Multi‐Instrumental Observation of Storm‐Induced Ionospheric Plasma Bubbles at Equatorial and Middle Latitudes

Cherniak, Iurii; Zakharenkova, Irina; Sokolovsky, S. А.

doi:10.1029/2018ja026309

Cited by 45 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…2b), whereas topside layers or radar plumes (seen in Fig. 2c) represent larger-scale elongated structures originating from bottom-side layers and extending to the topside ionosphere (Hysell and Burcham, 1998;Hysell, 2000;Chapagain et al, 2009;Chapagain, 2011). They are indicators of strong plasma plumes (Smith et al, 2016).…”

Section: Observations Of Ionospheric Irregularitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous ground-based and in situ Swarm observations of equatorial F-region irregularities over Jicamarca

et al. 2020

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Abstract. Ionospheric irregularities are a common phenomenon in the low-latitude ionosphere. They can be seen in situ as depletions of plasma density, radar plasma plumes, or ionogram spread F by ionosondes. In this paper, we compared simultaneous observations of plasma plumes by the Jicamarca Unattended Long-term Investigations of the Ionosphere and Atmosphere (JULIA) radar, ionogram spread F generated from ionosonde observations installed at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO), and irregularities observed in situ by Swarm in order to determine whether Swarm in situ observations can be used as indicators of the presence of plasma plumes and spread F on the ground. The study covered the years from 2014 to 2018, as this was the period for which JULIA, Swarm, and ionosonde data sets were available. Overall, the results showed that Swarm's in situ density fluctuations on magnetic flux tubes passing over (or near) the JRO may be used as indicators of plasma plumes and spread F over (or near) the observatory. For Swarm and the ground-based observations, a classification procedure was conducted based on the presence or absence of ionospheric irregularities. There was a strong consensus between ground-based observations of ionospheric irregularities and Swarm's depth of disturbance of electron density for most passes. Cases, where ionospheric irregularities were observed on the ground with no apparent variation in the in situ electron density or vice versa, suggest that irregularities may either be localized horizontally or restricted to particular height intervals. The results also showed that the Swarm and ground-based observations of ionospheric irregularities had similar local time statistical trends with the highest occurrence obtained between 20:00 and 22:00 LT. Moreover, similar seasonal patterns of the occurrence of in situ and ground-based ionospheric irregularities were observed with the highest percentage occurrence at the December solstice and the equinoxes and low occurrence at the June solstice. The observed seasonal pattern was explained in terms of the pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) of the vertical plasma drift. Initial findings from this research indicate that fluctuations in the in situ density observed meridionally along magnetic field lines passing through the JRO can be used as an indication of the existence of well-developed plasma plumes.

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Section: Observations Of Ionospheric Irregularitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous ground-based and in situ Swarm observations of equatorial F-region irregularities over Jicamarca

et al. 2020

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“…Typical density irregularities within EPBs can have different scale sizes of several to hundreds of kilometers, and EPBs can cover a broad altitudinal range from the bottomside ionosphere up to ∼1,000 km (Cherniak et al, 2019;Lühr et al, 2014). Typical density irregularities within EPBs can have different scale sizes of several to hundreds of kilometers, and EPBs can cover a broad altitudinal range from the bottomside ionosphere up to ∼1,000 km (Cherniak et al, 2019;Lühr et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated Ground‐Based and Space‐Based Observations of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

