In this paper, we present unique results of equatorial and low‐latitude ionosphere response to one of the major geomagnetic storms of the current solar cycle that occurred during 17–18 March 2015, where Dst reached its minimum of −228 nT. Here we utilized data from magnetometers, chain of ionosondes located at Tirunelveli (8.73°N, 77.70°E; geometry: 0.32°N), Hyderabad (17.36°N, 78.47°E; geometry 8.76°N), and Allahabad (25.45°N, 81.85°E; geometry 16.5°N) along with multistation GPS receivers over Indian sector. The observations showed a remarkable increase of h′F to as high as ~560 km over Tirunelveli (magnetic equator) with vertical drift of ~70 m/s at 13:30 UT due to direct penetration of storm time eastward electric fields which exactly coincided with the local time of pre‐reversal enhancement (PRE) and caused intense equatorial spread F irregularities in ionosondes and scintillations in GPS receivers at wide latitudes. Plasma irregularities are so intense that their signatures are seen in Allahabad/Lucknow. Storm time thermospheric meridional winds as estimated using two ionosondes suggest the equatorward surge of gravity waves with period of ~2 h. Suppression of anomaly crest on the subsequent day of the storm suggests the complex role of disturbance dynamo electric fields and disturbance wind effects. Our results also show an interesting feature of traveling ionospheric disturbances possibly associated with disturbance meridional wind surge during recovery phase. In addition, noteworthy observations are nighttime westward zonal drifts and PRE‐related total electron content enhancements at anomaly crests during main phase and counter electrojet signatures during recovery phase.

[1] Coordinated observations of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) have been made with an all-sky airglow imager, narrow bandwidth photometer, VHF radar, and ionosonde over the Indian sector on the night of 23 March 2009. The prereversal enhancement (PRE) in the vertical plasma drift during the postsunset hours on this day was moderate. Range type spread F was found to occur immediately after the satellite traces were noted in the ionograms. This was well recorded in measurements made by all-sky imager, narrow band photometer, and VHF radar. The airglow emission intensities also revealed the presence of a large-scale wave-like structure (LSWS) together with the plasma bubbles that coincided with plume structures observed in the VHF radar echoes. The periodicity of the occurrence of bubbles (and plumes) and their interdepletion distances suggest the presence of small-scale wave-like structures (SSWS) on this night. The results are compared with the ionosonde observations made on the night of 21 February 2008. The PRE and the maximum height attained by the F layer were very similar to that of 23 March 2009. In addition, the ionograms showed the presence of satellite traces. However, no subsequent evolution of spread F was noticed. Considering the satellite traces to have their origin in LSWS, these observations imply that though the presence of LSWS is important for the triggering of EPBs, they alone are not sufficient. However, the coexistence of both LSWS and SSWS may have the potential to trigger EPBs.

[1] In this paper, we present response of equatorial and low-latitude ionosphere to an intense solar flare of class X7/2B that peaked at 08:05 UT on 09 August 2011 in the solar cycle 24. Global positioning system total electron content (TEC) observations in the sunlit hemisphere show enhancement of~3 TEC units, while geomagnetic H component observations indicate sudden decrease and increase in their strength at equatorial and low-latitude stations, respectively, at several stations in the sunlit hemisphere. In addition, equatorial electrojet strength over Indian region reveals commencement of counter electrojet. Simultaneous Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde observations at Tirunelveli, an equatorial station in India, show the disappearance of ionogram echoes during the flare event indicating absorption of radio signals in the D region. Strong equatorial blanketing type E s layer was observed in the ionogram records at Tirunelveli prior to the occurrence of the solar flare that continued for several hours though it became weak/absent during the flare event. Ionogram records on the control day show regular F layer movement without any blanketing type E s layer. Very low frequency (VLF) observations at Allahabad, an Indian low-latitude station, show enhanced VLF amplitude signal during the same time revealing the sudden enhancement of D region ionization. Using the observations presented here, an attempt has been made to study the impact of the solar flares on the electrodynamics of the equatorial and low-latitude ionosphere.Citation: Sripathi, S., N. Balachandran, B. Veenadhari, R. Singh, and K. Emperumal (2013), Response of the equatorial and low-latitude ionosphere to an intense X-class solar flare (X7/2B) as observed on 09

[1] A prominent front separating bright and dark regions of all-sky airglow images was recorded on the night of 22/23 March 2007, at the low-latitude Indian station Tirunelveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E) and is attributed to a mesospheric bore. With the help of complementary wind information from the colocated MF radar and temperature and density data from the SABER instrument onboard TIMED mission, the parameters of the bore are calculated and discussed. Because the observed wind at the emission altitude was orthogonal to the direction of bore propagation, Doppler ducting was not likely to support the bore. The analysis that makes use of the square of buoyancy frequency profiles reveals a thermal duct that would provide favorable conditions for the propagation of the bore. This is the first report of a mesospheric bore event from the Indian sector.Citation: Narayanan, V. L., S. Gurubaran, and K. Emperumal (2009), A case study of a mesospheric bore event observed with an allsky airglow imager at Tirunelveli (8

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