Bibliography

Longitudinal Variation of Postsunset Plasma Depletions From the Global-Scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) Mission

The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission, launched in 2018, aims to investigate the low latitude ionosphere from a geostationary orbit at 47.5°W. It uses two identical spectrometers measuring the wavelength range from 134.0 to 163.0 nm. The configuration of the Earth s magnetic field shows that the largest offset between geographic and geomagnetic equators occurs in the longitude sectors sampled by GOLD. In an attempt to investigate the longitude dependence of the occurrence rate and time of onset of plasma bubbles, or plasma depletions, GOLD data were separated in three sectors: 65°-55°W, 50°-40°W, and 10°W–0°. Observations of the nighttime emissions in 135.6 nm on November 2018 and March 2019 show plasma depletions occurring very frequently at these longitudes. The growth rate of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability was computed at these longitudes under similar low solar activity conditions, assuming an empirical model of upward plasma drifts. The time and value of the maximum growth rates obtained cannot always explain the observations. On average, the observed occurrence rate of plasma depletions is high, with a maximum of 73\% (observed during November 2018 at ∼45°W). Most of the depletions observed in November at 45°W and 60°W occur within 1 h after sunset. When compared with the November 2018 observations, depletions in March 2019 occur at later times.

Martinis, C.; Daniell, R.; Eastes, R.; Norrell, J.; Smith, J.; Klenzing, J.; Solomon, S.; Burns, A.;

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

YEAR: 2021     DOI: 10.1029/2020JA028510

F region; longitude variability; plasma bubbles; Plasma depletions; upward drifts

Ion-neutral coupling during deep solar minimum

The equatorial ionosphere under conditions of deep solar minimum exhibits structuring due to tidal forces. Data from instruments carried by the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) which was launched in April 2008 have been analyzed for the first 2 years following launch. The Planar Langmuir Probe (PLP), Ion Velocity Meter (IVM) and Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) all detect periodic structures during the 2008\textendash2010 period which appear to be tides. However when the tidal features detected by these instruments are compared, there are distinctive and significant differences between the observations. Tides in neutral densities measured by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite were also observed during June 2008. In addition, Broad Plasma Decreases (BPDs) appear as a deep absolute minimum in the plasma and neutral density tidal pattern. These are co-located with regions of large downward-directed ion meridional velocities and minima in the zonal drifts, all on the nightside. The region in which BPDs occur coincides with a peak in occurrence rate of dawn depletions in plasma density observed on the Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft, as well as a minimum in radiance detected by UV imagers on the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) and IMAGE satellites.

Huang, Cheryl; Roddy, Patrick; Sutton, Eric; Stoneback, Russell; Pfaff, Robert; Gentile, Louise; Delay, Susan;

Published by: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics      Published on: 10/2013

YEAR: 2013     DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2012.11.009

Equatorial ionosphere; Nonmigrating tides; Plasma depletions; thermosphere