数值模拟日侧磁场重联对极盖等离子体云块形成的影响

极盖等离子体云块是极区空间天气重要现象之一,其形成过程是当前重要研究课题.观测表明,日侧磁场重联对应的极区电离层高速流可能对舌状等离子体(TOI)形成"切割"作用,最终形成极盖等离子体云块.伴随磁场重联,同时存在极光粒子沉降,会引起F层等离子体密度的增大,阻碍"切割"效应.本文利用耦合极区电离层模型,模拟研究电场和软电子沉降共同作用下F层等离子体密度的演化.结果表明,在局部电离层电场大于一定数值(80 mV)的情况下,"切割"效应能有效发生.并详细分析了"切割"效应发生时等离子体各参量的演化过程,对"切割"效应的内在物理过程进行了探讨.     

Letter to the editor The ionospheric response during an interval of Pc5 ULF wave activity

A preliminary analysis of Pc5, ULF wave activity observed with the IMAGE magnetometer array and the EISCAT UHF radar in the post midnight sector indicates that such waves can be caused by the modulation of the ionospheric conductivity as well as the wave electric field. An observed Pc5 pulsation is divided into three separate intervals based upon the EISCAT data. In the first and third, the Pc5 waves are observed only in the measured electron density between 90 and 112 km and maxima in the electron density at these altitudes are attributed to pulsed precipitation of electrons with energies up to 40 keV which result in the height integrated Hall conductivity being pulsed between 10 and 50 S. In the second interval, the Pc5 wave is observed in the F-region ion temperature, electron density and electron temperature but not in the D and E region electron densities. The analysis suggests that the wave during this interval is a coupled Alfven and compressional mode.     

Observations of nightside auroral plasma upflows in the F-region and topside ionosphere

Observations from the special UK EISCAT program UFIS are presented. UFIS is a joint UHF-VHF experiment, designed to make simultaneous measurements of enhanced vertical plasma flows in the F-region and topside ionospheres. Three distinct intervals of upward ion flow were observed. During the first event, upward ion fluxes in excess of 10¹³ m^–2 s^–1 were detected, with vertical ion velocities reaching 300 ms^–1 at 800 km. The upflow was associated with the passage of an auroral arc through the radar field of view. In the F-region, an enhanced and sheared convection electric field on the leading edge of the arc resulted in heating of the ions, whilst at higher altitudes, above the precipitation region, strongly enhanced electron temperatures were observed; such features are commonly associated with the generation of plasma upflows. These observations demonstrate some of the acceleration mechanisms which can exist within the small-scale structure of an auroral arc. A later upflow event was associated with enhanced electron temperatures and only a moderate convection electric field, with no indication of significantly elevated ion temperatures. There was again some evidence of F-region particle precipitation at the time of the upflow, which exhibited vertical ion velocities of similar magnitude to the earlier upflow, suggesting that the behaviour of the electrons might be the dominant factor in this type of event. A third upflow was detected at altitudes above the observing range of the UHF radar, but which was evident in the VHP data from 600 km upwards. Smaller vertical velocities were observed in this event, which was apparently uncorrelated with any features observed at lower altitudes. Limitations imposed by the experimental conditions inhibit the interpretation of this event, although the upflow was again likely related to topside plasma heating.     

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.     

Evening enhancements in F-region electron temperature at subtropical latitudes during June solstice in the Indian SROSS C2 RPA data

In-situ measurments of the topside F-region ionospheric electron and ion temperatures are very few over the low and equatorial latitudes during the last two solar cycles, particularly in the Indian sector. The SROSS C2 satellite has provided some valuable data on the thermal structure of the topside ionosphere over the Indian region. This article reports a typical evening enhancement in the topside F-region electron temperatures around 18:00 IST observed in the subtropical latitudes of 15–20°N. These enhancements that are seen during the low sunspot activity periods show a latitudinal difference with an early and sharp peak at higher latitudes (23°N). The observed features are explained on the basis of equatorial plasma dynamics associated with the Appleton ionization anomaly.     

