Search

The energetic particle precipitation (EPP) indirect effect (IE) refers to the downward transport of reactive odd nitrogen (NOx = NO + NO2) produced by EPP (EPP‐NOx) from the polar winter mesosphere and lower thermosphere to the stratosphere where it can destroy ozone. Previous studies of the EPP IE examined NOx descent averaged over the polar region, but the work presented here considers longitudinal variations. We report that the January 2009 split Arctic vortex in the stratosphere left an imprint on the distribution of NO near the mesopause, and that the magnitude of EPP‐NOx descent in the upper mesosphere depends strongly on the planetary wave (PW) phase. We focus on an 11‐day case study in late January immediately following the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming during which regional‐scale Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) formed atop the strengthening mesospheric vortex. The LCSs emerged over the north Atlantic in the vicinity of the trough of a 10‐day westward traveling planetary wave. Over the next week, the LCSs acted to confine NO‐rich air to polar latitudes, effectively prolonging its lifetime as it descended into the top of the polar vortex. Both a whole atmosphere data assimilation model and satellite observations show that the PW trough remained coincident in space and time with the NO‐rich air as both migrated westward over the Canadian Arctic. Estimates of descent rates indicate five times stronger descent inside the PW trough compared to other longitudes. This case serves to set the stage for future climatological analysis of NO transport via LCSs., Key Points First demonstration of the impact of the split Arctic vortex on the geographic distribution of nitric oxide at the winter mesopauseFirst evidence that a Lagrangian coherent structure inhibits horizontal transport of nitric oxide at the polar winter mesopauseDescent of nitric oxide is five times stronger between 80 and 90 km in a westward traveling planetary wave trough compared to the ridge

We present analysis methods for studying the structuring and motion of ionospheric irregularities at the sub-kilometer scale sizes that produce L-band scintillations. Spaced receiver methods are used for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers' phase measurements over approximately sub-kilometer to kilometer-length baselines for the first time. The quantities estimated by these techniques are: plasma drift velocity, diffraction anisotropy magnitude and orientation, and characteristic velocity. Uncertainties are quantified by ensemble simulation of noise on the phase signals carried through to the observations of the spaced-receiver linear system. These covariances are then propagated through to uncertainties on drifts through linearization about the estimated values of the state. Five receivers of the Scintillation Auroral Global Positioning System (GPS) Array (SAGA) provide 100 Hz power and phase data for each channel at L1 frequency. The array is sited in the auroral zone at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. A case study of a single scintillating satellite observed by the array is used to demonstrate the spaced receiver and uncertainty estimation process. A second case study estimates drifts as measured by multiple scintillating channels. These scintillations are correlated with auroral activity, based on all-sky camera images. Measurements and uncertainty estimates made over a 30-minute period are made and compared to a collocated incoherent scatter radar, and show good agreement in horizontal drift speed and direction during periods of scintillation for which the characteristic velocity is less than the drift velocity.

Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) in the time-varying flow of the upper atmosphere are found. The Horizontal Wind Model 2014 (HWM14) is used to simulate the neutral winds of the thermosphere at 150, 250, and 350 km altitude, for quiet and active geomagnetic conditions. Then LCS analysis of HWM14 winds at 100 km altitude is used to investigate space shuttle water vapor plume transport. LCSs are found to exist in the lower thermosphere, but are more prominent at 250 km and 350 km, at 40° - 80° latitudes on the dayside. Ionosphere-thermosphere coupling manifests in the response of thermospheric LCSs to geomagnetic activity. The LCSs shift equatorward and eastward, developing a more complex topology in the apparent form of two cells in the northern hemisphere high latitude zone. We also show for the first time that the LCS demarcates the high-latitude boundary of shuttle plume observations after 48 hours of transport.

We develop a method that uses data assimilation to estimate ionospheric-thermospheric (IT) states during mid-latitude nighttime storm conditions. The algorithm Estimating Model Parameters from Ionospheric Reverse Engineering (EMPIRE) uses time-varying electron densities in the F-region, derived primarily from total electron content data, to estimate two drivers of the IT: neutral winds and electric potential. A Kalman filter is used to update background models based on ingested plasma densities and neutral wind measurements. This is the first time a Kalman filtering technique is used with the EMPIRE algorithm and the first time neutral wind measurements from 630.0-nm Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPI) are ingested to improve estimates of storm time ion drifts and neutral winds. The effects of assimilating remotely sensed neutral winds from FPI observations are studied by comparing results of ingesting: electron densities (N) only, N plus half the measurements from a single FPI, and then N plus all of the FPI data. While estimates of ion drifts and neutral winds based on N give estimates similar to the background models, this study's results show that ingestion of the FPI data can significantly change neutral wind and ion drift estimation away from background models. In particular, once neutral winds are ingested, estimated neutral winds agree more with validation wind data and estimated ion drifts in the magnetic field parallel direction are most sensitive as compared to field-perpendicular-zonal and -meridional directions. Also, data assimilation with FPI measurements helps provide insight into the effects of contamination to 630.0-nm emissions experienced during geomagnetic storms.

