Characteristics Of Ionospheric Disturbances Research Articles

Characteristics of ionospheric disturbances during the 2021 Typhoon Chanthu based on GPS and GLONASS

Severe typhoons often result in substantial economic and human losses. Therefore, near-real-time monitoring and forecasting of severe typhoons have a significant importance. In this paper, characteristics of ionospheric disturbances during the 2021 Typhoon Chanthu are estimated and investigated from GPS and GLONASS measurements. We calculate high-precision de-trended and filtered ionospheric vertical total electron content (VTEC) data based on GPS and GLONASS data from intensive Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observations at 30-second intervals in Taiwan. Based on the VTEC values, we analyze the characteristics of ionospheric disturbances caused by Typhoon Chanthu, such as the time of appearance of ionospheric disturbances, changes in the magnitude of these disturbances, alterations in two-dimensional disturbances, fluctuations in the speed of disturbance propagation, and shifts in the frequency spectrum. The results reveal that both GPS-TEC and GLONASS-TEC exhibit noticeable disturbances during the specified timeframe. These disturbances are accompanied by the occurrence of “N”-type anomalies in TEC. Notably, at the occurrence of the disturbance, the elevation angle of GPS PRN32 and GLONASS PRN1 satellites is approximately 50°-55°, and their respective distances from the typhoon eye are roughly 350 km and 150 km. The propagation velocity and center frequency of the ionospheric disturbances are located in the range of gravity waves. Specifically, the disturbances propagation speeds of GPS PRN32 and GLONASS PRN1 are approximately 129.36 m/s and 128.33 m/s, respectively, while the center frequencies are about 1.17 mHz and 1.43 mHz. The ionospheric perturbations observed by GPS and GLONASS exhibit certain similarities, which provide valuable insights into the relationship between typhoons and ionospheric disturbances.

Co-seismic ionospheric disturbances characteristics in different azimuths following the 2022 Mexico earthquake from GNSS observations

Co-seismic ionospheric disturbances characteristics in different azimuths following the 2022 Mexico earthquake from GNSS observations

Ionospheric response and the impact on GPS positioning accuracy during the Tonga volcano eruption on 15 January 2022

The characteristics of ionospheric disturbances and GPS positioning accuracy during the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (Abbreviated as 'Tonga' in this paper) on January 15, 2022 are investigated using International GNSS Service (IGS) and Swarm data. Firstly, the comparison of ionospheric responses between on January 15, 2022 and November 5, 2021 is conducted. The result shows that the number of the rate of TEC index (ROTI) values more than 0.5 TECU/min during Tonga Volcano eruption was significantly larger under the same moderate geomagnetic storms. Moreover, the values of Detrend Vertical Total Electron Content (DVTEC) above IGS stations were increased to 0.3–1 TECU on January 15, 2022. An interesting finding is shown that there was a linear corrleation between the DVTEC increment and the distance from the stations to Tonga Volcano. On the contrary, the DVTEC values on November 5, 2021 were all less than 0.1. Secondly, GPS positioning accuracy on January 15, 2022 and November 5, 2021 is analyzed, respectively. The GPS positioning accuracy was declined on January 15, 2022. Even, the GPS positioning errors of some stations were larger than 3 m. By comparision, the GPS positioning errors of the studied IGS stations on November 5, 2021 were all less than 0.2 m. The above comparison result indicates that the Tonga Volcano eruption on January 15, 2022 could affect the GPS positioning accuracy. At the same time, the GPS cycle slips of the studied IGS stations are obviously enhanced during the Tonga Volcano eruption. Finally, the interaction mechanism between the Tonga volcano eruption, ionospheric disturbances and GPS positioning accuracy is discussed and explored.

Study on co-seismic ionospheric disturbance of Alaska earthquake on July 29, 2021 based on GPS TEC

With the rapid development of space geodetic information technology, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been widely used in seismology and space environmental research. Typically, the occurrence of a large earthquake will lead to some changes in the ionosphere, this phenomenon is called coseismic ionospheric disturbances (CIDs). In this contribution, differential slant total electron content (dSTEC) is used to study the anomalous characteristics of the ionosphere. First, based on the ionospheric dSTEC time series and two-dimensional disturbance detection, the temporal and spatial characteristics of ionospheric disturbances can be accurately analysed. Secondly, using wavelet transform spectrum analysis and disturbance propagation velocity, it can be determined that the disturbance sources of this earthquake can be identified as acoustic wave, gravity wave and Rayleigh wave. Finally, in order to further clarify the direction of the earthquake disturbance, this study focuses on proposing an innovative method for the disturbance propagation direction, and determines that there are two directions of the propagation of the CIDs of the Alaski earthquake.

