foF2 Variations Research Articles

A method forfoF2short-term (1-24 h) forecast using both historical and real-timefoF2observations over European stations: EUROMAP model

A method for foF2 short-term forecast over Europe has been developed and implemented in the EUROMAP model. The input-driving parameters are 3 h ap indices (converted to ap(τ)), effective ionospheric T index, and real-time foF2 observations. The method includes local (for each station) regression storm models to describe strong negative disturbances under ap(τ) > 30 and training models to describe foF2 variations under ap(τ) ≤ 30. The derived model was tested in two regimes: descriptive when observed 3 h ap indices were used and real forecast when predicted daily Ap were used instead of 3 h ap indices—. In the case of strong negative disturbances the EUROMAP model demonstrates on average the improvement over the lnternational Reference Ionosphere STORM-time correction model (IRI(STORM)) model: 40% in winter, 24% in summer, and 39% in equinox. The average improvement over climatology is 41% in winter, 59% in summer, and 55% in equinox. In the majority of cases this difference is statistically significant. In the case of strong positive disturbances, higher-latitude stations also manifest a significant difference between the two models but this difference is insignificant at lower latitude stations. The substitution of 3 h ap input indices for the predicted daily Ap ones decreases the foF2 prediction accuracy in the case of negative disturbances but practically has no effect with positive disturbances. In both cases the proposed method manifests better accuracy than the IRI(STORM) model provides. The obtained results show a real opportunity to provide foF2 forecast with the (1–24 h) lead time on the basis of predicted Ap indices.

Quiet Time foF2 Variation at Ouagadougou Station and Comparison with TIEGCM and IRI-2012 Predictions for 1985 and 1990

The purpose of this study is to appreciate the estimation of TIEGCM (Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model) and that of the 2012 version of IRI (International Reference Ionosphere) in African Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) region through the diurnal variation of F2 layer critical frequency (foF2).The comparison is made between data and theoretical values carried out from TIEGCM and IRI-2012 during solar cycle minimum and maximum phases and under quiet time condition over seasons. Data concern solar cycle 22 foF2 data of Ouagadougou station (Lat: 12.4° N; Long: 358.5°E, dip: 1.43°N for 2013) provided by Telecom Bretagne. Quiet time condition is determined by Aa inferior or equal to 20 nT and solar cycle maximum and minimum phases correspond to sunspot number Rz superior to 100 and Rz inferior to 20, respectively. Seasons are estimated by considering December as winter month, March as spring month, June as summer month and September as autumn month. The seasonal Hourly quiet time foF2 is given by the arithmetic mean values of the five quietest day hourly values. Data profiles show noon bite out profile with more and less pronounced morning or afternoon peak in equinox and that during solar maximum and that also in Original Research Article Physical Science International Journal, 4(6): 892-902, 2014 893 solar minimum except during solstice where the profile fairly is dome or plateau. During solar minimum, both models present more or less pronounced afternoon peak with more or less deep trough between 1000 LT and 1400 LT. During solar maximum, in general, TIEGCM shows afternoon peak and IRI-2012 present plateau profile. This result exhibits the non-well estimation of the dynamic process of this region. Model accuracy is highlighted by the Mean Relative Error (MRE) values. These values show better prediction for IRI-2012 except in September for both solar cycle phases involved. The non-good prediction of TIEGCM is observed in December during solar minimum and in June during solar maximum. Models predictions are better during solar maximum than during solar minimum and strongly dependent on pre-sunrise and post sunset periods.

