Comparison of ionospheric parameters calculated with UAM and measured at Voeykovo observatory

The measurements of the critical frequencies of the ionospheric F2 layer based on vertical radiosounding, which was performed with a CADI digital ionosonde at the Voeykovo magnetic–ionospheric observatory in February 2013, have been considered. The observations have been compared with the upper atmosphere numerical model (UAM) data for three days that differ in the amplitude and the character of solar and magnetic activity and correspond to quiet and moderately disturbed states of the ionosphere. The work was performed in order to improve the methods for determining the ionospheric state by vertical sounding ionograms. The time variations in the F2 layer critical frequency, electric field vector zonal component, and thermospheric wind velocity meridional component have been analyzed. Calculations were performed with three UAM variants. The UAM version providing the best agreement with the CADI ionosonde data was the version in which the neutral temperature, neutral composition, and pressure gradients are calculated according to the MSIS empirical model and the horizontal neutral wind velocity is determined by the equation of motion with pressure gradients from MSIS. The calculated values corresponded to the measurements, except those for the evening, because the electron density at the ionospheric F2 layer maximum depends more strongly on electric fields and thermospheric wind velocities during this period. Thus, the indicated UAM version with the above limitations can be used to determine the state of the subauroral ionosphere.     

On the sensitivity of total electron content (TEC) to upper atmospheric/ionospheric parameters

The total electron content (TEC) is a key ionospheric parameter for various space weather applications. Over the last decade an extensive database of TEC measurements has become available from both space- and ground-based observations, and these measurements have established the general morphology of the global TEC distributions. In particular, the TOPEX TEC measurements have shown strong longitudinal variations of TEC in addition to the observed day-to-day variabilities. To better understand the observed TEC variations and to better guide its modeling, we have studied the sensitivity of quiet-time TEC to the following key atmospheric and ionospheric parameters: neutral density, neutral wind, plasma temperatures, plasmaspheric flux, and the O⁺–O collision frequency. These parameters are often only roughly known and can cause large uncertainties in model results. For this study, we have developed a numerical mid-latitude ionospheric model, which solves the momentum and continuity equations for the O⁺ density and a simplified set of equations for the H⁺ density. To obtain TEC, the calculated ion densities have been integrated from the bottom altitude (100 km) to the altitude of the TOPEX satellite (1336 km). Our study shows that during the day the neutral wind and the neutral composition have the most important effect on TEC. In particular, the zonal component of the neutral wind can have a large effect on TEC in the southern hemisphere where the magnetic declination angle is large. During the night, most of the above-mentioned parameters can play a significant role in the TEC morphology, except for the plasma temperature, which has only a small effect on TEC. Finally, the TEC varies roughly linearly with respect to all of the parameters except for the neutral wind.     

Influence of the plasma zonal E × B drift on the electron concentration in the low-latitude ionospheric F region at the minimum of solar activity near the spring equinox

The three-dimensional nonstationary theoretical model of the concentrations and temperatures of electrons and ions in the ionospheric F region and plasmasphere at low and middle latitudes is used to study variations in the concentration NmF2 and height hmF2 of the ionospheric F2 layer under the action of the plasma zonal drift in the direction geomagnetic west-geomagnetic east perpendicularly to the electric E and geomagnetic B fields. The calculated and measured values of NmF2 and hmF2 for 16 ionospheric sounding stations during the quiet geomagnetic period on March 28–29, 1964 at low solar activity are compared. This comparison made it possible to correct the input parameters of the model: [O] from the NRLMSISE-00 model and the meridional component of the neutral wind velocity from the HWW90 model. It is shown that the nighttime NmF2 values decrease up to twice at low solar activity in the low-latitude ionosphere, and the hmF2 values change by up to 16 km, if the plasma zonal E×B drift is not taken into account. Under the daytime conditions, the influence of the plasma zonal E×B drift on NmF2 can be neglected.     