A localised co-rotating auroral absorption event observed near noon using imaging riometer and EISCAT

An isolated region of energetic electron precipitation observed near local noon in the auroral zone has been investigated using imaging riometer (IRIS) and inco-herent-scatter radar (EISCAT) techniques. IRIS revealed that the absorption event was essentially co-rotating with the Earth for about 2 h. The spatial and temporal variations in D-region electron density seen by EISCAT were able to be interpreted within a proper context when compared with the IRIS data. EISCAT detected significant increases in electron density at altitudes as low as 65 km as the event drifted through the radar beam. The altitude distribution of incremental radio absorption revealed that more than half of the absorption occurred below 75 km, with a maximum of 67 km. The energy spectrum of the precipitating electrons was highly uniform throughout the event, and could be described analytically by the sum of three exponential distributions with characteristic energies of 6, 70 and 250 keV. A profile of effective recombination coefficient that resulted in self-consistent agreement between observed electron desities and those inferred from an inversion procedure has been deduced. The observations suggest a co-rotating magnetospheric source region on closed dayside field lines. However, a mechanism is required that can sustain such hard precipitation for the relatively long duration of the event.     

Polar patches observed by ESR and their possible origin in the cusp region

Observations by the EISCAT Svalbard radar in summer have revealed electron density enhancements in the magnetic noon sector under conditions of IMF B_z southward. The features were identified as possible candidates for polar-cap patches drifting anti-Sunward with the plasma flow. Supporting measurements by the EISCAT mainland radar, the CUTLASS radar and DMSP satellites, in a multi-instrument study, suggested that the origin of the structures lay upstream at lower latitudes, with the modulation in density being attributed to variability in soft-particle precipitation in the cusp region. It is proposed that the variations in precipitation may be linked to changes in the location of the reconnection site at the magnetopause, which in turn results in changes in the energy distribution of the precipitating particles.     

火星电离层电子浓度昼夜变化特性研究

本文利用MAVEN卫星Langmuir Probe and Waves（LPW）仪器的在轨电子浓度探测数据,研究了火星电离层电子浓度随太阳天顶角（Solar Zenith Angle,SZA）的变化以及昼夜电子浓度变化的异同.基于2014年至2017年期间MAVEN的电子浓度数据,我们发现：在200 km以下,白天电离层电子浓度主要受光化学平衡控制,由于白天光电离过程使得昼夜电子浓度差异较大,此时电离层昼夜传输能影响到的最大范围约在SZA=110°;而在200 km以上,白天电离层受输运过程控制,此时昼夜电子浓度差别较小,电离层昼夜间电子浓度变化较为缓慢.通过研究MAVEN在deep-dip（低高度深入探测）期间的电子浓度数据,我们发现火星磁场会显著影响夜间200 km以下的电子浓度分布结构,强磁场中闭合磁力线对电子沉降过程的阻碍作用使得在夜间该区域的电子浓度小于相邻区域.同时,通过比较deep-dip期间昼夜电子浓度随高度的变化,发现夜间电子沉降作用的影响可能主要集中在160 km以下.     

Experimental study of the response of the midlatitude ionospheric <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis> region to the solar eclipse of March 29, 2006

The observations of the state of the midlatitude ionospheric D region during the March 29, 2006, solar eclipse, based on the measurements of the characteristics of partially reflected HF signals and radio noise at a frequency of f = 2.31 MHz, are considered. It has been established that the characteristic processes continued for 2–4 h and were caused mainly by atmospheric gas cooling, decrease in the ionization rate, and the following decrease in the electron density. An increase in the electron density on average by 200–250% approximately 70–80 min after the eclipse beginning at altitudes of 90–93 km and approximately 240 min after the end of the solar eclipse at altitudes of 81–84 km, which lasted about 3–4 h, has been detected experimentally. This behavior of N is apparently caused by electron precipitation from the magnetosphere into the atmosphere during and after the solar eclipse. Based on this hypothesis, the fluxes of precipitating electrons (about 10⁷–10⁸ m^?2s^?1) have been estimated using the experimental data.     