Variation of monthly mean foF2 and hmF2 over a mid latitude station during the period 1997–2006

Ionosonde data of a mid latitude station Novosibirsk (Geog. Lat. 54.6°N, Geog. Long. 83.2°E) has been analyzed for the years 1997–2006 that covers the major part of solar cycle 23. Our results show the presence of winter anomaly in the daytime F2 layer critical frequency during different phases of solar activity. Results also reveal a semiannual variation of foF2 with two maxima and a minimum that always appears in summer. While the first maximum is in the spring equinox, the second one is found to shift from autumn to winter with the increase of solar activity. The maximum height of F2 layer during the daytime shows variation with the solar activity. It is higher during the higher activity periods and lower during the periods of low activity. Results of ionosonde observations have been compared with those obtained from IRI-2007 model and it is found that model reproduces gross features of foF2 variation. However, the modeled hmF2 variations during equinoxes are significantly different from the ones derived using the ionosonde data. The model also underestimates the hmF2 values.

Seasonal and Latitudinal Variations of the F2-Layer during Magnetic Storms

To identify seasonal and latitudinal variations of F2 layer during magnetic storm, we examine the change of daily averages of foF2 observed at Kokubunji and Hobart during high (2000~2002) and low (2006~2008) solar activity intervals. It is found that geomagnetic activity has a different effect on the ionospheric F2-layer electron density variation for different seasons and different latitudes. We, thus, investigate how the change of geomagnetic activity affects the ionospheric F2-layer electron density with season and latitude. For this purpose, two magnetic storms occurred in equinox (31 March 2001) and solstice (20 November 2003) seasons are selected. Then we investigate foF2, which are observed at Kokubunji, Townsville, Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart, Dst index, Ap index, and AE index for the two magnetic storm periods. These observatories have similar geomagnetic longitude, but have different latitude. Furthermore, we investigate the relation between the foF2 and the [O]/[<TEX>$N_2$</TEX>] ratio and TEC variations during 19-22 November 2003 magnetic storm period. As a result, we find that the latitudinal variations of [O]/[<TEX>$N_2$</TEX>] ratio and TEC are closely related with the latitudinal variation of foF2. Therefore, we conclude that the seasonal and latitudinal variations of foF2 during magnetic storm are caused by the seasonal and latitudinal variations of mean meridional circulation of the thermosphere, particularly upwelling and downwelling of neutral atmosphere during magnetic storm.

Inversion of Sweep Frequency Backscatter Ionogram From Monostatic HF Sky-Wave Radar

The Wuhan Ionospheric Oblique Backscattering Sounding System (WIOBSS) is a monostatic high-frequency sky-wave radar used for ionospheric remote sensing. The sweep frequency backscatter ionogram (SFBI) recorded by the WIOBSS contains both backscatter echo scattered by distant terrestrial surface and vertical incidence (VI) echo reflected by local ionosphere over the sounding station. The approach for SFBI inversion introduced in this letter requires input of leading edge and peak height derived from local VI echo. The final output of this SFBI inversion approach is the 2-D electron density distribution in a vertical plane aligned in the direction of sounding. In addition, the time and geographic variation of foF2 can be obtained from a series of SFBI inversion results. Two experiments have been utilized to validate the SFBI inversion approach, and the SFBI inversion results are found to be very close to the ionosonde data. The fast-converged feature of the approach makes it possible for applications in real time. The success of the SFBI inversion approach enables us to use the WIOBSS as a vehicle-mounted system to obtain ionosphere electron density profile over a large geographic area.

Long‐term trend of foF2 at a West African equatorial station linked to greenhouse gas increase and dip equator secular displacement

Long‐term variability of foF2 at Ouagadougou station (12.4°N, 358.5°E; dip, 1.45°), a West African equatorial station, is studied, analyzing an annual mean data series at 12 LT for the period 1966–1998. After filtering the solar activity effect using Rz as a solar activity proxy, a downward trend of −0.015 MHz/yr is obtained, that is a ~5% decrease during the period of 33 years here considered, equivalent to a ~0.2%/yr. The downward trend is qualitatively consistent with a decreasing trend expected from increasing greenhouse gas concentration but greater than the ~0.003%/yr that would result from the 20% increase in CO2 that actually took place during the period of analysis. The foF2 decreasing trend is not in agreement with the trend expected from the secular variation of the dip angle at the location of Ouagadougou, but here an additional mechanism is considered, that is the secular movement of the dip equator toward Ouagadougou. This implies an approaching of the trough of the equatorial ionization anomaly and thus an foF2 decrease at Ouagadougou that is qualitatively in agreement with the observed trend.

