The impact of large solar events on the total electron content of the ionosphere at mid latitudes

Traveling ionospheric disturbances observed at South African midlatitudes during the 29–31 October 2003 geomagnetically disturbed period

“…Because of the dynamic response of the ionosphere to a storm, many studies have been devoted to understanding the relationship between the nature of the storm and the response of the local, regional and global ionosphere to a particular storm. For example, Lopez-Montes et al (2012) have looked at the impact that geomagnetic storms associated with large solar events between 2000 and 2006 have on the ionosphere at mid latitudes by using GPS stations in Mexico and found that these events may indeed affect the mid latitude ionosphere as they observed appreciable increases in TEC caused by storm induced ionospheric disturbances.…”

TEC behavior over the Mexican region

“…Some individual storm events and their effects were discussed in works [Ho et al 1998, Cipagauta-Lara andDurand-Manterola 2010]. The issue of flare associated TEC variation over Mexico was addressed in Lopez-Montes et al [2012]. Still ionosphere studies in the American sector within the latitudes 20ºN-40ºN are limited.…”

Space Weather Quarterly Volume 12, Issue 2, 2015

“…For the illustrative period of moderate solar activity depicted in the figures, the modeled 1 day and 3 day forecast values agree well, in general, with the observations. The period shown includes the Halloween flare period of 2003 that resulted in significant total electron content and ionospheric disturbances [see, e.g., Sutton et al, 2006;López-Montes et al, 2012]. Even for this period of enhanced activity, the observed daily irradiance variability is modeled well with the empirical model estimates.…”