Trimpi perturbations from large ionisation enhancement patches

A number of increasingly sophisticated and realistic models have been developed in order to investigate the interaction between sub-ionospherically propagating VLF waves and regions of ionisation enhancement (LIE¹) in the D-region caused by lightning-induced electron precipitation enhancements (LEP). This LEP-produced LIE can result in phase and amplitude perturbations on received VLF radio signals that are referred to as Trimpis or more precisely, classic Trimpis, to distinguish them from “early/fast Trimpis” or “VLF sprites” which are not caused by LEP and are not considered here. It is important, for comparison with experimentally observed Trimpi effects, that the spatial extent of the D-region electron density (N_e) perturbation is modeled accurately. Here, it is argued that most previous modeling has used patch (LIE) sizes that are typically up to 100 km in both latitudinal and longitudinal extent, which are generally smaller than those that actually occur for real lightning induced electron precipitation events. It would also appear that maximum ΔN_e values assumed have often been too large, and the patches (LIEs) have been incorrectly modelled as circular rather than elliptical in horizontal extent. Consequently, in the present work, Trimpi perturbations are determined for LIEs with smaller maximum ΔN_e, larger spatial extent and elliptical shape. Calculations of VLF Trimpis have been made as a function of the horizontal coordinates of the LIE centre, over the whole rectangular corridor linking transmitter and receiver. The Trimpi modelling program is fully 3D, and takes account of modal mixing at the LIE. The underlying theory assumes weak Born scattering, but the code calculates a non-Born skin depth attenuation function for the LIE in question. The LIE is modelled as an electron density enhancement with a Gaussian profile in all coordinates. Results for a large elliptical LIE ∼ 200 × 600 km show that significant Trimpis, ∼−0.4 dB in amplitude and ∼+4° in phase are predicted, using modest maximum ΔN_e values ∼ 1.5 el/cc. Such an electron density enhancement is well within the range that would be expected to result from experimentally observed fluxes of electron precipitation following wave particle interactions with whistler-mode waves.     

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

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

基于COSMIC掩星数据分析中低纬度地区电子密度分布变化

利用COSMIC掩星2009年电子密度剖面数据,筛选数据进行网格划分,网格内数据统计平均,基于球谐函数计算模型值,分析电离层中低纬度地区最大电子密度的地磁季节变化、昼夜测分布相对变化,及地磁活动对电子密度的分布影响.结果表明,最大电子密度昼测值明显高于夜测值,在中纬度部分区域增大明显.电子密度昼测值在地磁活动期间高度150-550 km中低纬度范围为正相扰动,随纬度变化存在区域差异,随高度增加,扰动加强.     

First in situ measurement of electric field fluctuations during strong spread F in the Indian zone

An RH-560 rocket flight was conducted from Sriharikota rocket range (SHAR) (14°N, 80°E, dip 14°N) along with other experiments, as a part of equatorial spread F (ESF) campaign, to study the nature of irregularities in electric field and electron density. The rocket was launched at 2130 local time (LT) and it attained an apogee of 348 km. Results of vertical and horizontal electric field fluctuations are presented here. Scale sizes of electric field fluctuations were measured in the vertical direction only. Strong ESF irregularities were observed in three regions, viz., 160/190 km, 210/257 km and 290/330 km. Some of the valley region vertical electric field irregularities (at 165 km and 168 km), in the intermediate-scale size range, observed during this flight, show spectral peak at kilometer scales and can be interpreted in terms of the image striation theory suggested by Vickrey et al. The irregularities at 176 km do not exhibit any peak at kilometer scales and appear to be of a new type. Scale sizes of vertical electric field fluctuations showed a decrease with increasing altitude. The most prominent scales were of the order of a few kilometers around 170 km and a few hundred meters around 310 km. Spectra of intermediate-scale vertical electric field fluctuations below the base of the F region (210/257 km) showed a tendency to become slightly flatter (spectral index n = –2.1 ± 0.7) as compared to the valley region (n = –3.6 ± 0.8) and the region below the F peak (n = –2.8 ± 0.5). Correlation analysis of the electron density and vertical electric field fluctuations suggests the presence of a sheared flow of current in 160/330 km region.     

