Climatology of total electron content near the dip equator under geomagnetic quiet-conditions

This study analyzes the TEC data during 1998–2007, observed by the AREQ (16.5°S, 71.5°W) GPS station to investigate the equatorial ionospheric variations under geomagnetic quiet-conditions. The diurnal TEC values generally have a maximum value between 1330 and 1500 LT and a minimum around 0500 LT. For the seasonal variation, the semi-annual variation apparently exists in the daytime TEC with two peaks in equinoctial months. In contrast, this semi-annual variation is not found in the nighttime. Furthermore, the results of the annual variation show that the correlation between the daytime TEC value and the solar activity factor is highly positive.     

Modeling the responses of the middle latitude ionosphere to solar flares

In this paper, we investigate the solar flare effects of the ionosphere at middle latitude with a one-dimensional ionosphere theoretical model. The measurements of solar irradiance from the SOHO/Solar EUV Monitor (SEM) and GOES satellites have been used to construct a simple time-dependent solar flare spectrum model, which serves as the irradiance spectrum during solar flares. The model calculations show that the ionospheric responses to solar flares are largely related to the solar zenith angle. During the daytime most of the relative increases in electron density occur at an altitude lower than 300 km, with a peak at about 115 km, whereas around sunrise and sunset the strongest ionospheric responses occur at much higher altitudes (e.g. 210 km for a summer flare). The ionospheric responses to flares in equinox and winter show an obvious asymmetry to local midday with a relative increase in total electron content (TEC) in the morning larger than that in the afternoon. The flare-induced TEC enhancement increases slowly around sunrise and reaches a peak at about 60 min after the flare onset.     

Ionospheric activity and possible connection with seismicity: Contribution from the analysis of long time series of GNSS signals

The modifications of some atmospheric physical properties prior to a high magnitude earthquake were debated in the frame of the Lithosphere Atmosphere Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) model. In this work, among the variety of involved phenomena, the ionisation of air at the ionospheric levels triggered by the leaking of gases from the Earth’s crust was investigated through the analysis of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals. In particular, the authors analysed a 5 year (2008–2012) long series of GNSS based ionospheric TEC to produce maps over an area surrounding the epicentre of the L’Aquila (Italy, M_w = 6.3) earthquake of April 6th, 2009. The series was used to detect and quantify amplitude and duration of episodes of ionospheric disturbances by a statistical approach and to discriminate local and global effects on the ionosphere comparing these series with TEC values provided by the analysis of GNSS data from international permanent trackers distributed over a wider region. The study found that during this time interval only three statistically meaningful episodes of ionospheric disturbances were observed. One of them, occurring during the night of 16th of March 2009, anticipated the main shock by 3 weeks and could be connected with the strong earthquake of 6th of April. The other two significant episodes were detected within periods that were not close to the main seismic events and are more likely due to various and global reasons.     

Diurnal variations of the total electron content under quiet helio-geomagnetic conditions

The morphology of averaged diurnal variations of total electron content (TEC) under quiet helio-geomagnetic conditions for all latitudinal bands and various longitudes has been studied using Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) datasets. The diurnal TEC variation maximum is generally registered at 14–15 LT. The maximum is 38±5, 14±2, 10±2 TECU (TECU is generally accepted TEC unit) at the equatorial, middle and high latitudes. The nighttime TEC minimum is within 5–7 TECU regardless of a season, latitude and longitude. At the equatorial latitudes TEC exhibits the most significant daily/season variations and the asymmetry of its behavior in the hemispheres near the equinox. Abnormal diurnal TEC variations (evening maximum, near-noon minimum) are observed at middle and high latitudes in summer due to atmospheric wind effects. The comparison of the averaged diurnal TEC variations with the behavior of the ionospheric F2-layer critical frequency indicated that GIMs describe daily/annual TEC variations reasonably well.     

Ionospheric and geomagnetic disturbances during the 2005 Sumatran earthquakes

This paper investigates the ionospheric and geomagnetic responses during the 28 March 2005 and 14 May 2005 Sumatran earthquakes using GPS and magnetometer stations located in the near zone of the epicenters. These events occurred during low solar and geomagnetic activity. TEC oscillations with periods of 5–10 min were observed about 10–24 min after the earthquakes and have horizontal propagation velocities of 922–1259 m/s. Ionospheric disturbances were observed at GPS stations located to the northeast of the epicenters, while no significant disturbances were seen relatively east and south of the epicenters. The magnetic field measurements show rapid fluctuations of 4–5 s shortly after the earthquake, followed by a Pc5 pulsation of 4.8 min about 11 min after the event. The correlation between the ionospheric and geomagnetic responses shows a good agreement in the period and time lag of the peak disturbance arrival, i.e. about 11–13 min after the earthquake.     

