Ionospheric F-region Research Articles

Global ionospheric response observed by COSMIC satellites during the January 2009 stratospheric sudden warming event

This paper investigates the global ionospheric response during the January 2009 stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) event by using electron density profiles derived from GPS radio occultation measurements of the COSMIC satellites. The peak density (NmF2), peak height (hmF2), and ionospheric total electron content (ITEC) increase in the morning hours and decrease in the afternoon globally for 75% of the cases, in which electron density profiles during SSW and non‐SSW days are available around the same location and local time bins. NmF2, hmF2, and ITEC during SSW days, on average, increase 19%, 12 km, and 17% in the morning and decrease 23%, 19 km, and 25% in the afternoon, respectively, in comparison with those during non‐SSW days from global COSMIC observations. These results agree well with previous results from total electron content observations in low‐latitude and equatorial regions. Interestingly, the unique COSMIC observations also revealed that during this SSW event the ionosphere responds globally, not only in the equatorial regions but also at the high and middle latitudes. The high‐latitude ionosphere shows increased NmF2 and ITEC and decreased hmF2 in either the morning or afternoon sector. Thus, these results indicate that the ionospheric response in low‐middle latitude and equatorial regions during SSW can be explained by either the modulated vertical drift resulting from the interaction between the planetary waves and tides through E region dynamo or the possible direct propagation of tides from the lower atmosphere, whereas the ionospheric variations at the middle and high latitude during the SSW might be attributed to the neutral background changes due to the direct propagation of tides from the lower atmosphere to the ionospheric F2 region. The competitive effects of different physical processes, such as the electric field, neutral wind, and composition, might cause the complex features of ionospheric variations during this SSW event.

Abnormal perturbations in the ionospheric F2 region before Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008

On 12 May 2008 at 14:28 BJT, a great earthquake (M=8.0) occurred in Wenchuan (31.00°N, 103.40°E), China. The hourly foF2 from 5 to 12 May have been analyzed over four ionospheric observatories: Kunming (25.00°N, 102.70°E), Chongqing (29.50°N, 106.40°E), Lhasa (29.63°N, 91.17°E), and Lanzhou (36.07°N, 103.87°E). The results show that foF2 were notably abnormal from upper bound (the maximum abnormality up to 65% at 17:00 BJT) and lasted about 3 h on 9 May over Chongqing station. Moreover, there were obvious perturbations of foF2 on the same day over other stations except Lhasa. Taking into account that the solar activity and geomagnetic activity were very quiet during this period, we can conclude that the observed positive ionospheric perturbations were likely associated with the imminent earthquake.

Evidence of geomagnetic storm effects in the lower atmosphere: A case study

Disturbances produced by geomagnetic storms in the higher regions of the Earth’s atmosphere, such as in the ionospheric F2 region and in the lower ionosphere, are relatively better known than those produced at lower altitudes, where the effects of geomagnetic storms have been little studied. During magnetically perturbed conditions, some changes in pressure and temperature at high latitudes have been observed, from the surface level to heights of around 30 km, but there are no morphological studies and/or patterns of behavior. Moreover, the physical mechanisms are still unknown and what exists is a matter of controversy. Thus, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the vertical profile of the effects of geomagnetic storms as observed in the lower sectors of the atmosphere. For that, we study the variations of two atmospheric parameters (temperature and wind speed) during an intense geomagnetic storm (minimum Dst = −300 nT), at heights between about 6 km and 20 km. The data used were obtained from weather balloon flights carried out at low, mid and mid-high latitudes in different longitudinal sectors of the northern hemisphere, which took place twice per day: 00:00 and 12:00 UT. Small, but statistically significant changes in temperature and in zonal component of the neutral winds are observed at mid-high latitudes, which can be linked to short-term geomagnetic forcing. However, the results show different atmospheric response to the geomagnetic storm in the different longitudinal sectors at tropospheric and stratospheric levels, which suggests a regional character of the geomagnetic storms effects at tropospheric levels.

