Effects of geomagnetic storm on GPS ionospheric scintillations at Sanya

The effects of geomagnetic storm on GPS ionospheric scintillations are studied here using GPS scintillation data recorded at Sanya (18.3°N, 109.5°E; geomagnetic: 7.6°N, 180.8°E), the southmost station in the Chinese longitude region. GPS scintillation/TEC and DMSP data are utilized to show the development of irregularities during the period year 2005 (solar minimum). Statistical analysis of K planetary index (Kp) and amplitude scintillation index (S4) indicates that most storms of the year did not trigger the scintillation occurrence at Sanya. However, cases of scintillation occurring during moderate and strong storm (Dst<−100) periods show clearly that the development of irregularities producing scintillations can be triggered by geomagnetic storms during the low scintillation occurrence season. The effects (trigger or not trigger/inhibit) depend on the maximum dDst/dt determined local time sector, and can be explained by the response of the equatorial vertical drift velocities to magnetospheric and ionospheric disturbance electric fields. For station Sanya, the maximum dDst/dt determined local time is near the noon (or post-midnight) sector for most storms of the year 2005, which inhibited (or did not trigger) the post-sunset (or post-midnight) scintillation occurrence and then led to the phenomena that the statistical results presented.     

我国低纬电离层闪烁和周跳的统计特征比较

本文利用位于我国中南部电离层闪烁监测台网2012年至2015年的观测数据,比较分析了GPS（Global Positioning System）信号闪烁与周跳的统计特征以及太阳活动和地磁扰动对闪烁与周跳的影响.结果表明,闪烁活动与周跳出现随地方时、月份、太阳活动和地磁扰动变化的统计特征类似,且周跳出现的可能性随S4指数增高显著增大,说明闪烁与周跳存在密切的关联,是引起周跳的一种重要因素.一天之中,闪烁和周跳主要出现在日落后至黎明前,午夜前出现最频繁,白天仅偶尔出现.在赤道异常峰及其邻近区域,一年之中,闪烁和周跳主要出现在春秋季,春季闪烁活动和周跳出现明显比秋季频繁,呈现春秋不对称性,冬夏季节闪烁和周跳都很少出现.闪烁活动与周跳出现的逐年变化显著依赖太阳活动水平,随太阳活动水平升高而增强,而地磁扰动与闪烁活动与周跳出现呈负相关,地磁扰动对闪烁活动与周跳出现整体上起抑制作用.平均而言,越靠近磁赤道的台站闪烁活动越频繁,随纬度升高,闪烁活动频次逐渐降低,且闪烁活动的开始时间随纬度升高而滞后,暗示引起GPS信号闪烁的电离层不规则结构主要起源于磁赤道区.此外,分析还发现,闪烁活动与周跳出现的空域有相当好的一致性,主要分布在观测点上空仰角55°以下、方位角150°~240°的空域内.     

A study of GPS ionospheric scintillations observed at Guilin

The occurrence of strong ionospheric scintillations with S4≥0.2 was studied using global positioning system (GPS) measurements at Guilin (25.29°N, 110.33°E; geomagnetic: 15.04°N, 181.98°E), a station located near the northern crest of equatorial anomaly in China. The results are presented for data collected from January 2007 to December 2008. The results show that amplitude scintillations occurred only during the first five months of the considered years. Nighttime amplitude scintillations, observed mainly in the south of Guilin, always occurred with phase scintillations, total electron content (TEC) depletions, and Rate Of change of TEC (ROT) fluctuations. However, TEC depletions and ROT fluctuations were weak during daytime amplitude scintillations, and daytime amplitude scintillations usually occurred in most of the azimuth directions. GPS scintillation/TEC observations recorded at Guilin and signal-to-noise-ratio measurements obtained from GPS-COSMIC radio occultation indicate that nighttime and daytime scintillations are very likely caused by ionospheric F region irregularities and sporadic E, respectively.     