Latitudinal variation of F2-region response to geomagnetic disturbance

The effect of geomagnetic storms on the F2 region was studied by calculating the deviation, ΔfoF2, of foF2 during 40 magnetic storms, ranging from moderate (Dst<−50nT) to very intense (Dst<−200nT) of the 21st solar cycle. In order to study the variation of storm-time foF2 with latitude, season and storm strength, ionosonde data were obtained from eight stations spanning a latitudinal range of +60–−60°. The stations chosen lay in a narrow longitudinal range of 140–151°, so that local time difference between the stations is practically negligible. The features exhibited by positive and negative phases were essentially different. The storm time ΔfoF2 clearly exhibited a latitudinal variation and this variation were found to be coupled with the seasonal variation. As for the variation with storm intensity, though ΔfoF2 was found to vary even between two storms of almost equal intensity, the amplitude of a positive or negative phase, |ΔfoF2max| showed a distinct upper limit for each intensity category of storms.

Response of equatorial, low- and mid-latitude F-region in the American sector during the intense geomagnetic storm on 24–25 October 2011

In this paper, we present and discuss the response of the ionospheric F-region in the American sector during the intense geomagnetic storm which occurred on 24–25 October 2011. In this investigation ionospheric sounding data obtained of 23, 24, 25, and 26 October 2011 at Puerto Rico (United States), Jicamarca (Peru), Palmas, São José dos Campos (Brazil), and Port Stanley, are presented. Also, the GPS observations obtained at 12 stations in the equatorial, low-, mid- and high-mid-latitude regions in the American sector are presented. During the fast decrease of Dst (about ∼54nT/h between 23:00 and 01:00UT) on the night of 24–25 October (main phase), there is a prompt penetration of electric field of magnetospheric origin resulting an unusual uplifting of the F region at equatorial stations. On the night of 24–25 October 2011 (recovery phase) equatorial, low- and mid-latitude stations show h′F variations much larger than the average variations possibly associated with traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) caused by Joule heating at high latitudes. The foF2 variations at mid-latitude stations and the GPS-VTEC observations at mid- and low-latitude stations show a positive ionospheric storm on the night of 24–25 October, possibly due to changes in the large-scale wind circulation. The foF2 observations at mid-latitude station and the GPS-VTEC observations at mid- and high-mid-latitude stations show a negative ionospheric storm on the night of 24–25 October, probably associated with an increase in the density of molecular nitrogen. During the daytime on 25 October, the variations in foF2 at mid-latitude stations show large negative ionospheric storm, possibly due to changes in the O/N2 ratio. On the night of 24–25, ionospheric plasma bubbles (equatorial irregularities that extended to the low- and mid-latitude regions) are observed at equatorial, low- and mid-latitude stations. Also, on the night of 25–26, ionospheric plasma bubbles are observed at equatorial and low-latitude regions.

FoF2 Diurnal Variability at African Equatorial Stations: Dip Equator Secular Displacement Effect

The paper goal is to analyze the variability of foF2 at African equatorial stations and the effect of dip angle on this variability. The gap between the dip angle of Dakar and Ouagadougou is superior to that between Djibouti and Ouagadougou. The trend of the dip angle at Ouagadougou and Dakar decreases while that of Djibouti increases. The relative position of the station with respect to the equator and the trend sign explains the difference observed in foF2 variability at Dakar station and at the two other stations. At Djibouti and Ouagadougou, foF2 exhibits noon bite out profile during all solar cycle phases while at Dakar observed profile is dome or plateau during the maximum and the predominance afternoon peak for the other solar cycle phases.

Does the Equatorial Ionospheric Peak Electron Density Really Record the Lowest During the Recent Deep Solar Minimum?