Ionospheric slab thickness and its seasonal variations observed by GPS

The ionospheric slab thickness, the ratio of the total electron content (TEC) to the F2-layer peak electron density (NmF2), is closely related to the shape of the ionospheric electron density profile Ne (h) and the TEC. Therefore, the ionospheric slab thickness is a significant parameter representative of the ionosphere. In this paper, the continuous GPS observations in South Korea are firstly used to study the equivalent slab thickness (EST) and its seasonal variability. The averaged diurnal medians of December–January–February (DJF), March–April–May (MAM), June–July–August (JJA) and September–October–November (SON) in 2003 have been considered to represent the winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons, respectively. The results show that the systematic diurnal changes of TEC, NmF2 and EST significantly appeared in each season and the higher values of TEC and NmF2 are observed during the equinoxes (semiannual anomaly) as well as in the mid-daytime of each season. The EST is significantly smaller in winter than in summer, but with a consistent variation pattern. During 14–16 LT in daytime, the larger EST values are observed in spring and autumn, while the smaller ones are in summer and winter. The peaks of EST diurnal variation are around 10–18 LT which are probably caused by the action of the thermospheric wind and the plasmapheric flow into the F2-region.     

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.     

The November 2004 superstorm: Comparison of low-latitude TEC observations with LLIONS model results

We investigate the effects of penetration electric fields, meridional thermospheric neutral winds, and composition perturbation zones (CPZs) on the distribution of low-latitude plasma during the 7–11 November 2004 geomagnetic superstorm. The impact on low-latitude plasma was assessed using total electron content (TEC) measurements from a latitudinally distributed array of ground-based GPS receivers in South America. Jicamarca Radio Observatory incoherent scatter radar measurements of vertical E×B drift are used in combination with the Low-Latitude IONospheric Sector (LLIONS) model to examine how penetration electric fields and meridional neutral winds shape low-latitude TEC. It is found that superfountain conditions pertain between ～1900 and 2100 UT on 9 November, creating enhanced equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crests at ±20° geomagnetic latitude. Large-amplitude and/or long-duration changes in the electric field were found to produce significant changes in EIA plasma density and latitudinal location, with a delay time of ～2–2.5 h. Superfountain drifts were primarily responsible for EIA TEC levels; meridional winds were needed only to create hemispherical crest TEC asymmetries. The [O/N₂] density ratio (derived from the GUVI instrument, flown on the TIMED satellite) and measurements of total atmospheric density (from the GRACE satellites), combined with TEC measurements, yield information regarding a likely CPZ that appeared on 10 November, suppressing TEC for over 16 h.     

Spectacular low- and mid-latitude electrical fields and neutral winds during a superstorm

In November 2004, a major magnetic storm occurred, a lengthy portion of which was recorded by the Upper Atmospheric Radar Chain. On the 9th and 10th, the Jicamarca Radar detected the highest magnitude penetrating electric fields (±3 mV/m) and vertical drifts (±120 m/s) ever seen at this premiere facility. These large and variable drifts were highly correlated with the interplanetary magnetic and electric fields and created a double F layer on the dayside and unusual TEC behavior throughout the low-latitude zone. These solar wind-induced drifts both suppressed and generated irregularities at the magnetic equator at different times. Large-scale thermospheric disturbances were generated by high-latitude heating and tracked through the middle- to low-latitude zones where both parallel and perpendicular plasma drifts created major ionospheric changes. The auroral oval was located at a magnetic L shell of about three for many hours.     

