Variations in ionospheric parameters during solar flares

Results of studying the ionospheric response to solar flares, obtained based on the incoherent scatter radar observations of the GPS signals and as a result of the model simulations, are presented. The method, based on the effect of partial “shadowing” of the atmosphere by the globe, has been used to analyze the GPS data. This method made it possible to estimate the value of a change in the electron content in the upper ionosphere during the solar flare of July 14, 2000. It has been shown that a flare can cause a decrease in the electron content at heights of the upper ionosphere (h > 300 km) according to the GPS data. Similar effects in the formation of a negative disturbance in the ionospheric F region were also observed during the solar flares of May 21 and 23, 1967, at the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar. The mechanism by which negative disturbances are formed in the upper ionosphere during solar flares has been studied based on the theoretical model of the ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling. It has been shown that an intense ejection of O⁺ ions into the above located plasmasphere under the action of a sharp increase in the ion production rate and the thermal expansion of the ionospheric plasma cause the formation of a negative disturbance in the electron concentration in the upper ionosphere.     

Disturbances in the topside ionosphere during solar flares

The results of studying the ionospheric response to solar flares, obtained from the data of the GPS signal observations and incoherent scatter radars and as a result of the model calculations, are presented. It is shown that, according to the GPS data, a flare can cause a decrease in the electron content at altitudes of the topside ionosphere (h > 300 km). Similar effects of formation of a negative disturbance in the ionospheric F region were also observed during the solar flares of May 21 and 23, 1967, with the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar. The mechanism by which negative disturbances appear in the topside ionosphere during solar flares has been studied in this work based on the theoretical model of the ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling. It has been indicated that the formation of the electron density negative disturbance in the topside ionosphere is caused by an intense removal of O⁺ ions into the overlying plasmasphere under the action of an abrupt increase in the ion production rate and thermal expansion of the ionospheric plasma.     

Modeling the meteor head echo using Arecibo radar observations

This paper reports results obtained using a combined set of models to determine meteoroid properties by comparing expected and observed meteor head-echo signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and line-of-sight Doppler velocity as measured in high-power and large-aperture (HPLA) radar observations. For this task we model: (1) meteor ablation and ionization processes, (2) meteor head-echo radar cross-section (RCS), (3) the radar equation, and (4) the radar antenna gain pattern, together with an automated least-squares fitting procedure to estimate meteoroid and observation parameters (i.e. aspect angle, location within the radar beam, etc.). We compared our simulated results with 236 head-echo events observed using the Arecibo 430 MHz radar in Puerto Rico. We found good agreement between modeled and observed SNR versus meteor altitude profiles for a broad range of head-echo observations. We also find reasonable agreement between meteoroid mass distributions resulting from these models and estimated using dynamical arguments, with the dynamical mass generally resulting in lower values by about 1–2 orders of magnitude. A characteristic of our methodology is that we can trace back the original mass and velocity of the meteoroid “above” the atmosphere (∼150 km altitude) required to produce the observed meteors. We find that, the original mass is required to be, on average, 1–2 orders of magnitude larger than that at the time of observation, and 3 orders of magnitude larger than estimated using dynamical equations. These results suggest that many meteor head echoes are observed towards the end of the particle's life, which has significant implications for the use of these observations for the determination of meteoroid properties. The automated fitting procedure is very sensitive to the antenna pattern, and therefore allows for precise estimates of the location of the meteoroid's trajectory within the Arecibo radar beam. The results indicate a noticeable, but weak, dependence between the distance of the particle's trajectory from the center of the beam (i.e. maximum gain) and the mass and velocity of the meteoroid. This suggests that the Arecibo radar is not particularly biased toward a specific velocity population of meteoroids (i.e. high velocity) as has been suggested in previous work.     