Electrostatic structures associated with dusty electronegative magnetoplasmas

By using the hydrodynamic equations of positive and negative ions, the Boltzmann electron density distribution and the Poisson equation with stationary dust, a three-dimensional (3D) Zakharov–Kuznetsov (ZK) equation is derived for small but finite amplitude ion-acoustic waves. However, the ZK equation is not appropriate to describe the system either at critical plasma compositions or in the vicinity of the critical plasma compositions. Therefore, the modified ZK (MZK) and extended ZK (EZK) equations are derived. The generalized expansion method is used to analytically solve the ZK, MZK and EZK equations. A new class of solutions that admits a train of well-separated bell-shaped periodic pulses is obtained. In certain conditions, the latter degenerates to either solitary or shock wave solutions. The effects of the physical parameters on the nonlinear structures are examined in many plasma environments having different negative ion species, such as D- and F-regions of the Earth's ionosphere, as well as in laboratory plasma experiments. Numerical analysis of the solutions revealed that the profile of the nonlinear pulses suffers amplitude and width modifications due to enhancement of the dust practices, negative ions, positive-to-negative ion mass ratio and positive/negative ion cyclotron frequency. Furthermore, the necessary conditions for both solitons and shocks propagation as well as their polarity are examined.

Standing slow magnetosonic waves in a dipole-like plasmasphere

A problem of the structure and spectrum of standing slow magnetosonic waves in a dipole plasmasphere is solved. Both an analytical (in WKB approximation) and numerical solutions are found to the problem, for a distribution of the plasma parameters typical of the Earth's plasmasphere. The solutions allow us to treat the total electronic content oscillations registered above Japan as oscillations of one of the first harmonics of standing slow magnetosonic waves. Near the ionosphere the main components of the field of registered standing SMS waves are the plasma oscillations along magnetic field lines, plasma concentration oscillation and the related oscillations of the gas-kinetic pressure. The velocity of the plasma oscillations increases dramatically near the ionospheric conductive layer, which should result in precipitation of the background plasma particles. This may be accompanied by ionospheric F2 region airglows modulated with the periods of standing slow magnetosonic waves.

Effects observed in the ionospheric F-region in the South American sector during the intense geomagnetic storm of 14 December 2006

This investigation presents observations related to the generation of equatorial ionospheric irregularities (also known as equatorial spread F (ESF)) including ionospheric plasma bubbles and dynamic behavior of the ionospheric F-region in the South American sector during an intense geomagnetic storm in December 2006 (a period of low solar activity). In this work, ionospheric sounding observations and GPS data obtained between 13 and 16 December 2006 at several stations in the South American sector are presented. On the geomagnetically disturbed night of 14 and 15 December, ionospheric plasma bubbles were observed after an unusual uplifting of the F-region during pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) period. The unusual uplifting of the F-region during PRE was possibly associated with prompt penetration of electric field of magnetospheric origin. During the geomagnetic disturbance night of 14 and 15 December, strong oscillations due to the propagation of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) by the Joule heating in the auroral region were observed in the F-region at São José dos Campos (SJC, 23.2°S, 45.9°W; dip latitude 17.6°S), Brazil, and Port Stanley (PST, 51.6°S, 57.9°W; geom. latitude 41.6°S). The VTEC-GPS observations presented on the night of 14 and 15 December 2006 show both positive and negative storm phases in the South American sector, possibly due to changes in the large-scale wind circulation and changes in the O/N 2 ratio in the southern hemisphere, respectively.

Storming the Bastille: the effect of electric fields on the ionospheric F-layer

Abstract. We discuss different phenomena occurring during ionospheric F-region storms that in principle might be caused by electric fields and point out challenges that must be faced when considering the physical processes at work. We consider the transport of plasma across many degrees of latitude at sub-auroral latitudes, the origin of patches of so-called "storm enhanced density" at high mid-latitudes, and the very high reported heights of the F2 peak at low latitudes. We discuss the role that electric fields might play in changing locally the net production of ionization as well as transporting it. We suggest that the local change in ionization production should be considered as a more important process for producing plasma density enhancements than transport from a more remote source of enhanced density.

Study of variation in slab thickness of ionospheric F-region during earthquake by wavelet analysis

The present work deals with the anomalies in ionospheric slab thickness of F-region associated with strong seismic activity. In this regard we have considered ionosonde data of Critical frequency of F2 layer (foF2) and Ionospheric Total Electron Content (ITEC) observed for Athens [38°N, 24°E] and Rome [42°N, 13°E] stations. We have considered three cases of earthquake occurring on December 20, 2007, June 08, 2008 and April 06, 2009 and analyzed the ionosonde data of foF2 and ITEC for slab thickness of F-region of the ionosphere in one-hour interval time series record by filtering the geomagnetic disturbances. The result of the study shows that some unusual perturbations were observed in slab thickness of F-region for some days before the main seismic event. It may be due to the generation of seismogenic electric field above the surface of the earth well before the seismic event. This anomalous behavior of perturbations may be used as earthquake precursor.

