EISCAT雷达观测到的极区电离层等离子体反常对流

综合分析EISCAT雷达与卫星当地测量数据,并利用磁层磁场模式对磁力线进行追踪,研究了发生在极光椭圆朝极盖边界附近电离层中,一例反常的背离太阳流动的强等离子体对流事件,及相关的太阳风-磁层-电离层耦合过程.结果表明,磁暴期间IMFBz指向南时观测到这一反常高速对流,及其相应的等离子体性态特征,很可能是向阳侧磁层顶磁重联过程在电离层中的印记.     

EISCAT雷达观测到的极区电离层等离子体反常对流

综合分析EISCAT雷达与卫星当地测量数据,并利用磁层磁场模式对磁力线进行追踪,研究了发生在极光椭圆朝极盖边界附近电离层中,一例反常的背离太阳流动的强等离子体对流事件,及相关的太阳风-磁层-电离层耦合过程.结果表明,磁暴期间IMFBz指向南时观测到这一反常高速对流,及其相应的等离子体性态特征,很可能是向阳侧磁层顶磁重联过程在电离层中的印记.     

低太阳活动期间极区ELDI的EISCAT/ESR雷达观测

本文利用2009—2011年EISCAT/ESR雷达的场向观测数据,统计研究了低太阳活动期间极区E层占优电离层(ELDI)事件的发生规律及其主要特征.地面雷达观测表明,极区ELDI表现出明显的季节变化特征:在冬季和早春发生率较高.EISCAT雷达(极光椭圆纬度)观测到的ELDI多出现在磁午夜扇区,平均持续30 min;ESR雷达(极尖/极隙区纬度)观测到的ELDI多出现在磁正午附近,平均持续14 min,表现出与之前无线电掩星观测结果不一致的日变化特征.在ELDI事件期间,两处雷达观测到的电离层NmE/NmF2比值和E层厚度都没有表现出显著的空间差异.事例分析证实E层电子增强和F层电子密度耗空都能够独立地导致ELDI,然而,统计分析表明上述两个过程对ELDI的形成都起着不可或缺的作用.     

亚暴期间电离层场向电流的分布特征——CHAMP卫星观测

场向电流在不同的等离子体区之间传递能量、动量和质量,是磁层与电离层之间的关键耦合过程.本文利用CHAMP卫星高精度的空间磁场测量数据,研究亚暴期间极区电离层场向电流的统计学分布特征.研究表明场向电流的大小与所在位置呈现明显的日夜和晨昏不对称性,具体为：（1）场向电流的大小与亚暴极光电急流指数（AL）密切相连,AL愈大,电流愈强,亚暴期间电流强度相对平静期来说可增加约5倍,昏侧和夜侧电流强度与AL指数的相关性较好,晨侧和白天侧两者相关性较差;（2）电流的峰值密度所在位置与AL指数的相关性不高,昏侧电流所处纬度低于晨侧,而夜晚电流所处纬度低于白天侧.     

磁暴期间高纬顶部电离层离子上行特征——DMSP卫星观测

本文利用DMSP F13和F15卫星观测数据,对2001—2005年58个磁暴(-472 nT≤Min.Dst≤-71 nT)期间高纬顶部电离层离子整体上行特征进行了统计研究.观测表明,磁暴期间,顶部电离层离子上行主要发生在极尖区和夜间极光椭圆区.在北半球,磁正午前,高速的离子上行(≥500 m·s-1)多集中在65° MLat以上;午后,高速离子上行区向低纬度扩展,上行速度要略高于午前;在南半球,磁午夜前,DMSP卫星在考察区域内几乎所有的纬度上都观测到了高速上行的离子;午夜后,各纬度上观测到上行离子的速度明显降低.离子上行期间,DMSP卫星在极区顶部电离层高度上也频繁地观测到电子/离子增温,且电子增温发生的频率要远高于离子增温.O+密度变化分析显示,DMSP卫星磁暴期间观测到的上行离子更多地源于顶部电离层高度.这些结果表明电子增温在驱动暴时电离层离子整体上行过程中起着重要作用.     