Latitudinal and seasonal variability of the micrometeor input function: A study using model predictions and observations from Arecibo and PFISR

In this work, we use a semi-empirical model of the micrometeor input function (MIF) together with meteor head-echo observations obtained with two high power and large aperture (HPLA) radars, the 430 MHz Arecibo Observatory (AO) radar in Puerto Rico (18°N, 67°W) and the 450 MHz Poker flat incoherent scatter radar (PFISR) in Alaska (65°N, 147°W), to study the seasonal and geographical dependence of the meteoric flux in the upper atmosphere. The model, recently developed by Janches et al. [2006a. Modeling the global micrometeor input function in the upper atmosphere observed by high power and large aperture radars. Journal of Geophysical Research 111] and Fentzke and Janches [2008. A semi-empirical model of the contribution from sporadic meteoroid sources on the meteor input function observed at arecibo. Journal of Geophysical Research (Space Physics) 113 (A03304)], includes an initial mass flux that is provided by the six known meteor sources (i.e. orbital families of dust) as well as detailed modeling of meteoroid atmospheric entry and ablation physics. In addition, we use a simple ionization model to treat radar sensitivity issues by defining minimum electron volume density production thresholds required in the meteor head-echo plasma for detection. This simplified approach works well because we use observations from two radars with similar frequencies, but different sensitivities and locations. This methodology allows us to explore the initial input of particles and how it manifests in different parts of the MLT as observed by these instruments without the need to invoke more sophisticated plasma models, which are under current development. The comparisons between model predictions and radar observations show excellent agreement between diurnal, seasonal, and latitudinal variability of the detected meteor rate and radial velocity distributions, allowing us to understand how individual meteoroid populations contribute to the overall flux at a particular location and season.     

First incoherent scatter radar observations of ionospheric heating on the second electron gyro-harmonic

We report first results from a unique experiment performed at the HIPAS ionospheric modification facility in conjunction with the Poker Flat incoherent scatter radar in Alaska. High-power radio waves at 2.85 MHz, which corresponds to the second electron gyro-harmonic at ~245 km altitude, were transmitted into the nighttime ionosphere. Clear evidence of F-region ionospheric electron temperature enhancements were found, for the first time at this pump frequency, maximizing when the pump frequency is close to the second gyro-harmonic and double resonance. This is consistent with previous pump-enhanced artificial optical observations. We estimate the plasma heating efficiency to be approximately double that for higher pump frequencies.     

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.     

Response of the topside ionosphere over Arecibo to a moderate geomagnetic storm

We analyze the data obtained using the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar to examine the response of the topside ionosphere to a moderate geomagnetic storm that occurred during the period March 7–11, 2008. During this time period a magnetic storm with a non-monotonic main phase decrease in the Dst index occurred. The recovery phase also exhibited a secondary Dst decrease. During the initial phase of the storm, Te and Ti increased coincident with the arrival of the solar wind. The main phase registered an increase in proton concentration proportional to Ne while temperatures reached the lowest values. Variations in O⁺ concentration were not significant but a reduction in helium fraction was observed. Soon after the peak of the storm, the transition height between the topside ionosphere and the protonosphere, where H⁺ ions dominate composition, was lower than would be expected during quiet conditions and this behavior lasted for approximately 12 h.     

Common-volume measurements of mesospheric winds: 2. Small scale structure implications

Two common volume experiments were conducted in August 1996 and July 1997 between the Durham meteor wind radar (43.1°N, 70.9°W) and the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar, (42.6°N, 71.5°W) to compare the techniques in measuring neutral winds at an altitude of 100 km. For this comparison the vertical winds are assumed to be zero and only the horizontal components of the radar line of sight velocities are used. Analysis of the data reveals overall general agreement, but some large deviations in the wind components are observed at specific times and these are examined closely. Error analysis of the radar measurements is presented here, and emphasis is placed on the careful delineation of the effect of spatial variations in the wind field observed by the two radars. Since the spatial resolution of both radars is<3 km both horizontally and vertically, some of the three dimensional properties of the horizontal wind component can be estimated. For the incoherent scatter radar with its narrow steerable beam, the spatial location of the sampling points could be chosen; however, finer sampling of the wind field results in more temporal smearing due to the fixed measurement time for each point. For the meteor radar the spatial sample points occur randomly within the system beam since they depend on the chance location of observed meteor trails. Both systems spatially undersample the wind field in most cases, but with careful consideration of the system errors for both radars, it is shown that small scale (∼10 km) wind variations must exist at these altitudes with rms velocity differences of ∼25 m/s.     