Zou

Eastes

et al. 2020

JGR Space Physics

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This paper presents coordinated and fortuitous ground-based and spaceborne observations of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) over the South American area on 24 October 2018, combining the following measurements: Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk far ultraviolet emission images, Global Navigation Satellite System total electron content data, Swarm in situ plasma density observations, ionosonde virtual height and drift data, and cloud brightness temperature data. The new observations from the Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk/ultraviolet imaging spectrograph taken at geostationary orbit provide a unique opportunity to image the evolution of plasma bubbles near the F peak height over a large geographic area from a fixed longitude location. The combined multi-instrument measurements provide a more integrated and comprehensive way to study the morphological structure, development, and seeding mechanism of EPBs. The main results of this study are as follows: (1) The bubbles developed a westward tilted structure with 10-15 • inclination relative to the local geomagnetic field lines, with eastward drift velocity of 80-120 m/s near the magnetic equator that gradually decreased with increasing altitude/latitude. (2) Wave-like oscillations in the bottomside F layer and detrended total electron content were observed, which are probably due to upward propagating atmospheric gravity waves. The wavelength based on the medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance signature was consistent with the interbubble distance of ∼500-800 km. (3) The atmospheric gravity waves that originated from tropospheric convective zone are likely to play an important role in seeding the development of this equatorial EPBs event.Plain Language Summary This study presents multi-instrument observations of equatorial plasma density depletions occurred on 24 October 2018 by using Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk far ultraviolet images, Global Navigation Satellite System total electron content data, electron density measurements from Swarm satellite, ionosonde measurements, and cloud temperature data. This multi-instrument study generated an integrated and detailed image revealing both large-scale and mesoscale structures of the equatorial plasma depletion. Our results also suggest that atmospheric gravity waves originating from tropospheric convection activity could play a significant seeding role in the development of equatorial plasma bubbles. Key Points: • Combined GOLD/UV spectrograph images and ground-based TEC data revealed EPB features and development over a large geographic area • Bottomside F layer oscillations and traveling ionospheric disturbance were observed by ionosonde and detrended TEC results • Atmospheric gravity waves likely play an important role in seeding the R-T instability and the development of this EPB event Correspondence to: E. Aa,

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“…The morphology and evolution processes of EPIs have been widely studied by using multi‐instrument measurements. For example, density irregularities are seen as airglow emission depletions in optical observations of ground‐based all‐sky imagers or space‐based ultraviolet imagers (Aa et al, ; Comberiate & Paxton, ; Kelley et al, ; Kil, Heelis, et al, ; Makela & Kelley, ; Martinis et al, ), plume‐like structures in radar backscatter measurements (Jin et al, ; Li et al, ; Woodman & La Hoz, ; Yokoyama & Fukao, ), range‐type equatorial spread‐F (ESF) echoes on ionograms (Abdu et al, ; Li et al, ), in situ plasma density depletions detected by Low‐Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite observations (Aa et al, ; Basu et al, ; Cherniak et al, ; Huang et al, , ; Xiong et al, , ; Zakharenkova et al, ), and total electron content (TEC) depletions derived from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements (Aa et al, ; Blanch et al, ; Cherniak & Zakharenkova, ; Ma & Maruyama, ; Katamzi‐Joseph et al, ). Moreover, numerical models have also been used to study the triggering mechanisms of EPIs (e.g., Aveiro et al, ; Carter et al, ; Huba & Joyce, ; Huba et al, ; Krall et al, ; Retterer & Gentile, ; Yokoyama et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistical Analysis of Equatorial Plasma Irregularities Retrieved From Swarm 2013–2019 Observations

Zou

Liu

2020

JGR Space Physics

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In this study, we present a statistical analysis of equatorial plasma irregularities (EPIs) by using in situ plasma density measurements of the Swarm constellation from December 2013 to December 2019. The occurrence patterns for both postsunset and postmidnight EPIs with respect to longitude, season, local time, latitude, solar activity, and geomagnetic activity level are investigated. The main findings are as follows: (1) The postsunset/postmidnight EPIs occurrence rates exhibit different longitudinal and seasonal dependence: The postsunset EPIs have the maximum occurrence rate over the American-Atlantic sectors during the December solstice and equinoxes, and the postmidnight EPIs have the maximum occurrence rate during the June solstice, especially over the African sector. (2) The postsunset EPIs occurrence rates have a positive correlation with solar activity, while the postmidnight EPIs are negatively correlated with it.(3) The latitudinal distribution of EPIs exhibits a double-peak structure around ±5 • magnetic latitude with a more significant peak in the summer hemisphere. (4) The EPIs occurrence rate increases with increasing geomagnetic activity level. (5) The main controlling factors for the distribution of postsunset EPIs are the magnetic declination angle, equatorial vertical E × B drift, and thermospheric zonal wind. For the postmidnight EPIs, the main controlling factors are likely to be atmospheric gravity waves and equatorward thermospheric meridional wind associated with midnight temperature maximum.

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Multi‐Instrumental Observation of Storm‐Induced Ionospheric Plasma Bubbles at Equatorial and Middle Latitudes

Cited by 45 publications

References 45 publications

Simultaneous ground-based and in situ Swarm observations of equatorial F-region irregularities over Jicamarca

Simultaneous ground-based and in situ Swarm observations of equatorial F-region irregularities over Jicamarca

Coordinated Ground‐Based and Space‐Based Observations of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

Statistical Analysis of Equatorial Plasma Irregularities Retrieved From Swarm 2013–2019 Observations

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