Ionosphere effects of tropical cyclones over the Asian region of Russia according to oblique radio-sounding data

Abstract

The possibility of manifestation of tropical cyclones in variations of ionospheric parameters in the zone far removed from the disturbance source region has been studied. The data from frequency analysis by maximal observed frequencies (MOF) for the oblique sounding (OS) signals were used. We revealed 1–5 h time intervals with higher oscillation energetics along the Norilsk–Irkutsk, Magadan–Irkutsk, and Khabarovsk–Irkutsk paths (Eastern Siberia and the Far East of Russia) during equinoctial periods (March, September 2005–2011), in November, 2005 and in summer 2010-2011 for different periods of the solar cycle. These time intervals may be interpreted as a manifestation of large-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) whose sources are atmospheric internal gravity waves. By jointly analyzing ionospheric, heliomagnetic, atmospheric, and satellite data on tropical cyclones (TCs), we attempted to associate the series of the revealed TIDs with ionospheric responses to TCs over the Western North Pacific Ocean during the above periods. A significant increase in wave disturbances on OS paths was established to be noted during active tropical cyclogenesis periods in autumn months. For spring equinox (March, 2005–2011), we also note TID manifestations in MOF time variations under quiet heliomagnetic conditions and in TC absence, but the intensity of these wave disturbances was significantly lower, than that of autumn seasons for various years. We estimated the wavelike disturbance propagation velocity by the delay time of TID passing the medium points of the spaced OS paths.