The ionospheric response to the acoustic signal from submarine earthquakes according to the GPS data

The ionospheric response to the transit of acoustic waves from a number of the strongest submarine earthquakes with magnitudes M _w ≥ 7.7, which occurred during the past few years, is analyzed. The amplitude of the response in the detrended TEC is studied as a function of the magnitude and vertical component of the surface deformation. It is shown that the geomagnetic field can significantly modulate the shape of the ionospheric response, depending on whether the perturbation propagates equatorward or polarward.     

Time and spatial variations in the ratio of nighttime and daytime critical frequencies of the F 2 layer

The ratio of daytime and nighttime values of the foF2 critical frequency is analyzed on the basis of the data of 28 ionospheric stations in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is found that three types of time variations in this ratio are observed after 1980: an increase with time (a positive trend), a decrease with time (a negative trend), and the absence of pronounced changes (a zero trend). The sign of this trend is shown to be governed by the signs of the magnetic declination D and magnetic inclination I at the given ionospheric station. This fact makes it possible to assume that the above trend is caused by long-term variations in the zonal component V _ny of the horizontal wind in the thermosphere, the latter component contributing into the vertical drift velocity W. The causes of the systematic changes in the thermospheric circulation regime after 1980 are still unknown; however, it is quite probable that they are related to anthropogenic changes in the atmosphere.     

Atmospheric parameters measured using artificial periodic irregularities with different spatial scales

The parameters of the neutral atmosphere have been studied using artificial periodic irregularities of the ionospheric plasma. A few measurement cycles were carried out in 2006–2007 using the new method, in particular: irregularities were created by powerful radiowaves at two separated frequencies. The possibilities of the method have been demonstrated. Based on the relaxation times of artificial periodic irregularities measured at two frequencies, the N(z) electron density profiles in the 95–115 km height interval have been determined and have been used to estimate the parameters of the neutral atmosphere. The results of determining the temperature and density of the neutral atmosphere are presented and compared with the data obtained earlier.     

Effects of estimating the ionospheric and thermospheric parameters on electron density forecasts

Based on the thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM), a thermospheric-ionospheric data assimilation and forecast system is developed. Using this system, we estimated the oxygen ions, neutral temperature, wind, and composition by assimilating the simulated data from Formosa Satellite 3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) occultation electron density profiles to evaluate their effects on the ionospheric forecast. An ensemble Kalman filter data assimilation scheme and combined state and parameter estimation methods are used to estimate the unobserved parameters in the model. The statistical results show that the neutral and ion compositions are more effective than the neutral temperature and wind for improving the forecast of the ionospheric electron density, whose root mean square errors in the assimilation period decreased by approximately 40%, 30%, and 10% due to the estimations of the neutral composition, oxygen ions, and neutral temperature, respectively. Due to the different physical and chemical processes that these parameters primarily affect, their e-folding times differ greatly from longer than 12 h for neutral composition to approximately 6 h for oxygen ions and 3 h for neutral temperature. The effect of estimating the neutral composition on improving the ionospheric forecast is greater than that of estimating the oxygen ions, which can be also be seen in an actual data assimilation experiment. This indicates that the neutral composition is the most important thermospheric parameter in ionospheric data assimilations and forecasts.     

Peculiarities of artificial ionospheric radiation under the action of high-power HF radiowaves, emitted by the SPEAR facility, on the sporadic E layer of the polar ionosphere

The results of the experimental studies of the ionospheric effects originating under the action of high-power HF radiowaves, emitted by the SPEAR heating facility into the sporadic E _s layer of the polar ionosphere, are presented. The experiment was performed on March 2, 2007, simultaneously at two spaced points: Barentsburg (Spitsbergen, a distance of about 40 km from the SPEAR facility) and Gor’kovskaya observatory near St. Petersburg, located at a distance of about 2000 km from SPEAR. The distributions of the heating signal intensity in the 100 kHz frequency band were measured in Barentsburg. Bistatic backscatter of diagnostic HF signals by small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities was observed at Gor’kovskaya observatory. Based on an analysis of the experimental data obtained in Barentsburg, it has been found out that a broadband noise-like component originated and additional maximums appeared in the heating signal spectrum. The broadband emission intensity was a factor of 1.5–3 as high as the noise level. The additional maximums were formed in the regions of the positive and negative frequency shift relative to the heating signal frequency and were observed when the heating frequency was lower than the critical frequency of the E _s layer; e.g., a high-power HF radiowave reflected from E _s . The expression for determining the frequency shift of the additional maximum in the heating signal spectrum at altitudes of the ionospheric E region, taking into account the ion-electron collision frequency, has been obtained. The heating signal spectrum registration was compared with the observations of small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities and the trajectory modeling of signals scattered by the considered irregularities. The observation results have been analyzed and interpreted taking into account the magnetic and ionospheric data characterizing the background geophysical conditions.     