IRI、NeQuick和Klobuchar模式比较研究

本文介绍了三种常见的电离层经验模式:IRI、NeQuick和Klobuchar,并且利用Jason-1卫星上搭载的高度计探测到的太平洋上空2006年电离层延迟数据,对这三个模式在低纬、中高纬地区模拟电离层TEC的精度进行了比较研究,结果表明:NeQuick、IRI-2007模式可以较好地模拟出白天电离层TEC位于赤道两侧的双峰结构,但不能得到精确的峰值大小和位置信息;三个模式在中高纬地区的模拟精度指标几乎全面高于低纬地区,其中,IRI模式在中高纬地区精度较高,相关性达到0.82022,标准差为3.0844TECU,NeQuick和Klobuchar模式模拟精度相当;整体比较,IRI-2007模式自相关系数为0.81016,NeQuick模式为0.70717,Klobuchar模式也达到了0.6878,说明这三个模式都能较好地模拟出电离层TEC的背景特征.总体上,IRI-2007模式精度最高,可以更有效地修正电离层延迟误差.     

Demeter观测的电离层非震变化特征研究

利用法国电磁卫星Demeter装载的ICE(电场探针)及IAP(等离子体分析仪)探测数据,分析研究2006年不同季节、不同地方时顶部电离层电场及各等离子参量的全球空间分布特征,结果发现,电场x分量及H+离子浓度、O+离子浓度、He+离子浓度、等离子体温度具有显著的季节变化和地方时变化,而电场y分量及z分量全球分布的季节...     

高纬电离层特性的实例研究

本文利用EISCAT雷达资料讨论磁层-电离层耦合的高纬电离层效应。研究表明,即使在夏季极昼情况下,磁扰期间的磁层过程对高纬电离层形态的影响也远大于太阳紫外辐射的作用。高能粒子沉降使电离层E层的电子密度大大增加;而磁层对流速度变大会使F层内电离复合加强。因而,磁扰时经常出现ne（E层）>e（F层）的情况。此现象不仅与宁静时完全相反,而且与中低纬电离层形态变化也有很大差别。     

高纬电离层特性的实例研究

本文利用EISCAT雷达资料讨论磁层-电离层耦合的高纬电离层效应。研究表明,即使在夏季极昼情况下,磁扰期间的磁层过程对高纬电离层形态的影响也远大于太阳紫外辐射的作用。高能粒子沉降使电离层E层的电子密度大大增加;而磁层对流速度变大会使F层内电离复合加强。因而,磁扰时经常出现n_e（E层）>_e（F层）的情况。此现象不仅与宁静时完全相反,而且与中低纬电离层形态变化也有很大差别。     

电离层极风的EISCAT-VHF雷达观测

极风现象从理论上提出已20多年了,实验上一直没有充分地证实这种现象的存在,以及它的形成区域位于高纬顶部电离层中.我们利用欧洲非相干散射协会（EISCAT）的VHF雷达（在挪威Tromsφ）,对H+离子极风进行了首次实验研究,结果表明,实验期间观测到H+离子在顶部电离层中的运动速度始终向上,且随高度的增加而增大,从而证实在高纬顶部电离层中确实存在着一个永久向上的H+离子流,即H+离子极风,其速度在1000km 高度上达到1km/s,其通量在此高度上接近于饱和,达到1012ms（-1）,而温度小于0.26eV.在我们的探测高度上仍未发展成超声速极风.     

极区电离层闪烁指数和对流速度关系的建模研究

电离层对流速度会显著影响电离层闪烁的发生,尤其是在具有较大对流速度的高纬极区,且其对相位闪烁指数和幅度闪烁指数影响各不相同.本文基于弱散射条件下电离层闪烁理论,初步构建了极区电离层闪烁指数与对流速度的显式关系模型,模型结果表明当相位谱指数取定值3时,相位闪烁指数和幅度闪烁指数的比值与对流速度存在线性关系;进而,利用加拿大Hall Beach台站的观测数据,验证了由电离层闪烁指数比值推断电离层对流速度这一方法在极区的适用性.这不仅提升我们对电离层闪烁机理的认识,也提供了一种获取极区电离层对流速度的新途径,将有助于改善和提高我国北斗全球导航系统的服务精度.