AbstractThe solar activity in 2008–2009, located at the minimum phase of solar cycle 23/24, was unusually low, which attracts ionospheric physics scientists to explore the plasma behaviors in the ionosphere during the deep solar minimum. Some investigators reported a reduction in ionospheric electron density during this period, while others found a marginal and minor change. In this study we collected the critical frequency of the F2‐layer ionosphere (foF2) data retrieved from ionogram records observed by an ionosonde at Jicamarca (12°S, 76.9°W), an American station located near the dip equator, to examine the changes in electron density in equatorial regions and clarify what caused the inconsistence between the differences of solar minimum foF2 in published work. We determined the foF2 differences in moving yearly, seasonal and monthly medians and the Fourier series analysis. The picture of ionospheric changes is found to be related with the data analysis methods used. The seasonal median and moving yearly values of foF2 were smaller in 2008–2009 than in 1996–1997, both in the daytime and nighttime. In contrast, the monthly median foF2 is found to be of varying solar minimum‐to‐minimum differences. Although greater values in the last minimum are prevailing in the monthly median case at most local times, opposite changes are also found at some time intervals. Further analysis reveals that the reduction in foF2 during the current solar cycle minimum is certainly presented in the longer time scale variations of foF2. Therefore, the inconsistent changes in the published investigations reflect the impact of foF2 variability on the solar minimum‐to‐minimum difference over different time scales.

Influence of interplanetary solar wind sector polarity on the ionosphere

Knowledge of solar sector polarity effects on the ionosphere may provide some clues in understanding of the ionospheric day‐to‐day variability and “hysteresis” effect on foF2. Ionospheric response to changes in solar sector polarity has not been fully documented previously, partly due to the limitation of observations. In this study, a solar‐terrestrial connection ranging from solar sector boundary (SB) crossings, geomagnetic disturbances and ionospheric perturbations has been demonstrated. The increases in interplanetary solar wind speed within three days are seen after SB crossings, while the decreases in solar wind dynamic pressure and magnetic field intensity immediately after SB crossings are confirmed by the superposed epoch analysis results. Furthermore, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component turns from northward to southward in March equinox and June solstice as the Earth passes from a solar sector of outward to inward directed magnetic fields, whereas the reverse situation occurs for the transition from toward to away sectors. The IMF Bz component for the same solar sector polarity has opposite signs between March equinox and September equinox, and also between June solstice and December solstice. In order to know how the ionosphere reacts to the interplanetary solar wind variations linkage of SB crossings, the F2 region critical frequency (foF2) covering about four solar cycles and total electron content (TEC) during 1998–2011 are utilized to extract the related information, revealing that they are not modified significantly and vary within the range of ±15% on average. The responses of the ionospheric TEC to SB crossings exhibit complex temporal and spatial variations and have strong dependencies on season, latitude, and solar cycle. This effect is more appreciable in equinoctial months than in solstitial months, which is mainly caused by larger southwardBzcomponents in equinox. In September equinox, latitudinal profile of relative variations of foF2 at noon is featured by depressions at high latitudes and enhancements in low‐equatorial latitudes during IMF away sectors. The negative phase of foF2 is delayed at solar minimum relative to it during other parts of solar cycle, which might be associated with the difference in longevity of major interplanetary solar wind drivers perturbing the Earth's environment in different phases of solar cycle.

Comparison of ionosphere characteristic parameters obtained by ionosonde with IRI-2007 model over Southeast Asia