A study of the role of ion–molecule chemistry in the formation of sporadic sodium layers

Over two campaigns in 1998 and 1999, multiple sporadic sodium events were observed by the Arecibo Observatory sodium density lidar while simultaneously monitoring the plasma density using the incoherent scatter radar. In this paper, we test the theoretical explanation proposed by Cox and Plane (1998) where Na⁺ in a plasma layer is neutralized via an ion–molecule mechanism to form a sporadic sodium layer. A particular challenge is to interpret observations made in a Eulerian frame of observation where the spatial and temporal characteristics of events cannot easily be separated. The reaction scheme in the original mechanism is modified to include the reactions NaO⁺+N₂→Na⁺·N₂+O and NaO⁺+O₂→Na⁺+O₃, following the results of theoretical quantum calculations. Six unique case studies of sporadic sodium layers are presented here, and excellent agreement between simulation and observations was obtained for five of them.     

Radar chain study of the May, 1995 storm

We summarize the main features of the ionospheric F region as observed bythe Sondrestrom, Millstone Hill, Arecibo, and Jicamarca incoherent scatter radars during the 1–5May, 1995 CEDAR Storm Study interval. This paper apparently represents the first study of amajor storm interval using the current incoherent scatter radar chain supported by the U.S.National Science Foundation. We focus most attention on 2–3 May, and include additional datafrom IMP-8, the St. Johns magnetometer, SuperDARN, and global total electron content (TEC)maps from GPS. Three intervals of likely penetration of magnetospheric electric field from high tolow latitude are identified on 2 May. A unique feature of this storm are the strong daytimeequatorward wind surges in the neutral meridional wind observed at Millstone Hill. The first ofthese (at 14 UT on 2 May) is apparently due to a travelling atmospheric disturbance launched byintense frictional and Joule heating as observed at Sondrestrom. An evening enhancement in NmF₂ (the dusk effect) is typically seen only on the first day of a geomagneticstorm. However, during this storm a strong dusk effect is seen at Millstone Hill on 2, 3, and 4May, associated with the equatorward wind surges. A penetrating eastward electric field alsocontributed to the dusk effect on 2 May. A large rise in hmF₂ at Arecibo near0000 UT on 3 May is due to the same eastward electric field, which penetrates to the equator,causing a strong upward plasma drift at Jicamarca. This apparently results in a polewardexpansion of the equatorial anomaly zones as seen in GPS total electron content, and an increasein NmF₂ at Arecibo to the largest value seen at midnight in several years.     

Plasma structure within poleward-moving cusp/cleft auroral transients: EISCAT Svalbard radar observations and an explanation in terms of large local time extent of events

We report high-resolution observations of the southward-IMF cusp/cleft ionosphere made on December 16th 1998 by the EISCAT (European incoherent scatter) Svalbard radar (ESR), and compare them with observations of dayside auroral luminosity, as seen at a wavelength of 630 nm by a meridian scanning photometer at Ny Ålesund, and of plasma flows, as seen by the CUTLASS (co-operative UK twin location auroral sounding system) Finland HF radar. The optical data reveal a series of poleward-moving transient red-line (630 nm) enhancements, events that have been associated with bursts in the rate of magnetopause reconnection generating new open flux. The combined observations at this time have strong similarities to predictions of the effects of soft electron precipitation modulated by pulsed reconnection, as made by Davis and Lockwood (1996); however, the effects of rapid zonal flow in the ionosphere, caused by the magnetic curvature force on the newly opened field lines, are found to be a significant additional factor. In particular, it is shown how enhanced plasma loss rates induced by the rapid convection can explain two outstanding anomalies of the 630 nm transients, namely how minima in luminosity form between the poleward-moving events and how events can re-brighten as they move poleward. The observations show how cusp/cleft aurora and transient poleward-moving auroral forms appear in the ESR data and the conditions which cause enhanced 630 nm emission in the transients: they are an important first step in enabling the ESR to identify these features away from the winter solstice when supporting auroral observations are not available.     