暴时低纬电离层不规则体响应特征的多手段观测

2010年10月11日发生了一次中等强度的磁暴.本文利用三亚(18.4°N,109.6°E)数字测高仪、VHF雷达和GPS TEC/闪烁监测仪数据以及120°E子午线附近我国漠河(53.5°N,122.4°E)、北京(40.3°N,116.2°E)和武汉(30.6°N,114.4°E)的数字测高仪和GPS TEC/闪烁监测仪数据,分析了磁暴期间我国中低纬地区电离层不规则体的响应特征.结果表明:这次磁暴触发了10月11日午夜前后两个时段低纬(三亚)电离层不规则体事件,而在较高的纬度地区(武汉及以北),并没有观测到电离层不规则体与闪烁.在午夜前,电离层不规则体的发生受磁暴主相期间快速穿透电场激发;在午夜后,电离层不规则体受磁暴恢复相的扰动发电机电场触发,该时段伴随行星际磁场北向翻转的过屏蔽穿透电场也可能是扰动源之一.此外,磁暴期间不同尺度的电离层不规则体会伴随发生.     

Worst-Case GPS Scintillations on the Ground Estimated from Radio Occultation Observations of FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC During 2007–2014

The FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (F3/C) satellite probes the S4 scintillation index profile of GPS signals by using the radio occultation (RO) technique. In this study, for practical use on the Earth’s surface, a method is developed to convert and integrate the probed RO S4 index, so obtaining the scintillation on the ground. To estimate the worst case, the maximum value on each profile probed by F3/C, which is termed S4max, is isolated. The isolated data are further used to construct the global three-dimensional distributions of S4max for various local times, seasons, solar activities, and locations. The converted S4max for the first time estimates the global distribution of ionospheric scintillations in the GPS L1 band C/A code signal on the ground. The results show that the worst-case scintillations appear within the low-latitude region of ±30°N, peaking around ±20°N magnetic latitude; they begin at 1900 MLT, reach their maximum at 2100 MLT, and vanish by about 0200–0300 MLT. The most pronounced low-latitude scintillation occurs over the South American and African sectors.     

Initial backscatter occurrence statistics from the CUTLASS HF radars

A statistical study of the occurrence of ground and ionospheric backscatter within the fields-of-view of the CUTLASS HF radars, at an operating frequency of 10 MHz, during the first 20 months of operation has been undertaken. The diurnal variation of the occurrence of backscatter and the range at which such backscatter is observed is found to be highly dependent on seasonal changes of the ionospheric electron density in both the E and F region, determined from ionosonde observations. In general, ionospheric backscatter is observed at far ranges during the local day in winter months and at near ranges during the local night in summer months. The Iceland radar observes more near-range E region backscatter than the Finland radar as a consequence of its more zonal look-direction. The dependence of the occurrence of backscatter on geomagnetic activity and radar operating frequency are also investigated. The occurrence of ground and ionospheric backscatter is discussed in terms of HF propagation modes and ionospheric electron densities as well as geophysical processes. A brief assessment of the possible impact of solar cycle variations on the observations is made and frequency management is discussed. Such a study, with its focus on the instrumental aspect of backscatter occurrence, is essential for a full interpretation of HF coherent radar observations.     

Observations of peculiar sporadic sodium structures and their relation with wind variations

Resonance lidar observations of sodium density in the upper mesosphere region over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) rarely show complex structures with rapid enhancements of sodium density, completely different from normal sporadic sodium structures. The hourly averaged meteor radar zonal winds over Trivandrum (8.5°N, 76.5°E) show an eastward shear with altitude during the nights, when these events are formed. As suggested by Kane et al. [2001. Joint observations of sodium enhancements and field-aligned ionospheric irregularities. Geophysical Research Letters 28, 1375–1378], our observations show that the complex structures may be formed due to Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, which can occur in the region of strong wind shear.     

