Ionospheric signatures possibly induced by the Nepal earthquake are investigated far outside the epicentral region in Taiwan (~3700 km distance from the epicenter) and in the Czech Republic (~6300 km distance from the epicenter). It is shown that the ionospheric disturbances were caused by long period,~20 s, infrasound waves that were excited locally by vertical component of the ground surface motion and propagated nearly vertically to the ionosphere. The infrasound waves are heavily damped at the heights of F layer at around 200 km, so their amplitude strongly depends on the altitude of observation. In addition, in the case of continuous Doppler sounding, the value of the Doppler shift depends not only on the advection (up and down motion) of the reflecting layer but also on the compression/ rarefaction of the electron gas and hence on the electron density gradient. Consequently, under significant differences of reflection height of sounding radio waves and partly also under large differences in plasma density gradients, the observed ionospheric response at larger distances from the epicenter can be comparable with the ionospheric response observed at shorter distances, although the amplitudes of causative seismic motions differ by more than one order of magnitude.

The nonlinear behavior of acoustic waves and their dissipation in the upper atmosphere is studied on the example of infrasound waves generated by vertical motion of the ground surface during the Mw 8.3 earthquake that occurred about 46 km from Illapel, Chile on 16 September 2015. To conserve energy, the amplitude of infrasound waves initially increased as the waves propagated upward to the rarefied air. When the velocities of air particles became comparable with the local sound speed, the nonlinear effects started to play an important role. Consequently, the shape of waveform changed significantly with increasing height, and the original wave packet transformed to the “N‐shaped” pulse resembling a shock wave. A unique observation by the continuous Doppler sounder at the altitude of about 195 km is in good agreement with full wave numerical simulation that uses as boundary condition the measured vertical motion of the ground surface.

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The ionospheric weather is affected not only from above by the Sun but also from below by processes in the lower-lying atmospheric layers. One of the most pronounced atmospheric phenomena is the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW). Three major SSW events from the periods of very low solar activity during January 2009, February 2018, and December 2018/January 2019 were studied to evaluate this effect of the neutral atmosphere on the thermosphere and the ionosphere. The main question is to what extent the ionosphere responds to the SSW events with focus on middle latitudes over Europe. The source of the ionospheric data was ground-based measurements by Digisondes, and the total electron content (TEC). In all three events, the ionospheric response was demonstrated as an increase in electron density around the peak height of the F2 region, in TEC, and presence of wave activity. We presume that neutral atmosphere forcing and geomagnetic activity contributed differently in individual events. The ionospheric response during SSW 2009 was predominantly influenced by the neutral lower atmosphere. The ionospheric changes observed during 2018 and 2018/2019 SSWs are a combination of both geomagnetic and SSW forcing. The ionospheric response to geomagnetic forcing was noticeably lower during time intervals outside of SSWs.

The nature of the variability of the Total Electron Content (TEC) over Europe is investigated during 2009 and 2019 Northern Hemisphere (NH) SSW events in this study by using a combination of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based TEC observations and Thermosphere‐Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE‐GCM) simulations. To simulate the SSW effects in TIE‐GCM, the dynamical fields from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension (WACCM‐X) simulations of 2009 and 2019 SSWs are specified at the TIE‐GCM lower boundary. The observed and simulated TEC are in overall good agreement and therefore the simulations are used to understand the sources of mid‐latitude TEC variability during both SSWs. Through comparison of TIE‐GCM simulations with and without geomagnetic forcing, we find that the TEC variability during the 2019 SSW event, was predominantly geomagnetically forced, while for the 2009 SSW, the major variability in TEC was accounted for by the changes in vertically propagating migrating semidiurnal solar (SW2) and lunar (M2) tides. By comparing the TIE‐GCM simulations with and without the SW2 and M2 tides, we find that these semidiurnal tides contribute to ∼20%–25% increase in the quiet background TEC.

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