Effect of the IMF azimuthal component on the longitudinal position of the westward electrojet intensity maximum during strong geomagnetic storms

The distribution of the ionospheric currents during the geomagnetic storms of November 20–21, 2003, November 7–8, 2004, and November 9–10, 2004, depending on the IMF B _y component, has been studied based on the data from the global network of magnetic stations. It has been indicated that, during geomagnetic disturbances, the westward electrojet intensity maximum is localized in the evening sector at IMF B _y < 0 and in the morning sector at IMF B _y > 0. The region of the westward electrojet intensity maximum shifts to morning hours with increasing positive B _y values. Thus, the IMF azimuthal component forms not only the magnetospheric convection pattern during magnetic storms but is also responsible for the longitudinal position of ionospheric structures.     

The coherence between the IMF and high-latitude ionospheric flows: The dayside magnetosphere–ionosphere low-pass filter

This study seeks to establish a new system characteristic describing dayside convective flows in the coupled magnetosphere–ionosphere: the low-pass filter function through which interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) fluctuations are processed as they are communicated from the magnetopause to the high-latitude ionosphere near local noon. In doing so, this study confirms that variations in the ionospheric flows at high-latitudes near local noon are well correlated with variations in the IMF orientation and magnitude on short timescales. We construct the filter function by comparing time series of the ionospheric equivalent flows at a fixed location at magnetic local noon and 80° latitude with time series of the IMF. The coherence spectra of these two parameters—averaged over 330 h of comparison—indicate that there is a low-pass cutoff in the ionospheric response to IMF driving at a periods shorter than 20 min (frequencies higher than 0.8 mHz). When there is sufficient power in the IMF fluctuations, this cutoff is relatively sharp—the coherence drops by roughly a factor of three between the periods 32 and 21 min (0.5 and 0.8 mHz). The results also show that on average the coherence between the east–west component of the equivalent flows and IMF B_y tends to be less than the coherence between the north–south component of the equivalent flows and IMF B_z.     

Ionospheric effects of magnetospheric and thermospheric disturbances on March 17–19, 2015

Using vertical and oblique radio-sounding data, we analyze the ionospheric and thermospheric disturbances during the magnetic storm that occurred in northeastern Russia on March 17–19, 2015. We consider the heliospheric sources that induced the magnetic storm. During the main and early recovery phases, the midlatitude stations are characterized by extremely low values of electron density at the F2 layer maximum. Using oblique sounding data, we recorded signals that propagated outside the great circle arc. In evening and night hours, no radio signals were found to pass along the Norilsk–Irkutsk and Magadan–Irkutsk paths. The observed ionospheric effects are shown to be caused by a sharp shift of the boundaries of the main ionospheric trough to the invariant latitude 46° N during the main phase of the magnetic storm. The negative ionospheric disturbance during the recovery phase of the storm, which was associated with significant variations in the composition of the neutral atmosphere, led to a change in the mode composition of received radio signals and a decline in observed maximal frequencies in daytime hours of March 18, 2015 by more than 2 times.     