ІОНОСФЕРНІ ЗБУРЕННЯ У БЛИЖНІЙ ЗОНІ, ВИКЛИКАНІ ЕКСПЛОЗИВНИМ ВИВЕРЖЕННЯМ ВУЛКАНА ТОНГА 15 СІЧНЯ 2022 р.

Subject and Purpose. The thermal energy of the Tonga volcano reached 3.9 . 1018 J, its power amounted to 9.1 . 1013 W. The energy and power of the blast waves approached (6.7...7.5) . 1013 J and 1011 W, respectively. Ionospheric effects caused by the explosive eruption of the Tonga volcano on January 15, 2022 have received due attention. It was established that the ionospheric disturbances spread over global distances, with the greatest disturbances occurring in the near zone. The aim of the present paper is to describe aperiodic and quasi-periodic disturbances started by the Tonga volcano explosion and occurring in the near ionospheric zone. Methods and Methodology. To detect ionospheric disturbances generated by the volcanic eruption, temporal variations of the total electron content (TEC) in a vertical column in the ionosphere were analyzed. The total error of the TEC estimation did not exceed 0.1 TECU. Results. The quantitative characteristics of ionospheric disturbances caused by the explosive eruption of the Tonga volcano have been obtained. It was proved that the appearance of the ionospheric "hole" was caused directly by the volcanic explosion. With dis- tance away from the volcano, the TEC deficit in absolute values decreased from ~10 to ~2.5 TECU. As that was happening, the time taken to form the ionospheric "hole" increased from ~20 to ~100 min. Three groups of disturbances were observed. One group picks out disturbances having an N-shaped profile and caused by a blast wave with a speed exceeding ~1 000 m/s. Another group includes disturbances with a propagation speed within ~340...620 m/s, which is characteristic of atmospheric gravity waves at ionospheric heights. The last group is specified by the disturbance propagation speed within ~110 to 320 m/s. The disturbances of the kind can be generated by tsunamis, Lamb waves and atmospheric gravity waves. The wave disturbance periods varied within ~ 5 to 20 min, the disturbance amplitudes were within 0.5...1.0 TECU. Conclusions. It has been proven that aperiodic and quasi-periodic ionospheric disturbances in the near zone were caused directly by the explosion of the Tonga volcano.

Spectral Characteristics of Ionospheric Disturbances Over the Southwestern Pacific From the 15 January 2022 Tonga Eruption and Tsunami

AbstractOn 15 January 2022, Tonga's Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) volcano violently erupted, generating a tsunami that killed three people. Acoustic‐gravity waves propagated by the eruption and tsunami caused global complex ionospheric disturbances. In this paper, we study the nature of these perturbations from Global Navigation Satellite System observables over the southwestern Pacific. After processing data from 818 ground stations, we detect supersonic acoustic waves, Lamb waves, and tsunamis, with filtered magnitudes between 1 and 7 Total Electron Content units. Phase arrivals appear superpositioned up to ∼1,000 km from HTHH and are distinct by ∼2,200 km. Within ∼2,200 km, signals have an initial low‐frequency pulse that transitions to higher frequencies. We note the presence of a faster perturbation generated 1 hr post‐eruption which crosses the tsunami disturbance ∼3,000 km from HTHH, potentially contributing to premature land arrivals. Lastly, the arrival of tsunami‐generated disturbances coincides with deep‐ocean observations.

Ionospheric anomalies related to strong earthquakes in North America as observed by TEC

Research studies have recently illustrated a plausible relationship between seismic activity and ionospheric disturbances. To elucidate seismo-ionospheric disturbances, we analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of ionospheric disturbances associated with large earthquakes that occurred in North America. We selected two strong events with M ≥ 6.5 that took place in 2009 and 2010 during the solar minimum. We used the United States total electron content (US-TEC) measurements as a main dataset, and the changes in the TEC were compared with the variations in the topside plasma density measured by the Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions (DEMETER) satellite. Positive or negative TEC anomalies were observed before (as a precursor) and after the earthquakes. In addition, we found that positive anomalies occurred more frequently than negative ones. Although TEC anomalies occurred at all local times, strong anomalies usually appeared from late afternoon to dawn (16–6 local time). Seismic activity-related TEC anomalies were typically limited to the earthquake region, whereas geomagnetic activity-related TEC anomalies were observed over a vast region. Furthermore, local TEC anomalies occurred over a long period of 20 days preceding and succeeding the earthquakes, in contrast to those associated with geomagnetic activities which occurred concurrently with the geomagnetic disturbances. Additionally, most abnormal increments in the electron density obtained by the DEMETER satellite over the seismic zone coincided with the TEC anomalies. Thus, the variations observed in the TEC and topside electron density before and after these two earthquakes suggest that these ionospheric disturbances are related to seismic activities.

Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Characteristics during the 2018 Typhoon Maria from GPS Observations

Typhoons often occur and may cause huge loss of life and damage of infrastructures, but they are still difficult to precisely monitor and predict by traditional in-situ measurements. Nowadays, ionospheric disturbances at a large-scale following typhoons can be monitored using ground-based dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) observations. In this paper the responses of ionospheric total electron content (TEC) to Typhoon Maria on 10 July 2018 are studied by using about 150 stations of the GPS network in Taiwan. The results show that two significant ionospheric disturbances on the southwest side of the typhoon eye were found between 10:00 and 12:00 UTC. This was the stage of severe typhoon and the ionospheric disturbances propagated at speeds of 118.09 and 186.17 m/s, respectively. Both traveling ionospheric disturbances reached up to 0.2 TECU and the amplitudes were slightly different. The change in the filtered TEC time series during the typhoon was further analyzed with the azimuth. It can be seen that the TEC disturbance anomalies were primarily concentrated in a range of between −0.2 and 0.2 TECU and mainly located at 135–300° in the azimuth, namely the southwest side of the typhoon eye. The corresponding frequency spectrum of the two TEC time series was about 1.6 mHz, which is consistent with the frequency of gravity waves. Therefore, the upward propagating gravity wave was the main cause of the traveling ionospheric disturbance during Typhoon Maria.

Analysis of ionospheric disturbances associated with powerful cyclones in East Asia and North America

East Asia and North America are the regions most heavily affected by powerful cyclones. In this paper we investigate the morphological characteristics of ionospheric disturbances induced by cyclones in different continents. The global ionosphere map supplied by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE), International Reference Ionosphere Model (IRI) 2012, and Wallops Island ionosonde station data are used to analyse the ionospheric variations during powerful typhoons/hurricanes in East Asia and North America, respectively. After eliminating the ionospheric anomalies due to the solar-terrestrial environment, the total electron content (TEC) time series over the point with maximum wind speed is detected by the sliding interquartile range method. The results indicate that significant ionospheric disturbances are observed during powerful tropical cyclones in East Asia and North America, respectively, and that all the ionospheric anomalies are positive. In addition, the extent and magnitude of travelling ionospheric disturbances are associated with the category of tropical cyclone, and the extent of TEC anomalies in longitude is more pronounced than that in latitude. Furthermore, the maximum ionospheric anomaly does not coincide with the eye of the storm, but appears in the region adjacent to the centre. This implies that ionospheric disturbances at the edges of cyclones are larger than those in the eye of the winds. The phenomenon may be associated with the gravity waves which are generated by strong convective cells that occur in the spiral arms of tropical cyclones. This comprehensive analysis suggests that the presence of powerful typhoons/hurricanes may be a possible source mechanism for ionospheric anomalies.

Investigating the ionosphere response to exhaust products of “Progress” cargo spacecraft engines on the basis of Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar data

The FSUE Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), Rocket and Space Corporation “Energia”, and Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ISTP SB RAS) jointly conducted the active space experiment “Radar-Progress” in 2007–2015. During this experiment, we used the Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Ra-dar to study space-time characteristics of ionospheric disturbances generated by exhaust products of “Pro-gress” cargo spacecraft engines. As the basic effect dur-ing exhaust product injection we consider the formation of new centers for recombination of ambient iono-spheric ions O+ on molecules of water and carbon diox-ide. This produces an ionization “hole” in the region of injection. In nighttime conditions when the majority of experiments were performed, this hole was filled by hydrogen ions from the plasmasphere, thus the ion composition in the vicinity of the hole and incoherent scatter spectra were changed. For successful obser-vation of the ionization hole dynamics, the critical fac-tors are the degree of radar antenna diagram filling by exhaust products and the velocity of the thermospheric neutral wind, which makes exhaust gases move from the antenna diagram. These two factors lead to poor repeatability of successful experiments. Successful experiments recorded a decrease in electron density up to 35 % in the hole that existed for 30 min. The lifetime of the region with high concentration of H+ ions can be as long as one hour.

Исследование реакции ионосферы на продукты горения топлива при работе двигателей транспортных грузовых кораблей серии «Прогресс» по данным Иркутского радара некогерентного рассеяния

The FSUE Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), Rocket and Space Corporation “Energia”, and Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ISTP SB RAS) jointly conducted the active space experiment “Radar-Progress” in 2007–2015. During this experiment, we used the Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar to study space-time characteristics of ionospheric disturbances generated by exhaust products of “Progress” cargo spacecraft engines. As the basic effect during exhaust product injection we consider the formation of new centers for recombination of ambient ionospheric ions O+ on molecules of water and carbon dioxide. This produces an ionization “hole” in the region of injection. In nighttime conditions when the majority of experiments were performed, this hole was filled by hydrogen ions from the plasmasphere, thus the ion composition in the vicinity of the hole and incoherent scatter spectra were changed. For successful observation of the ionization hole dynamics, the critical factors are the degree of radar antenna diagram filling by exhaust products and the velocity of the thermospheric neutral wind, which makes exhaust gases move from the antenna diagram. These two factors lead to poor repeatability of successful experiments. Successful experiments recorded a decrease in electron density up to 35 % in the hole that existed for 30 min. The lifetime of the region with high concentration of H+ ions can be as long as one hour.

