Observations of long period HF Doppler oscillations over the dip equatorial ionosphere in the Indian longitudinal sector

Abstract

Background/ Objective: The signatures of long period High Frequency Doppler (HFD) oscillations over a dip equatorial station, Trivandrum (8.33◦N, 77◦E, dip 0.4◦N) in the Indian longitudinal sector have been investigated. Methods: High cadence vertical plasma drift measurements obtained using a Multi frequency HF Doppler Radar over Trivandrum along with ground based magnetometer observations over several latitudes/longitudes have been used to address this very aspect. Findings: It has been observed that long period (~15 min.) oscillations of high latitude origin can instantaneously reflect over the equatorial latitudes in the form of coherent HFD oscillations. The study is very important as it provided a unique opportunity not only to understand various characteristics of HFD oscillations, but also expected to have significant implications in the understanding of equatorial ionospheric variability in context of solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Novelty: In a complementary point of view, the study also highlights the potential of HF Doppler measurements to capture such transient events originating from interplanetary medium with an unprecedented temporal resolution. Keywords: HF Doppler radar; equatorial ionosphere; HF Doppler oscillations