On the connection between the atmospheric electric field measured at the surface and the ionospheric electric field in the Central Antarctica

Regular measurements of the atmospheric electric field made at Vostok Station (φ=78.45°S; λ=106.87°E, elevation 3500 m) in Antarctica demonstrate that extremely intense electric fields (1000–5000 V/m) can be observed during snow storms. Usually the measured value of the atmospheric electric field at Vostok is about 100–250 V/m during periods with “fair weather” conditions. Actual relation between near-surface electric fields and ionospheric electric fields remain to be a controversial problem. Some people claimed that these intense electric fields produced by snowstorms or appearing before strong earthquakes can re-distribute electric potential in the ionosphere at the heights up to 300 km. We investigated interrelation between the atmospheric and ionospheric electric fields by both experimental and theoretical methods. Our conclusion is that increased near-surface atmospheric electric fields do not contribute notably to distribution of ionospheric electric potential.     

TEC variations over the Mediterranean before and during the strong earthquake (M = 6.5) of 12th October 2013 in Crete,Greece

In this paper, the total electron content (TEC) data from eight global positioning system (GPS) stations of the EUREF network, provided by IONOLAB (Turkey), were analyzed using discrete Fourier analysis to investigate the TEC variations over the Mediterranean before and during the strong earthquake of 12th October 2013, which occurred west of Crete, Greece. In accordance with the results of similar analyses in the area, the main conclusions of this study are the following: (a) TEC oscillations in a broad range of frequencies occur randomly over an area of several hundred km from the earthquake and (b) high frequency oscillations (f ⩾ 0.0003 Hz, periods T ⩽ 60 m) may point to the location of the earthquake with questionable accuracy. The fractal characteristics of the frequency distribution may point to the locus of the earthquake with higher accuracy. We conclude that the lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling (LAIC) mechanism through acoustic or gravity waves could explain this phenomenology.     

The effects of thunderstorm-generated atmospheric gravity waves on mid-latitude F-region drifts

Superposed epoch analysis (SEA) was used to examine ionospheric drift velocities measured by a digital ionosonde located at the mid-latitude station Bundoora (145.1°E, 37.7°S geographic), near Melbourne. The control times for the SEA were the times of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning strokes measured from August 2003 to August 2004 by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). Statistically, regions of concentrated lightning activity migrated from west to east across Bundoora, and the stroke frequency was higher the day prior the activity reached the station, and lower on the day after it passed to the east. For the SEA, CG strokes were separated into four directional quadrants centred on north, south, east and west. No SEA results are shown for the south quadrant due to the relatively low detection frequency of strokes across the Southern Ocean (6% of all events). The strongest downward vertical perturbations in F-region drifts, ?4.5 m s^?1, were found for lightning located towards the west during ?30 to ?16 h (i.e., the afternoon prior the activity passed near the station at t=0 h). The downward perturbation decreased in amplitude to ?1.5 m s^?1 for lightning located towards the north during ?6–+6 h, and was weakest (?0.7 m s^?1) for lightning located towards the east during +16–+28 h (i.e., the next afternoon). There were directionally consistent perturbations in the drift azimuths associated with the lightning located in their respective quadrants; lightning located to the west of the station caused eastward azimuth enhancements, northward lightning caused southward enhancements, and eastward lightning caused westward enhancements. Velocity magnitudes and fluctuations tended to increase during the passage of lightning. The observed responses were stronger when the SEA was performed with data selected using time windows of <2 min on either side of each lightning stroke. However, they persisted at longer time scales and were strong when thunderstorm onsets (instead of lightning times) were used as controls. Our results can be explained by thunderstorm-generated atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) which subsequently gave rise to medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs), with the lightning strokes acting merely as a proxy for this coupling. The prevailing thermospheric winds were flowing from east to west across the study region, and may have acted as a directional ‘filter’ for the MSTIDs, allowing waves generated in the west quadrant to reach the station and preventing those generated in other quadrants. Displacement of the MSTIDs in the direction anti-parallel to mean neutral wind flow has been observed by (Waldock, J.A., Jones, T.B., 1986. HF Doppler observations of medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances at mid-latitudes. Journal of atmospheric and terrestrial physics 48(3), 245–260).     

Variability of total electron content near the crest of the equatorial anomaly during moderate geomagnetic storms

The ionospheric responses to a large number (116) of moderate (?50≥D_st>?100 nT) geomagnetic storms distributed over the period (1980–1990) are investigated using total electron content (TEC) data recorded at Calcutta (88.38°E, 22.58°N geographic, dip: 32°N). TEC perturbations exhibit a prominent dependence on the local times of main phase occurrence (MPO). The storms with MPO during daytime hours are more effective in producing larger deviations and smaller time delays for maximum positive deviations compared to those with nighttime MPO. Though the perturbations in the equinoctial and winter solstitial months more or less follow the reported climatology, remarkable deviations are detected for the summer solstitial storms. Depending on the local times of MPO, the sunrise enhancement in TEC is greatly perturbed. The TEC variability patterns are interpreted in terms of the storm time modifications of equatorial electric field, wind system and neutral composition.     