Motion of Ionospheric Plasma: Results of Observations above Kharkiv in Solar Cycle 24

The equipment and methodical characteristics of determining the vertical component of the ionospheric plasma motion velocity V_z based on an incoherent scatter radar of Institute of Ionosphere, National Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (Kharkiv), which is the only radar of such type in Central Europe, are described. Based on the radar data, the patterns of altitude and diurnal variations in V_z near the maximum of solar cycle 24 for the typical geophysical conditions (around the summer and winter solstices, the spring and fall equinoxes) at low geomagnetic activity and the specifics of these changes during ionospheric storms are presented. The results of modeling of the dynamic processes in ionospheric plasma under the conditions of the undisturbed ionosphere, including the determination of altitudetime variations in the thermospheric wind velocity, are presented. It has been established that this velocity can significantly differ from the thermospheric wind velocity calculated by the known empirical global models. This difference is likely related to the regional features of thermospheric wind that are not shown in the global models.     

Meridional thermospheric neutral wind at high latitude over a full solar cycle

EISCAT radar experiments over a full solar cycle between January 1984 and March 1995 have been used to construct meridional neutral wind patterns in the ionospheric F region. For locally geomagnetically quiet periods the neutral winds have been binned according to season, solar activity, and universal time. The diurnal and seasonal behaviors and the effect of the solar flux are described. An empirical model of the meridional neutral wind for the high latitudes at eight altitudes in the ionospheric F region over a full solar cycle is presented. Results are compared with other recent empirical models.     

Dynamics of high-latitude patches and associated small-scale irregularities during the October and November 2003 storms

Observations from a network of specially equipped GPS scintillation receivers in Northern Europe are used to investigate the dynamics of ionospheric plasma during the storm events of 30 October and 20 November 2003. The total electron content (TEC) and scintillation data, combined with ionospheric tomography produced by the multi-instrument data analysis system (MIDAS), reveal strong enhancements and steep gradients in TEC during nighttime under a prevailing negative B_z component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Amplitude and phase scintillation maxima are often co-located with the TEC gradients at the edge of plasma patches, revealing the presence of small-scale irregularities and suggesting association with a tongue of ionization (TOI) convecting in an anti-sunward direction from the American sector across the polar cap. Similarities and differences between the ionospheric response to the two storms are investigated. The 30 October event reveals a quite complex scenario showing two phases of plasma dynamics: the former reflects the expected convection pattern for IMF B_z southward and the latter possibly indicates a sort of TEC plasma stagnation signature of the more complex convection patterns during several positive/negative excursions of IMF B_z.     

Regularities in the manifestation of earthquake precursors in the ionosphere and near-surface atmospheric electric fields in Kamchatka

The data of hourly measurements of ionospheric parameters in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsk are analyzed for the period 1998–2002. In the vertical component of near-surface atmospheric quasistatic electric field Ez, earthquake precursors in the form of anomalous negative bays have been found earlier. In some cases, anomalously high sporadic layer Es, interpreted as an ionospheric precursor of an earthquake, was observed simultaneously with anomalous negative bays in Ez. All these cases were correlated with earthquakes of different magnitudes which occurred with a significant time delay (more than five days) after the precursor appearance. Based on the whole data set (including those for simultaneously measured Es and Ez), empirical dependences linking the prediction time of a precursor, earthquake magnitudes, and the distance from the observation point to the epicenter, are presented. It is shown that these dependences are close to those obtained earlier for long-term earthquake precursors in near-surface geophysical fields of the same seismoactive region. Estimates of the prediction time for earthquake precursors on the boundaries of preparation zones are presented.     

Interhemispheric comparison of TDIM E- and F-region ionospheres on 14 January 1988

