Longitudinal variations of the total electronic content of the mid- latitude ionosphere

Abstract

Background: In recent years, it has become clear that the issues of dynamics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere should be considered as an integral part of the atmosphere climatology as a whole. The longitudinal features of the ionospheric parameters are mainly due to the effect on the ionosphere of the lower atmosphere layers, as well as the lithosphere. Thanks to this, their study is an effective tool for studying the atmosphere climatology, which is important for predicting the human environment and solving a number of other applied problems. Objectives of the work is the analysis of longitudinal variations in the total electron content (TEC) of the mid-latitude ionosphere and their possible association with processes in lower atmosphere, lithosphere and geocosmos. Materials and methods. The studies were carried out using data on TEC obtained from measurements of navigation satellite signals in January 2018. We also used data on surface atmospheric pressure at longitude chain of meteorological stations near latitude 40° N, as well as data on seismic activity and space weather. The method of multiple regression analysis and other statistical methods of analysis are used. Results. Significant longitudinal variations in TEC (in antiphase with variations in surface atmospheric pressure) are established, which can be represented as the sum of several zonal modes. The features of amplitude variability of these modes depending on the processes in the lithosphere, troposphere and geocosmos are considered. "Critical" dates have been established, near which the relationship between processes in different earth shells increases significantly. Conclusions. The results obtained indicate a significant effect on the ionosphere of lower layers of the atmosphere due to propagation of planetary waves upward, triggering a number of secondary processes at the heights of the lower thermosphere. The activity of these processes correlates with the difference in atmospheric pressure at widely spaced observation points, which indicates the possibility of the transformation of local atmospheric disturbances into planetary ones.