电离层诸参量对大气重力波的响应与重力波参数反演

本文利用欧洲非相干散射雷达数据,分析研究了电离层不同等离子体参量对大气重力波的响应之间的关系.应用这种关系,发展了一种在垂直于地磁场的电场可以忽略等简化假设下,由电子密度和离子沿场速度的同时测量数据,反演求解较高（约250km以上）F区中引起TID的重力波传播参数的方法.用此法对一典型TID事件进行分析计算,所得结果与全波解数值研究结果很好符合.     

Fluvial chronology and valley floor evolution of the upper bowmont valley,borders region,Scotland

Two major fluvial terrace surfaces, and four less significant surfaces, are identified by aerial photographic interpretation, field mapping and levelling on one c. 2 km long reach of the upper Bowmont Water, an upland stream draining the northern Cheviot Hills, Scotland. The oldest terrace surface remains undated. Cartographic, radiocarbon and palynological dating suggest that later terraces formed very recently, within the last 250 years, with the most prominent terrace fill having aggraded in the 18th century. Incision below this terrace surface is dated to approximately the end of the 18th century, correlated with channel trenching at other sites in the region. Detailed palaeoecological and documentary evidence is used to examine whether climatic or land-use changes might have instigated aggradation, and a link with increased precipitation and flooding during part of the ‘Little Ice Age’ is suggested.     

Time dependent thermospheric neutral response tothe 2–11 November 1993 storm period

Many satellite and ground-based observations from 2–11 November 1993 werecombined in the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure toderive realistic time dependent global distributions of the auroral precipitation and ionosphericconvection. These were then used as inputs to the Thermosphere–Ionosphere–ElectrodynamicsGeneral Circulation Model (TIEGCM) to simulate the thermospheric and ionospheric responseduring the storm period. The November 1993 storm was an unusually strong storm associatedwith a recurring high speed stream of solar plasma velocity in the declining phase of the solarcycle. Significant gravity waves with phase speeds of about 700 m/s caused by Joule heating werepresent in the upper thermosphere as perturbations to the neutral temperature and wind fields,especially on 4 November. The observed gravity waves in the meridional wind and in the height ofthe electron density peak at several southern hemisphere stations were generally reproduced bythe model using the AMIE high latitude inputs. Both model and observed equatorward windswere enhanced during the peak of the storm at Millstone Hill and at Australian ionosondestations. The observed neutral temperature at Millstone Hill increased about 400 K during thenight on 4 November, returning to normal on 9 November, while the model increased 300 K thefirst night at that location but was still elevated on 11 November. Enhanced westward windsduring the storm were evident in the UARS WIND Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) data. Theenhanced westward winds in the model were largest around 40–45° magnetic latitude at night,and also tended to be largest in the longitudes containing the magnetic poles. The peak westwardwind enhancements at 0 LT reached about 250 m/s at 300 km, and about 100 m/s at 125 km thefirst day of the storm at 40° magnetic latitude. At 20° magnetic latitude, the maximum westwardwind enhancements at 125 km at 0 LT appeared 2–4 days after the major part of the storm,indicating very long time constants in the lower thermosphere. The model showed global averageneutral temperature enhancements of 188 K after the peak of the storm that decayed with time,and which correlated with variations 8 h earlier in the Dst index and in the electric potential dropinput from AMIE. The global average temperature enhancement of 188 K corresponded to apotential drop increase of only about 105 kV. The results showed that the TIEGCM usingrealistic AMIE auroral forcings were able to reproduce many of the observed time dependentfeatures of this long-lived geomagnetic storm. The overall global average exospheric temperaturevariation correlated well with the time variation of the cross-tail potential drop and the Dst indexduring the storm period. However, the enhanced westward winds at mid-latitudes were stronglyrelated to the corrected Joule heating defined by the time dependent AMIE inputs.     