The USU time-dependent ionospheric model (TDIM) simulated the northern (winter) and southern (summer) ionospheres as they responded to the changing solar wind and geomagnetic activity on 14 January 1988. This period began with moderately disturbed conditions, but as the IMF turned northward, the geomagnetic activity decreased. By 1400 UT, the IMF B_y component became strongly negative with B_z near zero; and eventually B_z turned southward. This began a period of intense activity as a magnetic storm developed. The magnetospheric electric field and auroral electron precipitation drivers for these simulations were obtained from the Naval Research Laboratories (NRL) Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) magnetospheric simulation for this event.The F-region ionospheric simulations contrast the summer–winter hemispheres. Then, the difference in how the two hemispheres respond to the geomagnetic storm is related to the differences in magnetospheric energy deposition in the two hemispheres. This also emphasizes the role played by the E-region in the magnetosphere–ionosphere (M–I) coupling and subsequent lack of conjugacy in the two hemispheres. The F-region’s response to the changing geomagnetic conditions also demonstrates a striking lack of conjugacy. This manifests itself in a well-defined ionospheric morphology in the summer hemisphere and a highly irregular morphology in the winter hemisphere. These differences are found to be associated with the differences in the magnetospheric electric field input.     

Some aspects of modelling the high-latitude ionospheric convection from Cluster/Edi data

Measurements onboard Cluster satellites are briefly described, which form the base for determining the intensity and direction of the electric field in the magnetosphere. The aim of this paper is to describe (1) the methodology of calculating the potential distribution at the ionospheric level and the results of constructing spatiotemporal convection patterns for different orientations of the IMF vector in the GSM YZ plane; (2) derivation of basic convection patterns (BCPs), which allow to deduce the statistical ionospheric convection pattern at high latitudes for any IMF Bz and By values (statistical convection model) using different sets of independent data; (3) the consequences of enlarging the amount of data used for analysis; (4) the results of potential calculations with various orders of the spherical harmonics describing them; (5) determination of the cross-polar cap potential with different IMF sector widths (α from 45° down to 10°); (6) the results of our trials to determine the contribution of the IMF Bx component to the convection pattern.     

Influence of seasonal variation of neutral winds on the coupling between North and South Hemispheres in a realistic Earth main field

The neutral wind dynamo contributes significantly to the ionospheric electrodynamics, and the variation of the neutral winds thus affects the ionosphere. Here we study the effects of the seasonal variation of the winds in a realistic Earth main field. The two-dimensional ionospheric dynamo equation is expressed in the framework of a revision of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) under the assumptions of equipotential field lines and conservation of current. A revision of IGRF and typical u...     

Large-scale disturbances of auroral origin during strong magnetic storms of October 29–31, 2003, and November 7–11, 2004, according to the data of the GPS network and ionosondes

The intensity of large-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LS TIDs), registered according to measurements of the total electron content (TEC) during the magnetic storms of October 29–31, 2003, and November 7–11, 2004, has been compared with that of local electron density disturbances. The data of TEC measurements at ground-based GPS receivers located near the ionospheric stations and the corresponding values of the critical frequency of the ionospheric F region (foF2) were used for this purpose. The variations in TEC and foF2 were similar for all events mentioned above. The previous assumption that the region of thickness 150–200 km in the vicinity of the ionospheric F region mainly contributes to TEC modulation was confirmed for the cases when the electron density disturbance at an F region maximum was not more than 50%. However, this region probably becomes more extensive in vertical when the electron density disturbance in the vicinity of the ionospheric F region is about 85%.     

A study on three-dimensional structures of the ionospheric dynamo currents induced by the neutral winds simulated by the Kyushu-GCM

Three-dimensional structures of the ionospheric dynamo currents are examined using the neutral winds in a general circulation model of the middle atmosphere at Kyushu University. A quasi-three-dimensional ionospheric dynamo model is constructed assuming an infinite parallel conductivity in the ionosphere. This model is able to simulate both the equatorial electrojet and the global Sq current system successfully. The simulated results reveal that the equatorial electrojet is confined in quite narrow latitudes around the equator accompanied with meridional current circulations and satisfies a non-divergent structure mainly within the E region. A vertically stratified double layered structure is seen in the east–west current density near the focus latitude of the global Sq current system. It is shown that the stratified structure mainly consists of the east–west Hall current associated with the eastward wind of zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2 in the lower altitudes and the westward wind of zonal wavenumber 2 in the upper altitudes. The day-to-day variation of the neutral winds can significantly vary the induced ionospheric dynamo current system, which is recognized as changes of the focus latitude and/or the maximum value of the equatorial electrojet.