Diurnal and seasonal variations in h’F and foF2 over low (Indian) and mid (Japanese) latitude stations — a comparative study

Using the simultaneous data of ionosonde from a low latitude station, Waltair, India (17.7°N,83.3°E) in the Indian sector and a mid latitude station, Kokubunji, Japan (35.7°N,139.5°E) in the Japanese sector during the high sunspot year of 2001, a comparative study of the variations in the diurnal, seasonal and day to day characteristics of the ionospheric F-region parameters, such as the virtual height of the F-layer (h’F) and the critical frequency of the F2 layer (foF2), are studied. The effect of geomagnetic activity variations of the F-region parameters over the low and mid latitude stations is also presented.

Response of the ionospheric F-region in the Brazilian sector during the super geomagnetic storm in April 2000 observed by GPS

The response of the ionospheric F-region in the equatorial and low latitude regions in the Brazilian sector during the super geomagnetic storm on 06–07 April 2000 has been studied in the present investigation. The geomagnetic storm reached a minimum D st of −288 nT at 0100 UT on 07 April. In this paper, we present vertical total electron content (VTEC) and phase fluctuations (in TECU/min) from GPS observations obtained at Imperatriz (5.5°S, 47.5°W; IMPZ), Brasília (15.9°S, 47.9°W; BRAZ), Presidente Prudente (22.12°S, 51.4°W; UEPP), and Porto Alegre (30.1°S, 51.1°W; POAL) during the period 05–08 April. Also, several GPS-based TEC maps are presented from the global GPS network, showing widespread and drastic TEC changes during the different phases of the geomagnetic storm. In addition, ion density measurements on-board the satellite Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F15 orbiting at an altitude of 840 km and the first Republic of China satellite (ROCSAT-1) orbiting at an altitude of 600 km are presented. The observations indicate that one of the orbits of the DMSP satellite is fairly close to the 4 GPS stations and both the DMSP F15 ion-density plots and the phase fluctuations from GPS observations show no ionospheric irregularities in the Brazilian sector before 2358 UT on the night of 06–07 April 2000. During the fast decrease of D st on 06 April, there is a prompt penetration of electric field of magnetospheric origin resulting in decrease of VTEC at IMPZ, an equatorial station and large increase in VTEC at POAL, a low latitude station. This resulted in strong phase fluctuations on the night of 06–07 April, up to POAL. During the daytime on 07 April during the recovery phase, the VTEC observations show positive ionospheric storm at all the GPS stations, from IMPZ to POAL, and the effect increasing from IMPZ to POAL. This is possibly linked to the equatorward directed meridional wind. During the daytime on 08 April (the recovery phase continues), the VTEC observations show very small negative ionospheric storm at IMPZ but the positive ionospheric storm effect is observed from BRAZ to POAL possibly linked to enhancement of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly.

Study of Atmospheric Forcing and Responses (SAFAR) campaign: overview

Abstract. Study of Atmospheric Forcing and Responses (SAFAR) is a five year (2009–2014) research programme specifically to address the responses of the earth's atmosphere to both natural and anthropogenic forcings using a host of collocated instruments operational at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E), India from a unified viewpoint of studying the vertical coupling between the forcings and responses from surface layer to the ionosphere. As a prelude to the main program a pilot campaign was conducted at Gadanki during May–November 2008 using collocated observations from the MST radar, Rayleigh lidar, GPS balloonsonde, and instruments measuring aerosol, radiation and precipitation, and supporting satellite data. We show the importance of the large radiative heating caused by absorption of solar radiation by soot particles in the lower atmosphere, the observed high vertical winds in the convective updrafts extending up to tropopause, and the difficulty in simulating the same with existing models, the upward traveling waves in the middle atmosphere coupling the lower atmosphere with the upper atmosphere, their manifestation in the mesospheric temperature structure and inversion layers, the mesopause height extending up to 100 km, and the electro-dynamical coupling between mesosphere and the ionosphere which causes irregularities in the ionospheric F-region. The purpose of this communication is not only to share the knowledge that we gained from the SAFAR pilot campaign, but also to inform the international atmospheric science community about the SAFAR program as well as to extend our invitation to join in our journey.