In this work, the foF2 and hmF2 parameters at the conjugate points near the magnetic equator of Southeast Asia are studied and compared with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model. Three ionosondes are installed nearly along the magnetic meridian of 100°E; one at the magnetic equator, namely Chumphon (10.72°N, 99.37°E, dip angle 3.0°N), and the other two at the magnetic conjugate points, namely Chiang Mai (18.76°N, 98.93°E, dip angle 12.7°N) and Kototabang (0.2°S, 100.30°E, dip angle 10.1°S). The monthly hourly medians of the foF2 and hmF2 parameters are calculated and compared with the predictions obtained from the IRI-2007 model from January 2004 to February 2007. Our results show that: the variations of foF2 and hmF2 predicted by the IRI-2007 model generally show the similar feature to the observed data. Both parameters generally show better agreement with the IRI predictions during daytime than during nighttime. For foF2, most of the results show that the IRI model overestimates the observed foF2 at the magnetic equator (Chumphon), underestimates at the northern crest (Chiang Mai) and is close to the measured ones at the southern crest of the EIA (Kototabang). For hmF2, the predicted hmF2 values are close to the hmF2(M3000F2OBS) during daytime. During nighttime, the IRI model gives the underestimation at the magnetic equator and the overestimation at both EIA crests. The results are important for the future improvements of the IRI model for foF2 and hmF2 over Southeast Asia region.

Two types of positive disturbances in the daytime mid-latitude F2-layer: Morphology and formation mechanisms

Morphological analysis of foF2 variations for the periods of daytime positive disturbances over three ionospheric stations St. Petersburg (sub-auroral zone), Slough (middle latitudes), and Alma-Ata (middle-low latitudes) has confirmed the existence of two types of positive F2-layer disturbances with different morphology. Type I is referred to those followed by quiet or positively disturbed ionospheric conditions. They occur under low or moderate level of geomagnetic activity. Positive disturbances of type II are related to strong geomagnetic storms and they are followed by negative ionospheric disturbances. The two types manifest different occurrence frequency distribution and its dependence on latitude and level of geomagnetic activity. They also exhibit different duration and magnitude. This tells that two types of disturbances belong to different classes of events and may have different formation mechanisms. Millstone Hill ISR and digisonde hmF2 and foF2 observations for some selected periods of F2-layer positive disturbances of both types were analyzed. The original earlier developed self-consistent method to extract thermospheric parameters from ISR observations was used to estimate the contribution of various aeronomic parameters to the observed storm time F2-layer variations. Our analysis of a well-pronounced positive disturbances of type II on December 14, 2006 has confirmed the well-known concept by Prölss (1993a,b, 1995)—daytime midlatitude positive disturbances of type II are mainly produced by TADs and following them disturbed equatorward winds. However our calculations have shown that about half of the observed positive storm effect may be attributed to thermospheric parameter (neutral composition and temperature) variations. The type II of positive disturbances presents the first phase of a two-phase (positive/negative) ionospheric storm. For this reason their occurrence frequency distribution is similar to that for negative disturbances. The driving force for both disturbances is the same—the thermosphere heating in the auroral zone. Situation with positive disturbances of type I is more complicated. Electric fields on April 03, 2004, and neutral composition (mainly atomic oxygen) variations on April 11, 2000 were shown to be responsible for the observed positive storm effect. The difference in the two cases is presumably related with the localization (longitudinal sector) of the auroral heating.

Variations in foF2 at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s according to the SPIDR system data

Variations in the critical frequency of the F2 layer at 22 ionospheric stations within the period 1990–2010 according to the SPIDR system data are considered. A confirmation of the negative trends in foF2 for seven stations considered by one of the authors earlier on the basis of median data is obtained. It is found that both negative (a decrease in foF2 with time) and positive (growth in foF2 with time) trends of the critical frequency are observed. During the later part of the considered period (after 1997), negative trends dominate. This fact manifests itself, apparently, in an increase in the role of the decrease in the thermospheric neutral temperature in the formation of foF2 trends.