We introduce and analyze the first data from an array of closely spaced Global Positioning System (GPS) scintillation receivers established in the auroral zone in late 2013 to measure spatial and temporal variations in L band signals at 100–1000 m and subsecond scales. The seven receivers of the Scintillation Auroral GPS Array (SAGA) are sited at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. The receivers produce 100 s scintillation indices and 100 Hz carrier phase and raw in-phase and quadrature-phase samples. SAGA is the largest existing array with baseline lengths of the ionospheric diffractive Fresnel scale at L band. With an initial array of five receivers, we identify a period of simultaneous amplitude and phase scintillation. We compare SAGA power and phase data with collocated 630.0 nm all-sky images of an auroral arc and incoherent scatter radar electron precipitation measurements, to illustrate how SAGA can be used in multi-instrument observations for subkilometer-scale studies. Key Points A seven-receiver Scintillation Auroral GPS Array (SAGA) is now at Poker Flat, Alaska SAGA is the largest subkilometer array to enable phase/irregularities studies Simultaneous scintillation, auroral arc, and electron precipitation are observed

[1] This paper reviews the effects of geomagnetic activity of solar cycle 24 from 2011 through mid-2013 on the Federal Aviation Administration's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) navigation service in the U.S., to identify (a) major impacts and their severity compared with the previous cycle and (b) effects in new service regions of North America added since last solar cycle. We examine two cases: a storm that reduced service coverage for several hours and ionospheric scintillation that led to anomalous receiver tracking. Using the 24–25 October 2011 storm as an example, we examine WAAS operational system coverage for the conterminous U.S. (CONUS). The WAAS algorithm upgrade to ionospheric estimation, in effect since late 2011, is able to mitigate the daytime coverage loss but not the nighttime loss. We correlate WAAS availability to maps of the storm plasma generated with the data assimilative model Ionospheric Data Assimilation 4-D, which show a local nighttime corotating persistent plume of plasma extending from Florida across central CONUS. We study the effect of scintillation on 9 October 2012 on the WAAS reference station at Fairbanks, Alaska. Data from a nearby scintillation monitor in Gakona and all-sky imaging of aurora at Poker Flat corroborate the event. Anomalous receiver processing triggered by scintillation reduces accuracy at Fairbanks for a few minutes. Users experiencing similar effects would have their confidence bounds inflated, possibly trading off service continuity for safety. The activity to date in solar cycle 24 has had minor effects on WAAS service coverage, mainly occurring in Alaska and Canada.

[1] This paper uses data assimilation to estimate ionospheric state during storm time at subdegree resolution. We use Ionospheric Data Assimilation Four-Dimensional (IDA4D) to resolve the three-dimensional time-varying electron density gradients of the storm-enhanced density poleward plume. By Estimating Model Parameters from Ionospheric Reverse Engineering (EMPIRE), we infer the three-dimensional plasma velocity from the densities. EMPIRE estimates of ExB drift are made by correcting the Weimer 2000 electric potential model. This is the first time electron densities derived from GPS total electron content (TEC) data are being used to estimate field-aligned and field-perpendicular drifts at such high resolution, without reference to direct drift measurements. The time-varying estimated electron densities are used to construct the ionospheric spatial decorrelation in vertical total electron content (TEC) on horizontal scales of less than 100 km. We compare slant TEC (STEC) estimates to actual STEC GPS observations, including independent unassimilated data. The IDA4D density model of the extreme ionospheric storm on 20 November 2003 shows STEC delays of up to 210 TEC units, comparable to the STEC of the GPS ground stations. Horizontal drifts from EMPIRE are predicted to be northwestward within the storm-enhanced density plume and its boundary, turning northeast at high latitudes. These estimates compare favorably to independent Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics-assimilated high-latitude ExB drift estimates. Estimated and measured Defense Meteorological Satellite Program in situ drifts differ by a factor of 2–3 and in some cases have incorrect direction. This indicates that significant density rates of change and more accurate accounting for production and loss may be needed when other processes are not dominant.

[1] Extreme ionospheric anomalies occurring during severe ionospheric activity can pose an integrity threat to users of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS). While most very large spatial gradients in slant ionospheric delay were observed on high-elevation satellites, several extreme gradients were also observed on satellites below 15 degrees elevation. This paper details the study of anomalous ionospheric spatial gradients for low-elevation satellites observed from the 20 November 2003 geomagnetic storm in the Conterminous United States (CONUS). As viewed by a cluster of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) receivers in northern Ohio, SVN 26 came into view around 20:30 Universal Time (UT) on this day, rose to an elevation angle of about 15 degrees, and set around 22:00 UT. A spatial gradient of 360 mm/km was discovered at 21:20 UT between CORS stations GARF and WOOS, when SVN 26 was at 11 degrees elevation. Ionospheric delay measurements are vulnerable to semi-codeless L2 tracking errors and data post-processing errors, especially when satellites are at low elevation. This paper presents a series of methods to validate observed ionospheric anomaly events using station-wide checks, satellite-wide checks, and manual verification with single-frequency measurements. Spatial gradients discovered at other station pairs and another low elevation satellite with a similar azimuth angle, SVN 29, support that the event of SVN 26 is an ionospheric anomaly as opposed to a receiver fault.

