The ionospheric sporadic E (Es) layer has significant impact on radio wave propagation. The traditional techniques employed for Es layer observation, for example, ionosondes, are not dense enough to resolve the morphology and dynamics of Es layer in spatial distribution. The ground‐based Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technique is expected to shed light on the understanding of regional strong Es occurrence, owing to the facts that the critical frequency (foEs) of strong Es structure is usually high enough to cause pulse‐like disturbances in GNSS total electron content (TEC), and a large number of GNSS receivers have been deployed all over the world. Based on the Chinese ground‐based GNSS networks, including the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China and the Beidou Ionospheric Observation Network, a large‐scale strong Es event was observed in the middle latitude of China. The strong Es shown as a band‐like structure in the southwest‐northeast direction extended more than 1,000 km. By making a comparative analysis of Es occurrences identified from the simultaneous observations by ionosondes and GNSS TEC receivers over China middle latitude statistically, we found that GNSS TEC can be well employed to observe strong Es occurrence with a threshold value of foEs, 14 MHz.
A number of ionosondes have been operated in China to detect ionospheric disturbances for many years. These ionosondes, however, are not very suitable for the short‐period (<15 min) disturbances due to their poor time resolutions (>5 min). During recent years, the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with the South Central University for Nationalities has been developing a portable digital ionosonde (PDI) equipped with the capability to detect and characterize small‐scale/short‐period ionospheric disturbances and to be quickly assembled and set up at temporary field stations for low‐latitude campaign coordinated observations. The PDI uses a set of technologies (e.g., code multiplexing and antenna/transmitter matching) that allow it to obtain quality Doppler ionograms at a good time resolution with small transmitting antennas. A preliminary analysis of observations by the PDI at Sanya (18.3°N, 109.6°E) shows the presence of ionospheric disturbances with periods ranging between several and tens of minutes. Interestingly, the disturbances (with different periods) were found to simultaneously occur at different F region altitudes, for example, with periods of ~5 and 20 min below and above ~180 km, respectively. The absence of shorter‐period disturbance at higher altitude is consistent with acoustic gravity waves through the region with intrinsic periods above the Brunt‐Väisälä period. The short‐period disturbances observed in F region bottomside are not evident in total electron content. The results demonstrate the capability of PDI to detect ionospheric disturbances with temporal scales down to a few minutes in routine ionogram mode. Future prospects of PDI are outlined.
The daytime plasma density disturbances in the low-latitude ionosphere, referred to as plasma irregularities, mainly occur during the nighttime and are an unusual phenomenon. Based on the observations from multiple low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, e.g., the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F13 and F15, the first Satellite of the Republic of China (ROCSAT-1), the Gravity Recovery and the Climate Experiment (GRACE), and Challenging Mini-satellite Payload (CHAMP) satellites, as well as the ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, we report a special event of low-latitude plasma irregularities that were observed after sunrise in the Pacific longitudes on 18 August, 2003, following a moderate geomagnetic storm. Observations from three ground-based GPS stations in both hemispheres showed remarkable total electron content (TEC) disturbances during 20:00 to 21:00 UT (around local sunrise), agreeing well with the in situ plasma density irregularities recorded by the nearby flying LEO satellites. The plasma irregularities observed by these LEO satellites showed quite different depletion intensities at different altitudes. We suggest that the plasma irregularities were freshly generated near sunrise hours due to the disturbance of the dynamo electric field (DDEF), evolving into the post-sunrise and morning sector, but were not the remnant of the plasma irregularities generated during the previous nighttime.
A complex daytime sporadic E (Es) case with extremely high critical frequency (foEs) was observed over the low latitude of China on 19 May 2018. Simultaneous observational results from two very high frequency (VHF) radars, two ionosondes, and multiple Global Navigation Satellite System total electron content and scintillation receivers are analyzed to investigate the evolution of the complex Es occurrence, which consisted of a relatively weak ambient Es layer (foEs < 8 MHz) and band‐like strong Es structures (foEs > 17 MHz) drifting from higher latitude. The strong Es structures elongated more than 500 km in the northwest‐southeast direction, drifted southwestward at a speed of ~65 m/s. VHF radar backscatter echoes were generated when the strong Es structures passed the radar field of view, with different echo patterns due to different radar and antenna configurations. No VHF radar backscatter echo was associated with the ambient Es layer. The mechanisms responsible for the formations of the ambient Es layer and band‐like strong Es structures are addressed and discussed.
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