Interaction Between Equatorial to Low‐Latitude Postmidnight F‐Region Irregularities and LSTIDs in China During Geomagnetic Disturbances Based on Ground‐Based Instruments

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper, the interaction between equatorial to low‐latitude postmidnight ionospheric irregularities and large‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs) on 14 December 2015 during strong geomagnetic disturbances in China is studied by using multiple ground‐based observations. Postmidnight irregularities initiated near the magnetic equator and extended northward to higher latitudes (∼28°N) until the local early morning period (∼05 LT), which is unusual in the Northern Hemisphere winter. Multibeam observations by the very high frequency coherent scatter radar at Fuke (19.5°N, 109.1°E; dip latitude 14.4°N), Hainan Island, China, showed that the meter‐scale field‐aligned irregularities were still in the evolutionary phase during the postmidnight period (∼04 LT) instead of the fossil structures that must already be in their decay phase. Meanwhile, the emergence of the postmidnight ionospheric irregularities was accompanied by the passage of LSTIDs, as revealed by total electron content measurements. Southward and northward LSTIDs, with velocities of ∼550–570 m/s and periods of ∼80–100 min, that originated from opposite hemispheres met at ∼27°–28°N, and the LSTIDs might produce localized perturbation during their passage to initiate the instability for the postmidnight irregularity development. The height of the ionospheric F‐layer measured by the collocated Digisonde at Fuke was suggested to be modulated by the overshielding penetration electric field and storm‐related atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs). This interesting case gives insight into the important role of storm‐related AGWs in providing seeding sources for plasma bubble development and reveals unique characteristics of coupling between LSTIDs and plasma bubbles during the postmidnight sector.