Parametric decay of beam-driven Langmuir wave and enhanced ion-acoustic fluctuations in the ionosphere: a weak turbulence approach

We present a model that describes the decay of beam generated Langmuir waves into ion-acoustic waves in the topside ionosphere. This calculation is done within the frame of the weak turbulence approximation. We study the spectral signature of such a process as seen by a VHF incoherent scatter radar. An incoherent scatter (IS) spectrum is characterized by two maxima at k_radar and −k_radar, the right and left ion lines respectively. It is shown that, for reasonable beam parameters, the parametric decay of beam-generated Langmuir waves can enhance either the right, the left or both ion lines simultaneously. The shape of the spectrum can change drastically on time scale of about 0.1 to 1 s. The role of the beam parameter as well as the ionospheric parameters is also investigated. For a given beam number density, the beam energy or the background density are important to trigger either the left or the right ion line. A large energy spread of the beam or low electron collision frequencies can explain the simultaneous observations of the left and the right ion line. The importance of the electron collision frequency can explain the altitude distribution of the coherent echoes observed by incoherent scatter radars.     

应用经验正交函数估算顶部电离层电子密度剖面

本文基于IRI模型、地面数字测高仪和GNSS TEC数据,提出了一种利用经验正交函数(Empirical Orthogonal Function,简称EOF)估算顶部电离层电子密度剖面的方法,并将其应用于美国Millstone Hill测高仪和GNSS数据以估算顶部电离层电子密度剖面.通过将估算的临界频率、峰值高度、400km以上电子密度分别与测高仪实测临界频率、测高仪实测峰值高度以及非相干散射雷达实测400km以上电子密度作对比以对方法的有效性进行验证.统计结果显示估算临界频率、峰值高度与测高仪实测数据基本一致,400km以上估算电子密度相较于非相干散射雷达实测的绝对误差平均值仅是测高仪推算400km以上电子密度绝对误差平均值的一半左右.所以本文提出的方法可以更加精确地估算顶部电离层电子密度.     

Comparison of F-region electron density observations by satellite radio tomography and incoherent scatter methods

In November 1995 a campaign of satellite radiotomography supported by the EISCAT incoherent scatter radar and several other instruments was arranged in Scandinavia. A chain of four satellite receivers extending from the north of Norway to the south of Finland was installed approximately along a geomagnetic meridian. The receivers carried out difference Doppler measurements using signals from satellites flying along the chain. The EISCAT UHF radar was simultaneously operational with its beam swinging either in geomagnetic or in geographic meridional plane. With this experimental set-up latitudinal scans of F-region electron density are obtained both from the radar observations and by tomographic inversion of the phase observations given by the difference Doppler experiment. This paper shows the first results of the campaign and compares the electron densities given by the two methods.     

Time-Variations of D-Region Electron Densities, and Comparisons With Model Computations

An extensive series of incoherent scatter studies of the ionospheric D-region was carried out at the Arecibo radar facility during 1978 and 1979. They included several full-day sequences of electron density measurements over a range of altitudes, and also included a sequence during the serendipitous occurrence of a large solar flare. For the solar flare event simultaneous data on solar X-ray fluxes in several wavelength bands were available from the GOES-2 and ISEE-3 satellites. In the course of development of a large ionospheric computer model at Los Alamos we have used the solar flare data as a reality check. The solar X-ray flux data were used as inputs for computing ionization rates. The model computer includes 999 chemical reactions, and also includes diffusion and transport processes. In the course of the flare studies we used the data comparisons to adjust the values of three chemical rate coefficients that were poorly known. With those adjustments the model computations fitted the data quite well. Subsequent to the flare analysis we have been using the same model with some minor updates to compute the expected diurnal variations of the ambient D-region under conditions chosen to match those existing at the times of the incoherent scatter measurements. Comparisons of the computations and the data will be shown, and the relative importance of the several separate ionization processes will be discussed. We also compare model results with experimental data on concentrations of NO.     

Studying magnetospheric disturbances accompanied by midlatitude coherent echo signals

The results of an analysis of midlatitude coherent echo, registered with the Irkutsk incoherent scatter radar during 53 observational seances, are presented. The observations continued for 4358 h from January 1998 to January 2005. Echo signals revealed during an analysis are divided into two groups with respect to power: strong (s) and weak (w) echoes. It was detected that echo signals with coherent echo characteristics are observed during all local time hours and at different levels of geomagnetic activity. The probability of s-echo appearance is minimal in noon hours and is maximal in post-midnight-morning hours. It has been indicated that the longest and strongest coherent echoes are observed at midlatitudes during great magnetic storms at an increased dynamic pressure of the solar wind.     