A statistical study of internal gravity wave characteristics using the combined Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar and Digisonde data

Using previously developed methods for determining the three-dimensional spatial–temporal structure of traveling ionospheric disturbances and the automatic detection of wave disturbances, we analyzed data obtained simultaneously with the Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar and Irkutsk ionosonde. The analysis relies on long continuous series of observations acquired during winter seasons in 2010–2014. We obtained representative statistics of traveling ionospheric disturbances characteristics including the full velocity vector. We analyzed the characteristics of traveling ionospheric disturbances with 1–6h periods comparing them against the dispersion relations for internal gravity waves in the Boussinesq and Hines approximations. It was shown that, with due consideration for the horizontal neutral wind, most of the observed ionospheric disturbances agrees with the laws of internal gravity waves propagation in the upper atmosphere. It was found that azimuthal anisotropy of internal gravity waves characteristics allows us to obtain the diurnal variations of zonal and meridional neutral winds in the upper atmosphere.

Fractal and wavelet analysis evaluation of the mid latitude ionospheric disturbances associated with major geomagnetic storms

Variations of the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere are mainly associated with major geomagnetic storms occurring with the arrival of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to the Earth environment. The purpose of this paper is to show results of the analysis we made of the impact of all major geomagnetic storms (Dst<-200nT) on the ionosphere at mid latitudes, which have occurred since 2000. The analysis consists in the calculation of TEC of the ionosphere using data from several Mexican GPS stations, with the purpose of quantifying the impact into the ionosphere to these latitudes, through the variations in amplitude, Hurst index, that is roughness, and wavelet transform of the time series of TEC. Indeed, during the geomagnetic storms of April 7, 2000, July 16, 2000, October 30, 2003, November 20, 2003 and November 8, 2004, major ionospheric disturbances at mid latitudes took place with changes in amplitude of TEC going from 3.29 to 8.82 sigmas. These ionospheric disturbances were probably associated with prompt penetration electric fields (PPEFs) and equatorward neutral winds. On the other hand, during four geomagnetic storms (August 12, 2000, March 31, 2001, April 11, 2001 and May 15, 2005), there were negative ionospheric storms that pushed the TEC to significantly lower values. This has been interpreted as the presence of regions in which the neutral composition is changed. Also, in some cases during the disturbed days, the Hurst values were smaller than during the undisturbed days, i.e. during these geomagnetic storms, the roughness of the time series of TEC increased. The wavelet analysis showed a strong influence of the diurnal variation on TEC values (periodicities of 12h), and periodicities characteristics of ionospheric disturbances of 1–8h. It is found that large geomagnetic storms produce significant ionospheric disturbances at mid latitudes, as shown by the wavelet analysis and, in some cases, changes in the roughness of the time series of TEC as shown by the Hurst exponent.

Studying of the spatial–temporal structure of wavelike ionospheric disturbances on the base of Irkutsk incoherent scatter radar and Digisonde data

In this paper the spatio-temporal structure of traveling ionospheric disturbances characteristics is studied on the base of the electron density profiles measured by two beams of the Irkutsk incoherent scatter radar and the Irkutsk Digisonde. The technique for determination of spatial–temporal structure of wavelike ionospheric disturbances was developed using cross-correlation and spectrum analysis of electron density. The automated method for extracting ionospheric disturbances including both long-period day-to-day variability and short-period variations has been developed. Full analyses of January 15–February 17, 2011 data, including total velocity vector, was carry out for 1–6h ionospheric disturbances, corresponding to internal gravitational waves. The propagation characteristics agree with those obtained from the known studies of the wavelike ionospheric disturbances. An automated method of ionospheric disturbances analysis was created on the basis of regular continuous measurements with the Irkutsk Digisonde. The statistical analysis of electron density disturbances was carried out for 2004–2009 period.

On some characteristics of ionospheric disturbances at Genova, Italy

Ionospheric disturbances recorded at Genova are studied in relation to the corresponding geomagnetic disturbances. Storm time and disturbance daily variation are derived, as well as some characteristic features of ionospheric perturbations. Generally these perturbations are dealyed with respect to the corresponding geomagnetic disturbances: the mean time-lag referred to the whole day is of the order of 1h30m, but if thessc occurs in the morning or near noon the mean time-lag is nearly of 4h.