Empirical modeling of ionospheric F2 layer critical frequency over Wakkanai under geomagnetic quiet and disturbed conditions

The hourly values of the ionospheric F2 layer critical frequency, foF2, recorded at Wakkanai ionosonde station (45.4°N, 141.7°E) have been collected to construct a middle-latitude single-station model for forecasting foF2 under geomagnetic quiet and disturbed conditions. The module for the geomagnetic quiet conditions incorporates local time, seasonal, and solar variability of climatological foF2 and its upper and lower quartiles. It is the first attempt to predict the upper and lower quartiles of foF2 to account for the notable day-to-day variability in ionospheric foF2. The validation statistically verifies that the model captures the climatological variations of foF2 with higher accuracy than IRI does. The storm-time module is built to capture the geomagnetic storm induced relative deviations of foF2 from the quiet time references. In the geomagnetically disturbed module, the storm-induced deviations are described by diurnal and semidiurnal waves, which are modulated by a modified magnetic activity index, the Kf index, reflecting the delayed responses of foF2 to geomagnetic activity forcing. The coefficients of the model in each month are determined by fitting the model formula to the observation in a least-squares way. We provide two options for the geomagnetic disturbed module, including or not including Kalman filter algorithm. The Kalman filter algorithm is introduced to optimize these coefficients in real time. Our results demonstrate that the introduction of the Kalman filter algorithm in the storm time module is promising for improving the accuracy of predication. In addition, comparisons indicate that the IRI model prediction of the F2 layer can be improved to provide better performances over this region.

Seasonal, Diurnal, and Solar-Cycle Variations of Electron Density at Two West Africa Equatorial Ionization Anomaly Stations

We analyse the variability of foF2 at two West Africa equatorial ionization anomaly stations (Ouagadougou and Dakar) during three solar cycles (from cycle 20 to cycle 22), that is, from 1966 to 1998 for Ouagadougou and from 1971 to 1997 for Dakar. We examine the effect of the changing levels of solar extreme ultraviolet radiation with sunspot number. The study shows high correlation between foF2 and sunspot number (Rz). The correlation coefficient decreases from cycle 20 to cycle 21 at both stations. From cycle 21 to cycle 22 it decreases at Ouagadougou station and increases at Dakar station. The best correlation coefficient, 0.990, is obtained for Dakar station during solar cycle 22. The seasonal variation displays equinoctial peaks that are asymmetric between March and September. The percentage deviations of monthly average data from one solar cycle to another display variability with respect to solar cycle phase and show solar ultraviolet radiation variability with solar cycle phase. The diurnal variation shows a noon bite out with a predominant late-afternoon peak except during the maximum phase of the solar cycle. The diurnal Ouagadougou station foF2 data do not show a significant difference between the increasing and decreasing cycle phases, while Dakar station data do show it, particularly for cycle 21. The percentage deviations of diurnal variations from solar-minimum conditions show more ionosphere during solar cycle 21 at both stations for all three of the other phases of the solar cycle. There is no significant variability of ionosphere during increasing and decreasing solar cycle phases at Ouagadougou station, but at Dakar station there is a significant variability of ionosphere during these two solar-cycle phases.

Statistical study of the equatorial F2layer critical frequency at Ouagadougou during solar cycles 20, 21 and 22, using Legrand and Simon’s classification of geomagnetic activity

This paper presents the statistical analysis of the diurnal variations of the F layer at the equatorial station of Ouagadougou (Lat: 12.4� N; Long: 358.5� E; dip: 5.9� ) from 1966 to 1998 (=> ~11 680 days). We consider three main factors of variability: (1) the season (spring, summer, autumn and winter), (2) the phase of the sunspot cycle (ascending, maximum, descending and minimum) and (3) the geomagnetic activity classified by Legrand and Simon in four groups: slow solar wind, high solar wind streams, fluctuating solar wind and shock activity. We easily identify the influence of the solar wind speed and shock activity on the diurnal pattern of the F layer. Shock and recurrent activities tend to enhance or diminish the morning or afternoon maximum of the F2 layer critical frequency. The difference of the diurnal foF2 variation during the increasing and decreasing phases of the sunspot solar cycle is explained by different solar wind regimes. The slow solar wind dominates during the increasing phase of the sunspot cycle and the fluctuating solar wind dominates during the decreasing phase of the sunspot cycle. This paper demonstrates that it is possible using a large database, to bring up significant morphologies of the diurnal variation of the foF2 critical frequency as a function of (1) different solar events such as quiet solar wind, fluctuating wind, recurrent high stream wind and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs); (2) solar cycle phases and (3) seasons. It is an approach directly connecting the critical frequency of the F2 layer to the solar parameters.