     

一个中纬电离层E层理论模式

本文建立了一个中纬电离层E层理论模式. 该模式从NO+,O２＋,O+和N２＋这四种主要离子的连续性方程出发,通过数值模拟得到中纬电离层E层电子和各种离子密度随时间和高度的变化情况. 计算结果能较好地反映出E层电子密度峰值（NmE）或E层临界频率（foE）的日变化、季节变化以及随太阳活动的变化趋势. 将模式的计算结果与武汉地区测高仪的观测数据进行比较,结果证明模式能够较为客观地反映中纬电离层E层的实际形态. 针对以往电离层E层理论模式存在的主要问题,本文还进一步讨论了几种重要因素,包括二次离化源,λ<150?谱段的辐射通量,吸收截面以及NO分布对于模式计算结果的影响.     

The spatial structure of the dayside ionospheric trough

Tomographic imaging provides a powerful technique for obtaining images of the spatial distribution of ionospheric electron density at polar latitudes. The method, which involves monitoring radio transmissions from the Navy Navigation Satellite System at a meridional chain of ground receivers, has particular potential for complementing temporal measurements by other observing techniques such as the EISCAT incoherent-scatter radar facility. Tomographic reconstructions are presented here from a two-week campaign in November 1995 that show large-scale structuring of the polar ionosphere. Measurements by the EISCAT radar confirm the authenticity of the technique and provide additional information of the plasma electron and ion temperatures. The dayside trough, persistently observed at high latitudes during a geomagnetically quiet period but migrating to lower latitudes with increasing activity, is discussed in relationship to the pattern of the polarcap convection.     

Simultaneous observations at different altitudes of ionospheric backscatter in the eastward electrojet

A common feature of evening near-range ionospheric backscatter in the CUTLASS Iceland radar field of view is two parallel, approximately L-shell-aligned regions of westward flow which are attributed to irregularities in the auroral eastward electrojet region of the ionosphere. These backscatter channels are separated by approximately 100–200 km in range. The orientation of the CUTLASS Iceland radar beams and the zonally aligned nature of the flow allows an approximate determination of flow angle to be made without the necessity of bistatic measurements. The two flow channels have different azimuthal variations in flow velocity and spectral width. The nearer of the two regions has two distinct spectral signatures. The eastern beams detect spectra with velocities which saturate at or near the ion-acoustic speed, and have low spectral widths (less than 100ms^–1), while the western beams detect lower velocities and higher spectral widths (above 200ms^–1). The more distant of the two channels has only one spectral signature with velocities above the ionacoustic speed and high spectral widths. The spectral characteristics of the backscatter are consistent with E-region scatter in the nearer channel and upper-E-region or F-region scatter in the further channel. Temporal variations in the characteristics of both channels support current theories of E-region turbulent heating and previous observations of velocity-dependent backscatter cross-section. In future, observations of this nature will provide a powerful tool for the investigation of simultaneous E- and F-region irregularity generation under similar (nearly co-located or magnetically conjugate) electric field conditions.     

First complementary observations by ionospheric tomography, the EISCAT Svalbard radar and the CUTLASS HF radar

Experimental results are presented from ionospheric tomography, the EISCAT Svalbard radar and the CUTLASS HF radar. Tomographic measurements on 10 October 1996, showing a narrow, field-aligned enhancement in electron density in the post-noon sector of the dayside auroral zone, are related to a temporal increase in the plasma concentration observed by the incoherent scatter radar in the region where the HF radar indicated a low velocity sunwards convection. The results demonstrate the complementary nature of these three instruments for polar-cap ionospheric studies.     

Quiet-condition hmF2, NmF2, and B0 variations at Jicamarca and comparison with IRI-2001during solar maximum

