Bibliography

Implication of Tidal Forcing Effects on the Zonal Variation of Solstice Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are plasma depletions that can occur in the nighttime ionospheric F region, causing scintillation in satellite navigation and communications signals. Past research has shown that EPB occurrence rates are higher during the equinoxes in most longitude zones. An exception is over the central Pacific and African sectors, where EPB activity has been found to maximize during solstice. Tsunoda et al. (2015) hypothesized that the solstice maxima in these two sectors could be driven by a zonal wavenumber 2 atmospheric tide in the lower thermosphere. In this study, we utilize satellite observations to examine evidence of such a wave-2 feature preconditioning the nighttime ionosphere to favor higher EPB growth rates over these two regions. We find the postsunset total electron content (TEC) observed by FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) during boreal summer from 2007 to 2012 exhibits a wave-2 zonal distribution, consistent with elevated vertical plasma gradients favorable for EPB formation. Numerical experiments are also carried out to determine whether such an ionospheric wave-2 can be produced as a result of vertical coupling from atmospheric tides with zonal wavenumber 2 in the local time frame. We find that forcing from these tidal components produced increases in the Rayleigh-Taylor growth rate over both sectors during solar maximum and minimum, as well as wave-2 modulations on vertical ion drift, ion flux convergence, and nighttime TEC. Our results are consistent with the aforementioned hypothesis over both regions with vertical coupling effects from atmospheric tides preconditioning the nighttime ionosphere to favor higher EPB growth rates.

Chang, Loren; Salinas, Cornelius; Chiu, Yi-Chung; , Jones; Rajesh, P.; Chao, Chi-Kuang; Liu, Jann-Yenq; Lin, Charles; Hsiao, Tung-Yuan;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on:

YEAR: 2021     DOI: 10.1029/2020JA028295

Ionosphere; Atmospheric tides; equatorial plasma bubble; scintillation; vertical coupling; wind dynamo

First Results From the Retrieved Column O/N2 Ratio From the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON): Evidence of the Impacts of Nonmigrating Tides

In near-Earth space, variations in thermospheric composition have important implications for thermosphere-ionosphere coupling. The ratio of O to N2 is often measured using far-UV airglow observations. Taking such airglow observations from space, looking below the Earth s limb allows for the total column of O and N2 in the ionosphere to be determined. While these observations have enabled many previous studies, determining the impact of nonmigrating tides on thermospheric composition has proved difficult, owing to a small contamination of the signal by recombination of ionospheric O+. New ICON observations of far-UV are presented here, and their general characteristics are shown. Using these, along with other observations and a global circulation model, we show that during the morning hours and at latitudes away from the peak of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly, the impact of nonmigrating tides on thermospheric composition can be observed. During March–April 2020, the column O/N2 ratio was seen to vary by 3–4\% of the zonal mean. By comparing the amplitude of the variation observed with that in the model, both the utility of these observations and a pathway to enable future studies is shown.

England, Scott; Meier, R.; Frey, Harald; Mende, Stephen; Stephan, Andrew; Krier, Christopher; Cullens, Chihoko; Wu, Yen-Jung; Triplett, Colin; Sirk, Martin; Korpela, Eric; Harding, Brian; Englert, Christoph; Immel, Thomas;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on:

YEAR: 2021     DOI: 10.1029/2021JA029575

airglow; atmospheric composition; Atmospheric tides; thermosphere

Global ionospheric response to the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming event using Ionospheric Data Assimilation Four-Dimensional (IDA4D) algorithm

A data assimilation algorithm is used to delineate the time-dependent three-dimensional ionospheric response to the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event. We use the Ionospheric Data Assimilation Four-Dimensional (IDA4D) algorithm to study the global ionospheric response to the 2009 SSW. This is the first study to utilize global ionospheric measurements in a data assimilation framework to unambiguously characterize atmosphere-ionosphere coupling via tidal modifications during the 2009 SSW event. Model results reveal that the dominant mode of ionospheric variability during the 2009 SSW is driven by the enhancements in westward propagating semidiurnal tide with zonal wave number 1. The IDA4D results completely characterize the tidal perturbation during the 2009 SSW for the first time and show the global 3-D structure of the tide in total electron content (TEC) and electron density. The largest ionospheric responses were seen at low latitudes, where ionospheric plasma is extremely sensitive to the zonal electric field and susceptible to modifications by tidal winds in the lower thermosphere. The ionospheric response to the warming was characterized by an increase in TEC in the morning/early afternoon sector and a decrease during the late afternoon/evening period. The effects of coupling between the stratosphere and ionosphere were strongest between 220 km and 380 km. The IDA4D results also show a reversal of asymmetry in the equatorial ionization anomaly crests occurring several days after the peak of the 2009 SSW event. We suggest that this could be a result of the equatorial fountain effect being further modified by the summer-to-winter meridional neutral winds.

Azeem, I.; Crowley, G.; Honniball, C.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 05/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA020993

Atmospheric tides; data assimilation; ionosphere/atmosphere interactions; sudden stratospheric warming

A Review of the Effects of Non-migrating Atmospheric Tides on the Earth\textquoterights Low-Latitude Ionosphere

Solar thermal tides are planetary-scale waves in the neutral atmosphere with periods that are harmonics of 24\ hours. In the thermosphere, they can achieve significant amplitude and can be the dominant source of variation in the atmosphere. Through their modification of the neutral atmosphere, they can also significantly modify the ionosphere, especially at low-latitudes where the dynamics of the Earth\textquoterights ionosphere is determined to a large extent by the neutral atmosphere. Much recent work has focused on characterizing and understanding the impact of one sub-group of tides, known as non-migrating tides, on the ionosphere. Whereas migrating tides are responsible for creating strong day-night variations in the ionosphere, non-migrating tides create longitudinal variations in the ionosphere, the signature of which can only be detected with distributed networks of ground-based observations or spacecraft. The present work reviews the recent observations and modeling efforts that have helped to characterize and explain this longitudinal variability. Emphasis is placed on the characteristics of tides throughout the thermosphere, their impacts on the chemical composition of the thermosphere, and impacts on the ionosphere.

England, S.;

Published by: Space Science Reviews      Published on: 06/2012

YEAR: 2012     DOI: 10.1007/s11214-011-9842-4

Atmospheric tides; Earth\textquoterights ionosphere