Planetary and gravity wave signatures in the F-region ionosphere with impacton radio propagation predictionsand variability

The aim of this work within the WP 3.1 of the COST 271 Action is the characterization of the variability introduced in the F-region ionosphere by -Planetary Wave Signatures- (PWS) and -Gravity Wave Signatures- (GWS). Typical patterns of percentage of time occurrence and time duration of PWS, their climatology and main drivers, as well as their vertical and longitudinal structure have been obtained. Despite the above characterization, the spectral distribution of event duration is too broad to allow for a reasonable prediction of PWS from ionospheric measurements themselves. GWS with a regular morning/evening wave bursts and specific GWS events whose arising can be predicted have been evaluated. As above, their typical pattern of occurrence and time duration, and their vertical structure have been obtained. The latter events remain in the ionospheric variability during disturbed days while additional wave enhancements of auroral origin occur. However, both types of disturbances can be distinguished.

Observations of the F-region ionospheric irregularities in the South American sector during the October 2003 "Halloween Storms"

Abstract. The response of the ionospheric F-region in the South American sector during the super geomagnetic storms on 29 and 30 October 2003 is studied in the present investigation. In this paper, we present ionospheric sounding observations during the period 29–31 October 2003 obtained at Palmas (a near equatorial location) and Sao Jose dos Campos (a location under the southern crest of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly), Brazil, along with observations during the period 27–31 October 2003 from a chain of GPS stations covering the South American sector from Imperatriz, Brazil, to Rio Grande, Argentina. Also, complementary observations that include sequences of all-sky images of the OI 777.4 and 630.0 nm emissions observed at El Leoncito, Argentina, on the nights of 28–29 (geomagnetically quiet night) and 29–30 (geomagnetically disturbed night) October 2003, and ion densities observed in the South American sector by the DMSP F13, F14 and F15 satellites orbiting at about 800 km on 29 and 30 October 2003 are presented. In addition, global TEC maps derived from GPS observations collected from the global GPS network of International GPS Service (IGS) are presented, showing widespread and drastic TEC changes during the different phases of the geomagnetic disturbances. The observations indicate that the equatorial ionospheric irregularities or plasma bubbles extend to the Argentinean station Rawson (geom. Lat. 33.1° S) and map at the magnetic equator at an altitude of about 2500 km.

Diurnal and seasonal variation of F2-layer ionospheric parameters at equatorial ionization anomaly crest region and their comparison with IRI-2001

Diurnal and seasonal variations of critical frequency of ionospheric F2-region ‘foF2’ and the height of peak density ‘hmF2’ are studied using modern digital ionosonde observations of equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest region, Bhopal (23.2°N, 77.6°E, dip 18.5°N), during solar minimum period 2007. Median values of these parameters are obtained at each hour using manually scaled data during different seasons and compared with the International Reference Ionosphere-2001 model predictions. The observations suggest that on seasonal basis, the highest values of foF2 are observed during equinox months, whereas highest values of hmF2 are obtained in summer and lowest values of both foF2 and hmF2 are observed during winter. The observed median and IRI predicted values of foF2 and hmF2 are analyzed with upper and lower bound of inter-quartile range (IQR) and it is find out that the observed median values are well inside the inter-quartile range during the period of 2007. Comparison of the recorded foF2 and hmF2 values with the IRI-2001 output reveals that IRI predicted values exhibit better agreement with hmF2 as compared to foF2. In general, the IRI model predictions show some agreement with the observations during the year 2007. Therefore it is still necessary to implement improvements in order to obtain better predictions for EIA regions.

Collisional/resonance absorption in cold/warm magnetized plasmas of the F-region high-latitude ionosphere

[1] The collisional/resonance absorption due to linear mode conversion of electromagnetic waves into electrostatic/plasma waves is studied in cold/warm magnetized plasmas relevant to the F-region of the high-latitude ionosphere. The absorption coefficient is calculated numerically using a full-wave model for high-frequency waves incident normally/obliquely to the direction of inhomogeneity. The absorption coefficient of collisional cold plasmas is found to be independent of the collision frequency in the small range of incidence angles near the critical angle; whereas, outside this range absorption increases with increasing collisions. In warm collisionless plasmas, the resonance absorption coefficient is shown to be independent of the electron temperature values pertinent to the F-region plasma. We have demonstrated for the first time a strong effect of the external magnetic field arbitrarily oriented in the plane of incidence on the absorption coefficient, which is not pronounced in the limit of weakly magnetized plasmas.