We use the measurements of the Jicamarca digisonde to examine the variations in F2 layer peak electron density (NmF2), its height (hmF2), and the F2 layer thickness parameter (B₀) near the dip equator. The hourly ionograms during geomagnetic quiet-conditions for a 12-month period close to the maximum solar activity, April 1999–March 2000, are used to calculate the monthly averages of these parameters, for each month. The averages are compared with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI)-2001 model values. The results show that the higher hmF2 values during daytime, associated with the upward velocity, are mainly responsible for the greater values of NmF2 and B₀; while the nighttime lower hmF2, related to the downward velocity, are responsible for the smaller NmF2 and B₀. For daytime, hmF2 and NmF2 are correlated with the solar activity in the equinoctial and summer months. The hmF2 and B₀ peaks at sunset with an associated sharp decrease in NmF2 are presented in the equinoctial and summer months, but not in the winter months. Comparison of the measured hmF2 values with the International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR) maps used in IRI-2001 (IRI-CCIR) reveals an IRI overestimate in hmF2 during daytime. The most significant discrepancy is that the IRI-CCIR does not model the post-sunset peak in hmF2. For the NmF2 comparison, the values obtained from both the CCIR and URSI maps are generally close to the observed values. For the B₀ comparison, the highest discrepancy between the observation and the Gulyaeva option (IRI-Gulyaeva) is the location of the annual maximum for the daytime values, also the winter daytime predictions are too low. Additionally, the significant negative difference between the observation and the B₀-table option (IRI-B₀-table) provides a slightly better prediction, except for 0400–1000 LT when the model significantly overestimates. The post-sunset peak in B₀ at some months is predicted by neither the IRI-Gulyaeva nor the IRI-B₀-table options.     

The structure of the mid- and high-latitude ionosphere during the November 2004 storm event obtained from GPS observations

GPS data from the International GNSS Service (IGS) network were used to study the development of the severe geomagnetic storm of November 7–12, 2004, in the total electron content (TEC) on a global scale. The TEC maps were produced for analyzing the storm. For producing the maps over European and North American sectors, GPS measurements from more than 100 stations were used. The dense network of GPS stations provided TEC measurements with a high temporal and spatial resolution. To present the temporal and spatial variation of TEC during the storm, differential TEC maps relative to a quiet day (November 6, 2004) were created. The features of geomagnetic storm attributed to the complex development of ionospheric storm depend on latitude, longitude and local time. The positive, as well as negative effects were detected in TEC variations as a consequence of the evolution of the geomagnetic storm. The maximal effect was registered in the subauroral/auroral ionosphere during substorm activity in the evening and night period. The latitudinal profiles obtained from TEC maps for Europe gave rise to the storm-time dynamic of the ionospheric trough, which was detected on November 7 and 9 at latitudes below 50°N. In the report, features of the response of TEC to the storm for European and North American sectors are analyzed.     

Imaging of structures in the high-latitude ionosphere: model comparisons

The tomographic reconstruction technique generates a two-dimensional latitude versus height electron density distribution from sets of slant total electron content measurements (TEC) along ray paths between beacon satellites and ground-based radio receivers. In this note, the technique is applied to TEC values obtained from data simulated by the Sheffield/UCL/SEL Coupled Thermosphere/Ionosphere/Model (CTIM). A comparison of the resulting reconstructed image with the input modelled data allows for verification of the reconstruction technique. All the features of the high-latitude ionosphere in the model data are reproduced well in the tomographic image. Reconstructed vertical TEC values follow closely the modelled values, with the F-layer maximum density (NmF2) agreeing generally within about 10%. The method has also been able successfully to reproduce underlying auroral-E ionisation over a restricted latitudinal range in part of the image. The height of the F2 peak is generally in agreement to within about the vertical image resolution (25 km).     

Numerical modeling of the high-latitude F-layer anomalies

The results of a detailed numerical study of the behaviour of the convective polar ionosphere are presented. The developed theoretical model produces three-dimensional distribution of electron density, electron and ion temperature. The effects of auroral particle precipitation on the density and temperature structures are studied for winter and low solar activity conditions. The high-latitude ionospheric features, such as the tongue of ionization, the main trough the polar ionization peak, the auroral ionization peak, the high-latitude ionization hole, the tongue of electron temperature, the high latitude minima of electron, temperature, and the ion temperature hot spot are obtained from calculations.Numerically obtained results are used for determining the HF propagation paths in the polar ionosphere. The effects of ionospheric irregularities on high frequency ionospheric radio waves are investigated by using a three-dimensional ray-tracing computer program. Ray-path trajectories are presented for different values of the elevation angle of transmission. From our study, it was found that large-scale irregularity structures of the high-latitude ionosphere, in the presence of the earth's magnetic field, significantly affect high frequency radio wave propagation.