Bibliography

First Look at a Geomagnetic Storm With Santa Maria Digisonde Data: F Region Responses and Comparisons Over the American Sector

Santa Maria Digisonde data are used for the first time to investigate the F region behavior during a geomagnetic storm. The August 25, 2018 storm is considered complex due to the incidence of two Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections and a High-Speed Solar Wind Stream (HSS). The F 2 layer critical frequency (f o F 2) and its peak height (h m F 2) collected over Santa Maria, near the center of the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA), are compared with data collected from Digisondes installed in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) Hemispheres in the American sector. The deviation of f o F 2 (Df o F 2) and h m F 2 (Dh m F 2) are used to quantify the ionospheric storm effects. Different F region responses were observed during the main phase (August 25–26), which is attributed to the traveling ionospheric disturbances and disturbed eastward electric field during nighttime. The F region responses became highly asymmetric between the NH and SH at the early recovery phase (RP, August 26) due to a combination of physical mechanisms. The observed asymmetries are interpreted as caused by modifications in the thermospheric composition and a rapid electrodynamic mechanism. The persistent enhanced thermospheric [O]/[N2] ratio observed from August 27 to 29 combined with the increased solar wind speed induced by the HSS and IMF B z fluctuations seem to be effective in causing the positive ionospheric storm effects and the shift of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly crest to higher than typical latitudes. Consequently, the most dramatic positive ionospheric storm during the RP occurred over Santa Maria (∼120\%).

Moro, J.; Xu, J.; Denardini, C.; Resende, L.; Neto, P.; Da Silva, L.; Silva, R.; Chen, S.; Picanço, G.; Carmo, C.; Liu, Z.; Yan, C.; Wang, C.; Schuch, N.;

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

YEAR: 2021     DOI: 10.1029/2020JA028663

Digisonde; Equatorial ionization anomaly; F-region; Ionospheric storm; SAMA; space weather

Effects observed in the equatorial and low latitude ionospheric F-region in the Brazilian sector during low solar activity geomagnetic storms and comparison with the COSMIC measurements

The main objective of the present investigation has been to compare the ionospheric parameters (NmF2 and hmF2) observed by two ground-based ionospheric sounders (one at PALMAS- located near the magnetic equator and the other at Sao Jose dos Campos-located in the low-latitude region) in the Brazilian sector with that by the satellite FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC radio occultation (RO) measurements during two geomagnetic storms which occurred in December 2006 and July 2009. It should be pointed out that in spite of increasing the latitude (to 10\textdegree) and longitude (to 20\textdegree) around the stations; we had very few common observations. It has been observed that both the peak electron density (NmF2) and peak height (hmF2) observed by two different techniques (space-borne COSMIC and ground-based ionosondes) during both the geomagnetic storm events compares fairly well (with high correlation coefficients) at the two stations in the Brazilian sector. It should be pointed out that due to equatorial spread F (ESF) in the first storm (December 2006) and no-reflections from the ionosphere during nighttime in the second storm (July 2009), we had virtually daytime data from the two ionosondes.

Sahai, Y.; de Jesus, R.; Fagundes, P.R.; Selhorst, C.L.; de Abreu, A.J.; Ram, Tulasi; Aragon-Angel, A.; Pillat, V.G.; Abalde, J.R.; Lima, W.L.C.; Bittencourt, J.A.;

Published by: Advances in Space Research      Published on: 11/2012

YEAR: 2012     DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2012.07.006

COSMIC satellite; F-region; geomagnetic storm; Ionosphere; Low solar activity

Observations of a positive storm phase on September 10, 2005

In this study, we present multi-instrument observations of a strong positive phase of ionospheric storm, which occurred on September 10, 2005 during a moderate geomagnetic storm with minimum D_st=-60\ nT and maximum K_p=6\textendash. The daytime electron density measured by the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar (42.6\textdegreeN, 288.5\textdegreeE) increased after 13\ UT (\~8\ LT) compared with that before the storm. This increase is observed throughout the daytime, lasts for about 9\ h, and covers F-region altitudes above \~230\ km. At the altitude of 300\ km, the maximum increase in N_e reaches a factor of 3 by 19:30\textendash20:00\ UT and is accompanied by a \~1000\ K decrease in electron temperature, a \~100\textendash150\ K increase in ion temperature, and a strong upward drift. Observations by Arecibo ISR (18.3\textdegreeN, 293.3\textdegreeE) reveal similar features, with the maximum increase in electron density reaching a factor of 2.5 at 21:30\ UT, i.e. 1.5\textendash2\ h later than over Millstone Hill. The GPS TEC data show that the increase in electron density observed at Millstone Hill and Arecibo is only a part of a global picture reflected in TEC. The increase in TEC reaches a factor of 2 and covers middle and low latitudes at 19\ UT. At later times this increase moves to lower latitudes. A combination of mechanisms were involved in generation of positive phase. The penetration electric field resulted in N_e enhancements at subauroral and middle latitudes, the TAD/TID played an important role at middle and lower latitudes, and increase in O/N₂ ratio could contribute to the observed positive phase at middle and lower latitudes. The results show the importance of an upward vertical drift at \~140\textendash250\ km altitude, which is observed for sustained period of time and assists in the convergence of ionization into the F-region.

Goncharenko, L.P.; Foster, J.C.; Coster, A.J.; Huang, C.; Aponte, N.; Paxton, L.;

Published by: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics      Published on: 07/2007

YEAR: 2007     DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2006.09.011

F-region; geomagnetic storm; Ionosphere; positive phase