Ionospheric Density Irregularities, Turbulence, and Wave Disturbances During the Total Solar Eclipse Over North America on 21 August 2017

Abstract

Data from ionosonde and global positioning system (GPS) total electron content (TEC) observations reveal a number of ionospheric phenomena during the total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017 over North America. The eclipse started over the West Coast at ∼16:00 UTC (∼07:53 LT) and ended over the East Coast at ∼20:00 UTC (∼14:46 LT). We identify a growth of plasma density irregularities and turbulence on the bottomside ionosphere during the eclipse totality (at ∼10:03 LT over Idaho Falls), signified by the distinct appearance of spread‐F echoes in the ionosonde data. In addition, data from the ionosonde observations also show some characteristic signatures of traveling ionospheric disturbances at ∼300‐km altitude during the eclipse. Finally, large reductions in TEC and ionospheric plasma densities (by 33–45%) due to the eclipse were observed in both the GPS TEC and ionosonde data.

Short‐ and Long‐Wavelength TIDs Generated by the Great American Eclipse of 21 August 2017

“…Those first studies mainly used keograms to obtain information about the TIDs. (Pradipta et al, 2018) confirmed those first observations and the predictions by (Huba & Drob, 2017) additionally using ionosonde data. (Nayak & Yigit, 2018) performed a 2-D fast Fourier transform (FFT)to analyze the frequency content of the TIDs at selected stations.…”

Global Positioning System Observations of Ionospheric Total Electron Content Variations During the 15th January 2010 and 21st June 2020 Solar Eclipse

“…Baran et al (2003) investigated the solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, over Europe and reported the gradual decrease accompanied by the growth of TEC at the time of the eclipse and additionally noted the impact of the eclipse at distance over 1,500 km to the north from the path of the eclipse. Pradipta et al (2018) have studied the ionospheric density irregularities on 21st August 2017 over North America using Ionosondes and GPS TEC data and reported a significant reduction about (35%-45%) of TEC and ionospheric plasma density due to the eclipse.…”

Coordinated Ground‐Based and Space‐Borne Observations of Ionospheric Response to the Annular Solar Eclipse on 26 December 2019

“…Recently, the Great American Eclipse, which passed through the continental United States from northwest to southeast on 21 August 2017, offered a rare opportunity to study the midlatitude ionosphere and thermosphere response in detail with unprecedented dense observational instruments. Besides the above‐mentioned eclipse effects, a number of interesting findings were reported as well, such as large‐scale TEC and NmF 2 depletion for more than 50% (e.g., Cherniak & Zakharenkova, 2018; Coster et al, 2017; Reinisch et al, 2018), traveling ionospheric disturbances and thermospheric wave (e.g., Eisenbeis et al, 2019; Harding et al, 2018; Mrak et al, 2018; Nayak & Yiǧit, 2018; Pradipta et al, 2018; Zhang et al, 2017), enhanced and long‐lasting posteclipse response (e.g., Lei, Dang, et al, 2018; Wu et al, 2018), and topside ionosphere composition change and interhemispheric ion flows (e.g., Perry et al, 2019; Yau et al, 2018).…”