[1] The inversion algorithm for Estimating Model Parameters from Ionospheric Reverse Engineering (EMPIRE) has been created to gain insight into ionospheric dynamics, particularly when direct measurement is unavailable. We extend the capabilities of EMPIRE here, in order to demonstrate its effectiveness on densities obtained from real data. We apply this method to real Ionospheric Data-Assimilation 4-Dimensional (IDA4D) data from storm time measurements, focusing on the midlatitude F2 layer. EMPIRE is used to estimate midlatitude field-aligned and field-perpendicular drifts. The estimated upward drifts from EMPIRE are validated against measurements obtained from the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar zenith antenna. The horizontal × drifts are compared to the assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics (AMIE) model, which estimates drifts from data sources independent of those used in IDA4D. Results show that the direction and magnitude of the × drifts (and therefore the electric fields) may be deduced from imaging based primarily on total electron content data, although altitude variation is not significantly discernible. We also indicate that the initial uplift of the storm-enhanced density may have been more strongly influenced by field-aligned contributions of neutral winds and diffusion than the electric fields.

[1] We develop a new inversion algorithm for Estimating Model Parameters from Ionospheric Reverse Engineering (EMPIRE). The EMPIRE method uses four-dimensional images of global electron density to estimate the field-aligned neutral wind ionospheric driver when direct measurement is not available. We begin with a model of the electron continuity equation that includes production and loss rate estimates, as well as E x B drift, gravity, and diffusion effects. We use ion, electron, and neutral species temperatures and neutral densities from the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIMEGCM-ASPEN) for estimating the magnitude of these effects. We then model the neutral wind as a power series at a given longitude for a range of latitudes and altitudes. As a test of our algorithm, we have input TIMEGCM electron densities to our algorithm. The model of the neutral wind is computed at hourly intervals and validated by comparing to the "true" TIMEGCM neutral wind fields. We show results for a storm day: 10 November 2004. The agreement between the winds derived from EMPIRE versus the TIMEGCM "true" winds appears to be time-dependent for the day under consideration. This may indicate that the diurnal variation in certain driving processes impacts the accuracy of our neutral wind model. Despite the potential temporal and spatial limits on accuracy, estimating neutral wind speed from measured electron density fields via our algorithm shows great promise as a complement to the more sparse radar and satellite measurements.

[1] We present terrestrial and space-based dual-frequency observations of a region of enhanced total electron content (TEC) over the southeastern United States at local nighttime during the geomagnetic storm of 29–31 October 2003. The apparently localized, large-amplitude, and nearly Earth-fixed midlatitude ionosphere disturbance contained about 10 m higher delay at Global Positioning System (GPS) L1 frequency than the nighttime background ionosphere TEC. Using the dual-frequency altimeter on board the Jason satellite, we show evidence that nearly all of the electron content was below its orbital altitude of 1300 km at 0000 local time on 31 October 2003. Dual frequency GPS measurements from the receiver on board the SAC-C satellite indicate that some portion of the electron content existed above the 700 km orbit altitude of SAC-C. We develop a horizontally piecewise constant regional model of the enhancement. We compare the model prediction of TEC with the SAC-C satellite GPS data to constrain the altitude of this enhanced TEC region. Our model indicates that the peak density of the anomalous region is at slightly higher altitude and greater in amplitude than that of the background. The TEC enhancement provides a concrete case study of an extreme scenario that both space-based and ground-based GPS augmentation systems must take into account in order to offer high-accuracy, high-integrity corrections to GPS for safety-of-life applications.

[1] Civil signals at L2 and L5 frequencies herald a new phase of Global Positioning System (GPS) performance. Dual-frequency users typically assume a first-order approximation of the ionosphere index of refraction, combining the GPS observables to eliminate most of the ranging delay, on the order of meters, introduced into the pseudoranges. This paper estimates the higher-order group and phase errors that occur from assuming the ordinary first-order dual-frequency ionosphere model using data from the Federal Aviation Administration's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) network on a solar maximum quiet day and an extremely stormy day postsolar maximum. We find that during active periods, when ionospheric storms may introduce slant range delays at L1 as high as 100 m, the higher-order group errors in the L1–L2 or L1–L5 dual-frequency combination can be tens of centimeters. The group and phase errors are no longer equal and opposite, so these errors accumulate in carrier smoothing of the dual-frequency code observable. We show the errors in the carrier-smoothed code are due to higher-order group errors and, to a lesser extent, to higher-order phase rate errors. For many applications, this residual error is sufficiently small as to be neglected. However, such errors can impact geodetic applications as well as the error budgets of GPS Augmentation Systems providing Category III precision approach.