High-Intensity Long-Duration Research Articles

Latitudinal responses of the ionosphere over South America during HILDCAA intervals: Case studies

Aspects regarding the influence of High-Intensity Long-Duration Continuous Auroral Electrojet Activity (HILDCAA) intervals on ionospheric dynamics have been objecting to increasing interest in the last years. Notwithstanding, some key interconnections between the HILDCAA intervals impacts on the ionosphere over distinct latitudes, according to the solar cycle phase, remain to require further investigation. In this work, the F2 layer peak height and its critical frequency (hmF2 and foF2, respectively) from Digisonde data obtained over São Luís (2.60° S; 44.21° W), Cachoeira Paulista (22.70° S; 44.98° W), and Port Stanley (51.60° S, 57.9° W), were evaluated to unravel more details of the ionospheric responses to four HILDCAA intervals as case studies. Those are equatorial, low, and mid-latitude stations, respectively, and the main results over them presented a similar trend in terms of solar cycle dependence, with the greater impact on the ionospheric density along with solar maximum conditions, despite the higher frequency of HILDCAA occurrences in the descending and minimum phases. The variation of hmF2 due to HILDCAA effects in comparison to quiet time is about 20% in equatorial and mid-latitudes, while over the low latitude station the hmF2 ranges positively up to 40%. These results enhance our understanding of the HILDCAAs magnitude degree both regarding its solar cycle occurrence, and its effects in different ionospheric latitudinal sections.

Interrelationships of Similar Magnetic Effects at Low and High Latitudes During High-Intensity Long-Duration Auroral Activity Events: Case Studies

Interrelationships of Similar Magnetic Effects at Low and High Latitudes During High-Intensity Long-Duration Auroral Activity Events: Case Studies

Ionospheric total electron content responses to HILDCAA intervals

Abstract. The High-Intensity Long-Duration and Continuous AE Activities (HILDCAA) intervals are capable of causing a global disturbance in the terrestrial ionosphere. However, the ionospheric storms' behavior due to these intervals is still not widely understood. In the current study, we seek to comprise the HILDCAA disturbance time effects in the total electron content (TEC) values with respect to the quiet days' pattern by analyzing local time and seasonal dependences, and the influences of the solar wind velocity on a sample of 10 intervals that occurred in the years 2015 and 2016. The main results showed that the hourly distribution of the disturbance TEC may vary substantially between one HILDCAA interval and another. An equinoctial anomaly was found since the equinoxes represent more ionospheric TEC responses than the solstices. Regarding the solar wind velocities, although HILDCAA intervals are associated with high-speed streams, this association does not present a direct relation to TEC disturbance magnitudes at low and equatorial latitudes.

Recurrent geomagnetic storms and equinoctial ionospheric F-region in the low magnetic latitude: a case study

This paper analyses a case study of 27-day recurrent geomagnetic storms (RGSs) and the ionospheric F-region over Peruvian, Ascension Island, and Port Stanley during vernal equinox in 2006. The RGSs are categorized into High-Intensity Long-Duration Continuous AE Activity (HILDCAA) and non-HILDCAA cases. The solar wind plasma, Ionosonde, and magnetometer data are used. The results reveal that in both cases prompt penetration electric field and disturbance dynamo electric field (DDEF) control the ionospheric plasma and affect night time spread F (SF) that disturbs the HF-radio communications in equatorial and southern crest of equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). The SF at magnetic equator is delayed, more predominant, and last longer than at the southern EIA. DDEFs and thermospheric winds persist in the recovery phase of storm with stronger ones can inhibit the SF.

A study on the main periodicities in interplanetary magnetic field Bz component and geomagnetic AE index during HILDCAA events using wavelet analysis

The interplanetary and geomagnetic characteristics of High-Intensity Long-Duration Continuous AE Activity (HILDCAA) events are studied using wavelet analysis technique. The Morlet wavelet transform was applied to the 1min interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component and the geomagnetic AE index during HILDCAA events. We have analyzed the AE data for the events occurring between 1975 and 2011, and the IMF Bz data (both in GSE and GSM) for the events between 1995 and 2011. We analyzed the scalograms and the global wavelet spectrum of the parameters. For 50% of all HILDCAA events, the main periodicities of the AE index are generally between 4 and 12h. For the Bz component, the main periodicities were found to be less than 8h for ~56% of times in GSM system and for ~54% of times in GSE system. It is conjectured that the periodicities might be associated with the Alfvén waves which have typical periods between 1 and 10h. The results are discussed in the light of self organized criticality theory where the physical events have the capacity of releasing a considerable amount of energy in a short interval of time.

Ionospheric VTEC and thermospheric infrared emission dynamics during corotating interaction region and high-speed stream intervals at solar minimum: 25 March to 26 April 2008

[1] We analyze a portion of the Whole Heliospheric Interval from 25 March to 26 April 2008 to identify the ionospheric and thermospheric responses to high-speed solar wind streams. This period during solar sunspot minimum is of moderate geomagnetic activity (with the minimum Dst ∼ −50 nT) with enhanced auroral activity seen in High-Intensity Long-Duration Continuous Auroral Activity events. The solar wind data show several corotating interaction regions (CIRs) and recurrent high-speed streams (HSSs). Using the infrared emission data obtained with Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry on Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics, we identify a distinct relationship between the infrared emission irradiated from the thermosphere and CIR-HSS intervals. Specifically, zonal flux of NO infrared radiation correlates well with AE indices. The most pronounced effects are found at high latitudes. We used Jet Propulsion Laboratory Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) software and the GPS total electron content (TEC) database to calculate the vertical total electron content (VTEC) and construct GIMs. It is shown that VTEC intensifies during HSSs periods. To illustrate the point, dynamics of daytime VTEC averaged over different latitude bands are presented. These results are compared to quiet time observations to contrast variations associated with geomagnetic activity. Data analyses show fast, global, and continuous ionospheric responses to external solar wind forcing. The largest variations are found in low-latitude (between −30° and 30°) VTEC. In conclusion, we suggest that CIRs/HSSs are external drivers for both thermospheric and ionospheric phenomena during the solar sunspot minimum. We discuss both prompt penetration electric fields and disturbance dynamos as possible mechanisms responsible for the observed VTEC effects. It is clear that efficient heliospheric-magnetospheric-ionospheric-thermospheric coupling occurs during CIR-HSS intervals even during solar sunspot minimum in 2008.

On Cosmic Rays, IP Structures and Geospace Consequences During WHI

AbstractThis work presents some observations during the period of the Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI) of the effects of interplanetary (IP) structures on the near-Earth space using three sets of observations: magnetic field and plasma from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite, ground-based cosmic ray data from the Global Muon Detection Network (GMDN) and geomagnetic indices (Disturbance storm-time, Dst, and auroral electrojet index, AE). Since WHI was near minimum solar activity, high speed streams and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) were the dominant structures observed in the interplanetary space surrounding Earth. Very pronounced geomagnetic effects are shown to be correlated to CIRs, especially because they can cause the so-called High-Intensity Long-Duration Continuous AE Activity (HILDCAAs) - Tsurutani and Gonzalez (1987). At least a few high speed streams can be identified during the period of WHI. The focus here is to characterize these IP structures and their geospace consequences.