Ionospheric effetcs of an intense geomagnetic storm

An investigation of the response of the mid-high, mid and low latitude critical frequency foF2 to the geomagnetic storm of 15 July 2000 is made. Ground-based hourly foF2 values (proportional to square root of peak electron density of F2-layer) from four chains of ionospheric stations located in the geographic longitude ranges 10°W–35°E, 60°E–120°E, 130°E–170°E, 250°E–295°E are used. Relative deviations of foF2 are considered. The main ionospheric effects for the considered storm are: long-duration negative disturbances at mid-high latitudes in summer hemisphere in sectors where the storm onset occurred in the afternoon/night-time hours; short-duration positive disturbances in the summer hemisphere at mid-high latitudes in the pre-sunset hours during the end of main phase-first stage of the recovery; small and irregular negative disturbances in the low latitude winter hemisphere which predominate during the main phase and first part of the recovery, and positive disturbances in both hemispheres at mid-high and mid latitudes prior to the storm onset irrespective of the local time. In addition, the validity of some physical mechanisms proposed to explain the F2 region behaviour during disturbed conditions is considered. gus-mansilla@hotmail.com     

Characteristics of L-band (1.5 GHz) and VHF (244 MHz) amplitude scintillations recorded at Kolkata during 1996–2006 and development of models for the occurrence probability of scintillations using neural network

L-band (1.5 GHz) and VHF (244 MHz) amplitude scintillations observed from Kolkata (22.58°N lat, 88.38° E long, 32°N dip), over a solar cycle 1996–2006 are presented in this paper. Situated near the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly, it is an excellent platform for scintillation studies. Based on 11 years’ data, an attempt is made to develop models of hourly percentage occurrence of scintillations for the rising and declining phases of solar cycle using Neural Network. The relation between fading rate at VHF with the S4 index at L-band is also investigated.     

基于中国东港台站的OH气辉成像观测数据对重力波波源的事件分析

利用东港（40°N,124°E）台站于2013年9月15—16日的OH气辉成像观测数据报告了两个重力波事件（1和2）.同时,结合北京十三陵（40.3°N,116.2°E）台站的多普勒流星雷达风场数据和位于39.4°N,130.6°E位置处的SABER/TIMED卫星的温度参数分析发现,观测的两个重力波事件于2013年9月15—16日02∶00—03∶00 LT时间段,和70~110 km高度是自由传播的.利用反射线追踪方法分析表明,重力波事件1和事件2分别产生于（39.3°N,117.2°E）和（47.1°N,121.3°E）.且事件1的波源位置与对流活动和大气向上向下运动过程中产生的不稳定性吻合较好.然而,通过ECMWF再分析资料和MTSAT卫星观测数据分析表明,事件2可能由对流活动或大气向上运动过程中可能产生的不稳定性导致.利用MERRA自地面到约70 km高度的风场数据分析表明,观测的重力波事件1和事件2的水平相速度分别是83.5 m·s^-1（事件1）和80.1 m·s^-1（事件2）,均大于低层-中层大气风速-10~45 m·s^-1.因此,观测的两个重力波事件是可能从低层大气传播到中层-低热层大气的.     

Observational evidence of deep convection over Indonesian sector in relation with major stratospheric warming events of 2003–04 and 2005–06

The major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events of 2003–04 and 2005–06 are considered to investigate changes in equatorial convection due to circulation changes associated with the SSW events. It is observed that the SSW events are accompanied by a considerable decrease in Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR), a proxy for tropical convection, over equatorial latitudes (15°N–15°S) in the Indonesian sector (90°E–150°E). However, unlike noted by earlier observations, the zonal mean OLR does not show any notable relationship with the SSW events. It can be explained from the latitude–longitude map of potential vorticity (PV) at 100 hPa, which shows a tongue of high PV emanating from high latitudes towards equator and converges in the longitude band of 90°E–150°E on the day of peak warming at 1 hPa in the case of 2003–04 and 10 hPa in the case of 2005–06. The latitude-height map of Eliassen–Palm (EP) vector and its divergence show convergence of EP flux in the upper troposphere at latitudes even lower than 20°N on these days. Further, vertical winds computed from the convergence of momentum flux are upward indicating convective activity at low-latitudes and downward at mid-latitudes.     