Analysis of observations backing up the existence of VLF and ionospheric TEC anomalies before the Mw6.1 earthquake in Greece,January 26, 2014

The present work integrates ground-based ionosphere measurements using very-low-frequency radio transmissions with satellite measurements of the total electron content to draw common conclusions about the possible impact that the Mw6.1 earthquake that took place in Greece on January 26, 2014, had on the ionosphere.Very-low-frequency radio signals reveal the existence of an ∼4-day anomaly in the wavelet spectra of the signals received inside the earthquake preparation zone and a significant increase in the normalized variance of the signals prior to the earthquake (approximately 1 day before).Through total electron content analysis, it was possible to identify a clear anomaly from 15:00 until 20:00 UT on the day before the earthquake that appears again on the day of the earthquake between 07:00 UT and 08:00 UT. The anomalous values reach TEC1Sigma ∼4.36 and 3.11, respectively. Their spatial and temporal distributions give grounds to assume a possible link with the earthquake preparation. The geomagnetic, solar and weather conditions during the considered period are presented and taken into account.This work is an initial and original step towards a multi-parameter approach to the problem of the possible earthquake-related effects on the ionosphere joining observations made from both ground stations and satellites. A well-founded knowledge of these phenomena is clearly necessary before dealing with their application to earthquake prediction purposes.     

Dynamics of North American sector ionospheric and thermospheric response during the November 2004 superstorm

We present a study of ionospheric and thermospheric response during a November 9–10, 2004 major geomagnetic storm event (DsT ～?300 nT). We utilize the North American sector longitude chain of incoherent scatter radars at Arecibo, Millstone Hill, and Sondrestrom, operating as part of a coordinated international mesosphere/lower thermosphere coupling study experiment. Total electron content (TEC) determinations from global positioning system (GPS) ground receivers, ground magnetometer traces from the Canadian CANOPUS array, Defense Meteorological Satellite Platform (DMSP) topside data, and global convection patterns from the SuperDARN radar network are analyzed to place the detailed radar data in proper mesoscale context. The plasmaspheric boundary layer (PBL) expanded greatly in the dusk sector during ring current intensification to span more than 25° of magnetic latitude, reaching as far south as 30° invariant latitude. Strong sub-auroral polarization stream velocities of more than 1 km/s were accompanied by large upwards thermal O+ fluxes to the overlying magnetosphere. The large PBL expansion subsequently exposed both Millstone Hill and Sondrestrom to the auroral convection pattern, which developed a complex multicell and reverse convection response under strongly northward IMF conditions during a period of global interplanetary electric field penetration. Large traveling atmospheric and ionospheric disturbances caused significant neutral wind and ion velocity surges in the mid-latitude and tropical ionosphere and thermosphere, with substorm activity launching equatorward neutral wind enhancements and subsequent mid-latitude dynamo responses at Millstone Hill. However, ionosphere and thermosphere observations at Arecibo point to significant disturbance propagation modification in the post-dusk sector PBL region.     

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.     

Hybrid model for nowcasting and forecasting the K index

A new empirical model nowcasting and predicting a proxy to the geomagnetic K index is developed, which is based on the combined use of solar wind parameters and ground-based magnetic data. The present approach implements the previously developed solar wind-based MAK model, calibrating its values with magnetogram-derived K index. The new model is named as Hybrid Dourbes K (HDK) model. The HDK nowcast model provides the quantity Kdf, obtained by solar wind-based Ksw and corrected with a combination of differences between several past values of Kd and Ksw. The model error of the nowcast Kdf is found to be 0.38 KU, or nearly twice less than that of the MAK model. Kdf has a good predictability. Prediction made by weighted extrapolation 6 h ahead carries an error of 1.0 KU, while for the first 1 h the error is 0.58 KU only.     

