynasonde v1.0.0 delivers reliable insights into ionospheric state and dynamics. This paper presents pynasonde’s modular, extensible design, which lowers the barrier to precision ionospheric analysis, supporting applications in space weather forecasting, radio communication, and ionospheric research, and concludes with plans for future extensions to this open source software.