Response of the midlatitude ionosphere to extreme geomagnetic storms of the 23rd solar cycle

The ionospheric response in the Irkutsk region (52.3° N, 104.3° E) to the extreme geomagnetic storms of solar cycle 23 was studied based on the data of the Irkutsk incoherent scatter radar (ISR) and DPS-4 vertical sounding digital ionosonde. The deviations of parameters from the undisturbed level, i.e., from the monthly medians or the values obtained on a quiet day, were considered as an ionospheric response. Values of the electron concentration maximum (N _mF2) and electron temperature (T _e) at a height of 350 km were chosen as parameters. The ionospheric response is interpreted in the scope of the concept of a thermospheric storm and penetration of the magnetospheric electric field.     

Dynamical response of low-latitude middle atmosphere to major sudden stratospheric warming events

The zonally averaged UK Meteorological Office (UKMO) zonal mean temperature and zonal winds for the latitudes 8.75°N and 60°N are used to investigate the low-latitude dynamical response to the high latitude sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events that occurred during winter of the years 1998–1999, 2003–2004 and 2005–2006. The UKMO zonal mean zonal winds at 60°N show a short-term reversal to westward winds in the entire upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere and the low-latitude winds (8.75°N) show enhanced eastward flow in the upper stratosphere and strong westward flow in the lower mesosphere during the major SSW events at high latitudes. The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) zonal winds acquired by medium frequency (MF) radar at Tirunelveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E) show a change of wind direction from eastward to westward several days before the onset of SSW events and these winds decelerate and weak positive (eastward) winds prevail during the SSW events. The time variation of zonal winds over Tirunelveli is nearly similar to the one reported from high latitudes, except that the latter shows intense eastward winds during the SSW events. Besides, the comparison of daily mean meridional winds over Tirunelveli with those over Collm (52°N, 15°E) show that large equatorial winds are observed over Tirunelveli during the 2005–2006 event and over Collm during the 1998–1999 events. The variable response of MLT dynamics to different SSW events may be explained by the variability of gravity waves.     

Common-volume measurements of mesospheric winds using radar and optical instruments: 1. Comparison of observations

The Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar (42.6°N, 71.5°W) and the nearby Durham meteor wind radar (43.1°N, 70.9°W) have been used to study the structure of the winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere and to investigate the propagation of tidal components from the mesosphere into the lower thermosphere. In general, good agreement is found between the tidal wind amplitudes and phases determined by the two radars, but occasionally, some discontinuities have been observed in the vertical structure of the tidal components in the 90–110 km region. In order to validate the accuracy of the two techniques and the methodologies used in determining neutral winds, two common-volume experiments were conducted in 1996 and 1997 in which the two radar beams were overlayed at an altitude of 100 km. The horizontal components of the measured radar line-of-sight velocities during day-time periods were then compared at the overlapping altitudes of 95–100 km. Night-time measurements were also made using a Fabry–Perot Interferometer co-located with the radar at Millstone Hill which observed the Doppler shift of the atomic oxygen green line emission in the mesosphere. Good overall agreement is found between the instruments within the statistical uncertainties of the measurement techniques, although some differences have been found that are explained by consideration of the data statistics, the exact overlap of common volume within the different beam sizes, and the presence of altitude gradients and small scale irregularities in the sampled volumes of the atmosphere.     

基于三亚VHF雷达的场向不规则体观测研究：3. 距离扩展流星尾迹回波

距离扩展流星尾迹回波 （RSTE,range spread trail echo）观测通常采用高功率大孔径雷达.本文利用三亚 （18.4°N,109.6°E） VHF雷达观测,分析研究了小功率VHF雷达观测的RSTE特征.结果表明,三亚VHF雷达在相干散射模式观测的RSTE,其发生和演化的主要形态特征类似高功率大孔径雷达的观测结果.通过2011年8月期间,三亚VHF雷达相干散射模式观测的RSTE,与同时的全天空流星模式观测的镜面流星尾迹（SE,specular trail echo）数据,统计分析了RSTE和SE随地方时以及高度的变化,发现短持续时间RSTE（小于等于15 s）与SE具有类似的时间-高度变化特征,而长持续时间RSTE（大于等于15 s）发生的峰值时间,相比SE和短持续时间RSTE向晨侧偏移,且长持续时间RSTE对高度的依赖性比短持续时间RSTE显著.此外,全天空流星模式观测SE 的数量远多于相干散射模式观测的RSTE数量,可能与不同模式下的观测角度、波束宽度等因素相关.     

