Relationship between variations in the characteristics of the high-latitude ionosphere and magnetic PC indices

Abstract

It is shown in a joint analysis of ionospheric vertical sounding data at the arctic Heiss Island and antarctic Vostok stations and the geomagnetic PC index, which characterizes the geoefficient component of the interplanetary magnetic field, that, during a disturbed geomagnetic period when PC > 2 in years of solar activity (SA) maxima in the winter season, positive phases of ionospheric disturbances are predominantly observed. In the nighttime hours, an increase in the critical foF2 frequencies by a factor of 2–3 can occur. In a disturbed geomagnetic period at the PC > 1.5 level in the summer season, negative phases of ionospheric disturbances are mainly observed. In years of maximum and moderate SA, the decrease in foF2, as compared to their median values, happens at night (∼30%). In years of low SA, the decrease value is much lower. At a substantial decrease in the PC index level, in the region of the geomagnetic pole at the Vostok station, in some cases, a substantial increase in the electron density level in the F region occurs with a delay of 0.5 h. At the same time, a significant correlation (r = −0.57) is observed between variations in the PC index and foF2.