Thermospheric winds and temperatures above Mawson, Antarctica, observed with an all-sky imaging, Fabry-Perot spectrometer

Abstract. A new all-sky imaging Fabry-Perot spectrometer has been installed at Mawson station (67°36' S, 62°52' E), Antarctica. This instrument is capable of recording independent spectra from many tens of locations across the sky simultaneously. Useful operation began in March 2007, with spectra recorded on a total of 186 nights. Initial analysis has focused on the large-scale daily and average behavior of winds and temperatures derived from observations of the 630.0 nm airglow line of atomic oxygen, originating from a broad layer centered around 240 km altitude, in the ionospheric F-region. The 1993 Horizontal Wind Model (HWM93), NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model, and the Coupled Thermosphere/Ionosphere Plasmasphere (CTIP) model were used for comparison. During the geomagnetically quiet period studied, observed winds and temperatures were generally well modelled, although temperatures were consistently higher than NRLMSISE-00 predicted, by up to 100 K. CTIP temperatures better matched our data, particularly later in the night, but predicted zonal winds which were offset from those observed by 70–180 ms−1 westward. During periods of increased activity both winds and temperatures showed much greater variability over time-scales of less than an hour. For the active night presented here, a period of 45 min saw wind speeds decrease by around 180 ms−1, and temperatures increase by approximately 100 K. Active-period winds were poorly modelled by HWM93 and CTIP, although observed median temperatures were in better agreement with NRLMSISE-00 during such periods. Average behavior was found to be generally consistent with previous studies of thermospheric winds above Mawson. The collected data set was representative of quiet geomagnetic and solar conditions. Geographic eastward winds in the afternoon/evening generally continued until around local midnight, when winds turned equatorward. Geographic meridional and zonal winds in the afternoon were approximately 50 ms−1 weaker than expected from HWM93, as was the transition to equatorward flow around midnight. There was also a negligible geographic zonal component to the post-midnight wind where HWM93 predicted strong westward flow. Average temperatures between 19:00 and 04:00 local solar time were around 60 K higher than predicted by NRLMSISE-00.

Spread F – an old equatorial aeronomy problem finally resolved?

Abstract. One of the oldest scientific topics in Equatorial Aeronomy is related to Spread-F. It includes all our efforts to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the existence of ionospheric F-region irregularities, the spread of the traces in a night-time equatorial ionogram – hence its name – and all other manifestations of the same. It was observed for the first time as an abnormal ionogram in Huancayo, about 70 years ago. But only recently are we coming to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for its occurrence and its capricious day to day variability. Several additional techniques have been used to reveal the spatial and temporal characteristics of the F-region irregularities responsible for the phenomenon. Among them we have, in chronological order, radio star scintillations, trans-equatorial radio propagation, satellite scintillations, radar backscatter, satellite and rocket in situ measurements, airglow, total electron content techniques using the propagation of satellite radio signals and, recently, radar imaging techniques. Theoretical efforts are as old as the observations. Nevertheless, 32 years after their discovery, Jicamarca radar observations showed that none of the theories that had been put forward could explain them completely. The observations showed that irregularities were detected at altitudes that were stable according to the mechanisms proposed. A breakthrough came a few years later, again from Jicamarca, by showing that some of the "stable" regions had become unstable by the non-linear propagation of the irregularities from the unstable to the stable region of the ionosphere in the form of bubbles of low density plasma. A problem remained, however; the primary instability mechanism proposed, an extended (generalized) Rayleigh-Taylor instability, was too slow to explain the rapid development seen by the observations. Gravity waves in the neutral background have been proposed as a seeding mechanism to form irregularities from which the instability would grow, but the former are difficult to observe as a controlling parameter. Their actual role still needs to be determined. More recently, radar observations again have shown the existence of horizontal plasma drift velocities counter streaming the neutral wind at the steep bottom of the F-region which produces a fast growing instability from which a generalized Rayleigh-Taylor instability can grow. The mechanisms proposed would explain the rapid development of the large and medium scale irregularities that have been observed, including some seen only by radars. Nevertheless, a proper quantitative theoretical mechanism that would explain how these irregularities break into the very important meter scale ones, responsible for the radar echoes, needs to be developed. This paper makes a selective historical review of the observations and proposed theories since the phenomenon was discovered to our current understanding.