Atmospheric electricity coupling between earthquake regions and the ionosphere

We propose a mechanism to explain suggested links between seismic activity and ionospheric changes detected overhead. Specifically, we explain changes in the natural extremely low-frequency (ELF) radio noise recently observed in the topside ionosphere aboard the DEMETER satellite at night, before major earthquakes. Our mechanism utilises increased electrical conductivity of surface layer air before a major earthquake, which reduces the surface-ionosphere electrical resistance. This increases the vertical fair weather current, and (to maintain continuity of electron flow) lowers the ionosphere. Magnitudes of crucial parameters are estimated and found to be consistent with observations. Natural variability in ionospheric and atmospheric electrical properties is evaluated, and may be overcome using a hybrid detection approach. Suggested experiments to investigate the mechanism involve measuring the cut-off frequency of ELF “tweeks”, the amplitude and phase of very low frequency radio waves in the Earth–ionosphere waveguide, or medium frequency radar, incoherent scatter or rocket studies of the lower ionospheric electron density.     

Dynasonde observations of electron concentration gradients above Tromsø

The Dynasonde is a digital ionosonde which measures the amplitude and phase of radio echoes reflected from the ionosphere. In addition to the frequency and virtual range of each echo, one parameter of particular interest is the direction of arrival which allows horizontal structures in the ionosphere to be studied. Under suitable ionospheric conditions, namely where structures or strong gradients are present in the electron concentration, echoes may be observed out to horizontal distances of several hundred kilometres. We describe an automated method for latitudinally mapping these gradients in F-region peak electron concentration using the Dynasonde. Good agreement is found when the results are compared with a co-located incoherent scatter radar lending credibility to observations of electron concentration gradients by a Dynasonde alone. This is significant for sites where no supporting instruments exist. Although Dynasondes account for only a small fraction of digital ionosondes in use today, the techniques described in this paper could be extended to other digital ionosondes with similar directional capabilities. The combination of routine soundings, and the worldwide distribution of such instruments, would provide a powerful means to monitor ionospheric structures on a regular basis.     

An optimised method for calculating the O+-O collision parameter from aeronomical measurements

A study has been made of the interaction between the thermosphere and the ionosphere at high latitudes, with particular regard to the value of the O⁺-O collision parameter. The European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT) was used to make tristatic measurements of plasma parameters at F-region altitudes while simultaneous measurements of the neutral wind were made by a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). The radar data were used to derive the meridional neutral winds in a way similar to that used by previous authors. The accuracy of this technique at high latitudes is reduced by the dynamic nature of the auroral ionosphere and the presence of significant vertical winds. The derived winds were compared with the meridional winds measured by the FPI. For each night, the value of the O⁺-O collision parameter which produced the best agreement between the two data sets was found. The precision of the collision frequency found in this way depends on the accuracy of the data. The statistical method was critically examined in an attempt to account for the variability in the data sets. This study revealed that systematic errors in the data, if unaccounted for by the analysis, have a tendency to increase the value of the derived collision frequency. Previous analyses did not weight each data set in order to account for the quality of the data; an improved method of analysis is suggested.     

Wave-like processes in the ionospheric F region that accompanied rocket launches from the Baikonur site

Results of the observations performed using the wave-like disturbance (WLD) method at iono-spheric altitudes of 100–500 km during ten Soyuz and Proton rocket launches (RLs) in 2003–2005 have been analyzed. The observations were performed with the Kharkov incoherent scatter radar. It has been confirmed that WLDs propagated at a velocity of 560–740 m/s were observed reliably. Disturbances propagated at a higher velocity of several kilometers per second were observed indefinitely. Disturbances caused by RLs were most clearly defined at altitudes of 150–350 km. Rocket launches cased either enhancement or suppression of WLDs in the ionosphere. The relative amplitude of WLDs usually varied within 3–30%.