GPS L1-Frequency Observations of Equatorial Scintillations and Irregularity Zonal Velocities

In this work, the climatology of ionospheric scintillations at global positioning system (GPS) L-band frequency and the zonal drift velocities of scintillation-producing irregularities were depicted for the equatorial observatory of São Luis (2.33°S; 44.21°W; dip latitude 1.3°S), Brazil. This is the first time that the hourly, monthly, and seasonal variations of scintillations and irregularity zonal drifts at São Luis were characterized during periods of different solar activity levels (from December 1998 to February 2007). The percentage occurrence of scintillations at different sectors of the sky was also investigated, and the results revealed that the scintillations are more probable to be observed in the west sector of the sky above São Luis, whereas the north–south asymmetries are possibly related to asymmetries in the plasma density distribution at off-equatorial latitudes. The scintillations on GPS signals occurred more frequently around solar maximum years, but it is also clear from the results of a strong variability in the scintillation activity in the years with moderate solar flux during the descending phase of the solar cycle. The equatorial scintillations occur predominantly during pre-midnight hours with a broad maximum near the December solstice months. In general, weak level of scintillations (S ₄ index between 0.2 and 0.4) dominated at all seasons; however, during the winter months around solar maximum years (although the scintillation occurrence is extremely low), stronger levels of scintillations (S ₄ > 0.6) may occur at comparable rate with the weak scintillations. The irregularity zonal velocities, as estimated from the GPS spaced-receiver technique, presented a different scenario for the two seasons analyzed; during the equinoxes, the magnitude of the zonal velocities appeared not to change with the solar activity, whereas during the December solstice months, the larger magnitudes were observed around solar maximum years. Other relevant aspects of the observations are highlighted and discussed.     

MF radar observations of mean winds over Yamagawa (31.2°N, 130.6°E) and Wakkanai (45.4°N, 141.7°E)

Continuous MF radar measurements of mesospheric mean winds are in progress at the observatories in Yamagawa (31.2°N, 130.6°E) and Wakkanai (45.4°N, 141.7°E). The observations at Yamagawa and Wakkanai were started in August 1994 and September 1996, respectively. The real-time wind data are used for the study of major large scale dynamic features of the middle atmosphere such as mean winds, tides, planetary waves, and gravity waves, etc. In the present study of mean winds, we have utilized the data collected until June 1999, which include the simultaneous observation period of little more than two and a half years, for the two sites. The database permits us to draw conclusions on the characteristics of mean winds and to compare the mean wind structure over these sites. The mean prevailing zonal winds at both sites are dominated by westward/eastward motions in summer/winter seasons below 90 km. Meridional circulation at meteor heights is generally southward during most times of the year and it extends to lower mesospheric heights during summer also. The summer westward jet at Wakkanai is consistently stronger than those at Yamagawa. However, the winter eastward winds have identical strength at both locations. Meridional winds also show larger values at Wakkanai. The mean wind climatology has been examined and compared with the MU radar observations over Shigaraki (34.9°N, 136.1°E). The paper also presents the results of the comparison between the MF radar winds and the latest empirical model values (HWM93 model) proposed by Hedin et al. (1996. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics 58, 1421–1447). Hodograph analyses of mean winds conducted for the summer and winter seasons show interesting similarities and discrepancies.     