Thunderstorm-associated responses in the vertical motion of the mid-latitude F-region ionosphere

Mid-latitude Digisonde Doppler velocities, auroral electrojet (AE) indices and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning strokes during August 2003–2004 were used to study the perturbations in the F-region vertical drift associated with terrestrial thunderstorms. A superposed epoch analysis (SEA) showed that the F-region vertical drifts V z had a net descent of ∼0.6 m s −1 peaking ∼3 h after lightning. Stronger downward perturbations of up to ∼0.9 m s −1 were observed in the afternoon on the day prior to lightning days. The perturbations were less significant on the day after and insignificant during the remaining intervals up to 144 h on either side of the lightning. The stronger responses on the day before are consistent with causality because the lightning times were merely proxies for the physical mechanisms involved. The actual causes are unclear, but we discuss the possible roles of lightning-induced ionisation enhancements, intense electric fields penetrating upward from electrified clouds, and atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) radiated from thunderstorms or from the accompanying tropospheric fronts. There is no doubt that the behaviour of the mid-latitude F-region is controlled by the thermospheric winds and the solar wind-magnetosphere electrical generators, but our results suggest that electrified clouds also account for a significant, albeit relatively small component of the ionospheric variability.

The effect of non-migrating tides on the morphology of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly: seasonal variability

Abstract Recent observations of the low-latitude F-region ionosphere at times near equinox have shown that it varies with a predominant zonal wavenumber-four pattern in a fixed local-time frame. It has been shown that this pattern corresponds well to the non-migrating diurnal eastward wavenumber-three atmospheric tide (DE3) at E-region altitudes simulated by the Global Scale Wave Model (GSWM). Here we present details of the morphology of the F-region ionosphere from TIMED GUVI with simultaneous observations of the non-migrating diurnal tides at E-region altitudes from TIMED SABER. For the case of equinox (March 2002), the correspondence of the SABER and GUVI observations confirms the relationship previously established using the GSWM simulations. There is also a wavenumber-one signature that is present which may be related to the semi-diurnal westward wavenumber-three, possibly in conjunction with changes in the magnetic field with longitude. During July 2002, when the amplitude of the DE3 maximizes, the amplitude of the wavenumber-four pattern in the F-region ionosphere intensifies. There is also evidence of a strong wavenumber-three pattern in the F-region ionosphere, which can be attributed to the strong diurnal eastward wavenumber-two tide during this period. During January 2003, the amplitude of all non-migrating components observed by SABER are either small or asymmetric and the ionosphere does not display either a wavenumber-three or -four pattern. During both solstice periods, a strong wavenumber-one is seen that is attributed to the offset of the subsolar point and the geomagnetic equator that maximizes at solstice, possibly in conjunction with other geomagnetic effects. During all seasons, significant hemispheric asymmetries in the airglow wavenumber spectra are seen. The combined GUVI and SABER observations presented here demonstrate that the large-scale periodic longitudinal structure of the F-region ionosphere responds significantly to changes in the forcing by non-migrating diurnal tides at E-region altitudes.

Physical mechanism and mathematical modeling of earthquake ionospheric precursors registered in total electron content

The physical mechanism by which the regions with increased or decreased total electron content, registered by measuring delays of GPS satellite signals before strong earthquakes, originate in the ionosphere has been proposed. Vertical plasma transfer in the ionospheric F2 region under the action of the zonal electric field is the main disturbance formation factor. This field should be eastward, generating the upward compo� nent of plasma electromagnetic drift, in the cases of increased total electron content at midlatitudes and deepened minimum of the F2 layer equatorial anomaly. Upward plasma drift increases electron density due to a decrease in the O + ion loss rate at midlatitudes and decreases this density above the equator due to an enhancement of the fountain effect (plasma discharge into the equatorial anomaly crests). The pattern of the spatial distribution of the seismogenic electric field potential has been proposed. The eastward electric field can exist in the epicentral region only if positive and negative electric charges are located at the western and eastern boundaries of this region, respectively. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism was studied by modeling the ionospheric response to the action of the electric field generated by such a charge configuration. The results of the numerical computations indicated that the total electron content before strong earthquakes at middle and low latitudes is in good agreement with the observations.