Modeling of the river ecological status with macrophytes using artificial neural networks

Biomonitoring methods based on macrophytes have been used mandatorily in the assessment of freshwaters since the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The Macrophyte Index for Rivers (MIR) was developed in Poland for the monitoring of running waters under the WFD requirements. This index shows the degree of river degradation under the influence of water pollutants, especially nutrients. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between the MIR and various hydrochemical parameters using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Physico-chemical parameters of water (monthly results for the whole year), which were derived from 147 lowland river survey sites, all located in Poland, were applied to model the MIR values. Water quality variables were determined over three timeframes: the annual average; the average for the vegetation period; and the average for the summer period. Quality of the networks was assessed using coefficient of determination (R²), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and root mean square error (RMSE). The best modeling quality was obtained for yearly average values of water quality parameters. The quality statistics were: R² = 0.722, NSE = 0.721 and RMSE = 0.056 (training dataset); R² = 0.555, NSE = 0.533 and RMSE = 0.101 (validation dataset); R² = 0.650. NSE = 0.600 and RMSE = 0.089 (testing dataset). This indicates that macrophytes reflect the whole year impact of pollution, whereas summer.     

Immune responses to combined effect of hypoxia and high temperature in the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis

Flow cytometry was used to examine immune responses in haemocytes of the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis under six combinations of oxygen level (1.5 mg O₂ l⁻¹, 6.0 mg O₂ l⁻¹) and temperature (20 °C, 25 °C and 30 °C) at 24 h, 48 h, 96 h and 168 h. The mussels were then transferred to normoxic condition (6.0 mg O₂ l⁻¹) at 20 °C for further 24 h to study their recovery from the combined hypoxic and temperature stress. Esterase (Est), reactive oxygen species (ROS), lysosome content (Lyso) and phagocytosis (Pha) were reduced at high temperatures, whereas hypoxia resulted in higher haemocyte mortality (HM) and reduced phagocytosis. For HM and Pha, changes were observed after being exposed to the stresses for 96 h, whereas only a 24 h period was required for ROS and Lyso, and a 48 h one for Est. Recovery from the stresses was observed for HM and Pha but not other immune responses.     

Equatorial and low latitude spread-F irregularity characteristics over the Indian region and their prediction possibilities

To study the occurrence characteristics of equatorial spread-F irregularities and their latitudinal extent, simultaneous digital ionosonde data (January–December 2001) from Trivandrum (8.2°N), Waltair (17.7°N) and Delhi (28.6°N) and 4 GHz scintillation data from Sikandarabad (26.8°N) and Chenglepet (10.4°N), and 250 MHz scintillation data from Bhopal (23.2°N) for equinoxes period are analysed. It is noted that except summer months, occurrence of spread F is always maximum at Trivandrum, minimum at Delhi and moderate at Waltair. During equinoxes and winter months. Their occurrences at higher latitude station are always conditional to their prior occurrences at lower latitudes indicating their association with the generation of equatorial plasma bubble and associated irregularities. Scintillation occurrences also follow the similar pattern. During the summer months, the spread-F occurrences are highest at equatorial location Trivandrum, moderate at Delhi and minimum at Waltair and seem to be caused by irregularities generated locally especially over Delhi.To gain forecasting capability, night-to-night occurrences of spread-F/scintillation at these locations are examined in relation to post sunset rise of h’F and upward ExB drift velocity over the magnetic equator using Trivandrum ionosonde data. It is noted that except the summer months, the spread-F at Trivandrum, Waltair and Delhi are observed only when equatorial ExB (h’F) is more than about 15 m/s (325 km), 20 m/s (350 km) and 25 m/s (375 km), respectively. With these threshold values their corresponding success rate of predictions are more than 90%, 50% and 15% at the respective locations. Whereas in the case of GHz scintillations near equator are observed only when ExB (h’F) is more than 15 m/s (325 km), whereas for low latitude, the same should be 30 m/s (400 km) and their success rate of prediction is about 90% and 30%, respectively. The intensity of 4 GHz scintillation at low latitude is also found to be positively correlated with equatorial upward ExB drift velocity values, whereas correlation is poor with that of equatorial scintillations. In conclusions, near magnetic equator threshold values of ExB or h’F can be successfully used for the night-to-night prediction of spread-F/scintillations occurrences, whereas these are necessary but not sufficient for their prediction at higher latitudes. For that some other controlling parameters like background electron density, neutral winds, gravity waves, etc. should also be examined.