Morphology and causes of the Weddell Sea anomaly

The zone of anomalous diurnal variations in foF2, which is characterized by an excess of nighttime foF2 values over daytime ones, has been distinguished in the Southern Hemisphere based on the Intercosmos-19 satellite data. In English literature, this zone is usually defined as the Weddell Sea anomaly (WSA). The anomaly occupies the longitudes of 180°–360° E in the Western Hemisphere and the latitudes of 40°–80° S, and the effect is maximal (up to ∼5 MHz) at longitudes of 255°–315° E and latitudes of 60°–70° S (50°–55° ILAT). The anomaly is observed at all levels of solar activity. The anomaly formation causes have been considered based on calculations and qualitative analysis. For this purpose, the longitudinal variations in the ionospheric and thermospheric parameters in the Southern Hemisphere have been analyzed in detail for near-noon and near-midnight conditions. The analysis shows that the daytime foF2 values are much smaller in the Western Hemisphere than in the Eastern one, and, on the contrary, the nighttime values are much larger, as a result of which the foF2 diurnal variations are anomalous. Such a character of the longitudinal effect mainly depends on the vertical plasma drift under the action of the neutral wind and ionization by solar radiation. Other causes have also been considered: the composition and temperature of the atmosphere, plasma flows from the plasmasphere, electric fields, particle precipitation, and the relationship to the equatorial anomaly and the main ionospheric trough.     

利用COSMIC掩星探测分析120°E经线附近电离层E层闪烁指数变化

利用气象、电离层和气候卫.星联合观测系统COSMIC掩星2007-2013年探测资料,分析了120°E经线附近电离层E层区域(70~140km)闪烁指数的季节、地方时和空间变化.结果表明强电离层闪烁主要集中在磁纬度±30°内,夏季达到最大,冬季其次,春季最小.闪烁峰值大小与太阳辐射有关,但北半球夏冬季闪烁峰值大于南半球观测结果,秋半球闪烁峰值大于春半球观测结果.地磁高纬地区较强闪烁现象出现在地方时傍晚之后,午夜前后达到最大值.地磁中纬和低纬区域日出后即出现较为明显的闪烁现象,一直持续至夜间甚至凌晨,分别约在中午和傍晚前达到最大值.磁赤道区闪烁现象通常始于地方时日出后,最大值发生在傍晚1800LT左右.电离层E区的闪烁峰值大都集中110km高度,但高纬地区的峰值高度略有降低.此外,太阳和地磁活动的增强一定程度上会抑制E层闪烁现象.相关研究结果有利于分析E层不规则结构及物理形成机制,同时为电离层区域闪烁模型的建立提供有用的信息.     

Ionospheric Scintillation and Dynamics of Fresnel-Scale Irregularities in the Inner Region of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly

This paper reports differences in the occurrence statistics of global positioning system (GPS) L-band scintillations at observational sites located in the inner regions of the northern and southern crests of the equatorial ionization anomaly. Ground-based GPS data acquired at the closed magnetically aligned stations of Manaus (3.1°S; 59.9°W; dip lat. 6.2°N) and Cuiabá (15.5°S; 56.1°W; dip. lat. 6.2°S), Brazil, from December 2001 to February 2007 are used in the analysis. The drift dynamics of Fresnel-scale ionospheric irregularities at the southern station of Cuiabá are also investigated. Only geomagnetically quiet days with the sum of daily Kp < 24 were used in the analysis statistics and in the irregularity drift studies. The results reveal a clear dependence of the scintillation occurrence with the solar activity, but there exists an asymmetry in the percentage of scintillation occurrence between the two stations throughout the period analyzed. The nocturnal occurrence of the scintillations over Cuiabá is predominantly larger than over Manaus, but this scenario seems to change with the decline in the solar activity (mainly during local post-midnight hours). A broad minimum and maximum in the scintillation occurrence appears to occur over both the stations, respectively, during the June solstice (winter) and December solstice (summer) months. The dynamics of the Fresnel-scale irregularities, as investigated from the estimations of the mean zonal drift velocities, reveals that the amplitude of the eastward drifts tends to reduce with the decline in the solar activity. The magnitude of the zonal drift velocities during the December solstice months is larger than during the equinoxes, with the differences being more pronounced at solar maximum years. Other relevant aspects of the observations, with complementary data from a low-latitude ionospheric model, are highlighted and discussed.