Morphology and causes of the Weddell Sea anomaly

The zone of anomalous diurnal variations in foF2, which is characterized by an excess of nighttime foF2 values over daytime ones, has been distinguished in the Southern Hemisphere based on the Intercosmos-19 satellite data. In English literature, this zone is usually defined as the Weddell Sea anomaly (WSA). The anomaly occupies the longitudes of 180°–360° E in the Western Hemisphere and the latitudes of 40°–80° S, and the effect is maximal (up to ∼5 MHz) at longitudes of 255°–315° E and latitudes of 60°–70° S (50°–55° ILAT). The anomaly is observed at all levels of solar activity. The anomaly formation causes have been considered based on calculations and qualitative analysis. For this purpose, the longitudinal variations in the ionospheric and thermospheric parameters in the Southern Hemisphere have been analyzed in detail for near-noon and near-midnight conditions. The analysis shows that the daytime foF2 values are much smaller in the Western Hemisphere than in the Eastern one, and, on the contrary, the nighttime values are much larger, as a result of which the foF2 diurnal variations are anomalous. Such a character of the longitudinal effect mainly depends on the vertical plasma drift under the action of the neutral wind and ionization by solar radiation. Other causes have also been considered: the composition and temperature of the atmosphere, plasma flows from the plasmasphere, electric fields, particle precipitation, and the relationship to the equatorial anomaly and the main ionospheric trough.

Variations in foF2 at the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s according to median data

Changes in the values of the critical frequency of the F2 layer from 1990 to 2005–2007, according to median data, are considered. Eleven stations, for which the necessary data are available, have been found in international databanks. The conclusion of the previous publication by Danilov (2011) that at the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s a negative trend in foF2 was observed both after sunset and in the daytime is confirmed.

Ionospheric response of equatorial and low latitude F-region during the intense geomagnetic storm on 24–25 August 2005

In this investigation, we present and discuss the response of the ionospheric F-region in the South American and East Asian sectors during an intense geomagnetic storm in August 2005. The geomagnetic storm studied reached a minimum Dst of −216 nT at 12:00 UT on 24 August. In this work ionospheric sounding data obtained of 24, 25, and 26 August 2005 at Palmas (PAL; 10.2° S, 48.2° W; dip latitude 6.6° S), São José dos Campos (SJC, 23.2° S, 45.9° W; dip latitude 17.6° S), Brazil, Ho Chi Minh City, (HCM; 10.5° N, 106.3° E; dip latitude 2.9° N), Vietnam, Okinawa (OKI; 26.3° N, 127.8° E; dip latitude 21.2° N), Japan, are presented. Also, the GPS observations obtained at different stations in the equatorial and low-latitude regions in the Brazilian sector are presented. On the night of 24–25 August 2005, the h′F variations show traveling ionospheric disturbances associated with Joule heating in the auroral zone from SJC to PAL. The foF2 variations show a positive storm phase on the night of 24–25 August at PAL and SJC during the recovery phase. Also, the GPS-VTEC observations at several stations in the Brazilian sector show a fairly similar positive storm phase on 24 August. During the fast decrease of Dst (between 10:00 and 11:00 UT) on 24 August, there is a prompt penetration of electric field of magnetospheric origin that result in abrupt increase (∼12:00 UT) in foF2 at PAL, SJC (Brazil) and OKI (Japan) and in VTEC at IMPZ, BOMJ, PARA and SMAR (Brazil). OKI showed strong oscillations of the F-region on the night 24 August resulted to the propagation of traveling atmospheric disturbances (TADs) by Joule heating in the auroral region. These effects result a strong positive observed at OKI station. During the daytime on 25 August, in the recovery phase, the foF2 observations showed positive ionospheric storm at HCM station. Some differences in the latitudinal response of the F-region is also observed in the South American and East Asian sectors.