Coordinated Akebono and EISCAT observations of suprathermal ion outflows in the nightside inverted-V region

We have investigated ion outflows observed by the Akebono satellite and the EISCAT radar in the nightside auroral region on February 16, 1993. The Akebono satellite at about 7000 km altitude observed the region of suprathermal ion outflows and inverted-V type electron precipitation alternately with a horizontal separation of 70–150 km at the ionospheric level. These two regions corresponded to the upward and downward field-aligned current region, respectively, and intense ELF waves were observed in the ion outflow region. From the EISCAT VHF radar observation (Common Program 7 mode), it has been suggested that the ion outflow region and the enhanced electron temperature region were aligned along geomagnetic field lines with vertical and horizontal separations of 200–400 and 70–80 km, respectively and these two regions convected equatorward across the EISCAT radar at Tromsø site. Based on these results, we propose a model for this ion outflow as follows. In the nightside auroral region, downward FAC regions exist near the edge of the inverted-V type electron precipitation regions. ELF waves are excited probably by a plasma instability due to the upward thermal electron beam carrying the downward FACs, and these ELF waves cause transverse ion heating at the top of the ionosphere. The produced ion conics contribute significantly to ion outflow.     

An Overview of Long-Term Trends in the Lower Ionosphere Below 120 km

The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is expectedalso to modify the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT region). However,the greenhouse cooling – instead of heating – at these heights is revealed by modelsand generally confirmed by observations. This should more or less affect variousionospheric parameters at these heights. The spatial and temporal structure oftemperature trends in the MLT region is quite complex and, therefore, such structureshould occur for trends in the lower ionosphere as well. In the lower part of theionosphere below about 90 km, the rocket measurements of electron density, theindirect phase reflection height measurements and the A3 radio wave absorptionmeasurements reveal trends corresponding to cooling and shrinking of the mesosphere,while riometric measurements of cosmic noise absorption provide inconclusive results.The radio wave absorption and rocket electron density measurements clearly display asubstantial dependence of trends on height. Ionosonde data show that there is amodel-expected trend in the maximum electron concentration of the E region ionosphere;foE is slightly increasing. On the other hand, the height of the normal E layer, h'E, isslightly decreasing. The nighttime LF radio wave reflection height measurements near95 km support an idea of increasing electron density. However, rather scarce rocketmeasurements display a negative trend in electron density at 90–120 km. The role ofthe solar cycle and other longer-term variability of natural origin in the determinationof observational trends must not be neglected. In spite of the general qualitativeagreement with model expectations, there is still some controversy between variousobservational trend results (hopefully, apparent rather than real), which needs to beclarified.     

Pre-storm electron density enhancements at middle latitudes

Substantial increases of the F2 region peak electron density several hours to a day before the geomagnetic storm onset, the so-called pre-storm enhancements, belong to still not clear and hardly predictable features of the ionospheric disturbances. This paper presents analysis of the pre-storm enhancements observed at middle latitudes for 15 storms out of 65 strong-to-severe geomagnetic storms of the period 1995–2005. All 15 events were accompanied by significant (>20%) increases of foF2 before the storm onset over European area. We focus on the longitudinal extent and height profile of the pre-storm enhancements, particularly on their effects on the F1 and E regions of the ionosphere. Possible origin of such enhancements is also partly discussed. We observe no systematic effect of pre-storm enhancements of foF2 in electron density profiles in the F1 region. The E region (foE) appears to be insensitive to pre-storm enhancements. We find the pre-storm enhancements to be confined to the F2 region. The longitudinal extent of the pre-storm enhancements seems to be 120–240° based on comparison of simultaneous foF2 measurements in Europe, northern USA, and Eastern Asia.