An Unusually Large Electron Temperature Increase Over Arecibo Associated With an Intense Geomagnetic Storm

Abstract

AbstractWe present an investigation of the F‐region electron temperature to an intense geomagnetic storm that occurred on 5 August 2011. The investigation is based on the incoherent scatter radar measurements at Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico (18.3°N, 66.7°W). The electron temperature exhibits a rapid and intensive enhancement after the commencement of the geomagnetic storm. The electron temperature increases by ∼800 K within an hour, which is seldomly reported at Arecibo. At the same time, a depletion of the electron density is also observed. The daytime perturbations of electron density and temperature are anticorrelated with the correlation coefficient, which is −0.88 and −0.91 on the day and the following day of the geomagnetic storm, respectively. According to the Global Ultraviolet Imager measurements, the ratio of atomic oxygen to molecular nitrogen concentration () decreases dramatically during the storm. Our analysis suggests that the enhancement of the electron temperature is due to the depletion of the electron density, which is likely associated with the decrease of . The reduction of maybe caused by a prompt upward plasma motion after the commencement of the geomagnetic storm.