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Recent studies on the equatorial atmosphere–ionosphere coupling system have shown that planetary-wave-type oscillations, as an important seeding mechanism for equatorial spread F (ESF), play an important role in ESF irregularity development and its day-to-day variability in the equatorial latitudes. In this study, ionosonde virtual height and ESF measurements over Sanya (18.4° N, 109.6° E; 12.8° N dip latitude) and meteor radar neutral-wind measurements over Fuke (19.5° N, 109.1° E; 14° N dip latitude) during 2013 are used to investigate the features of planetary-wave-type oscillations in both the lower atmosphere and the ionosphere and their possible influences on ESF occurrence under the weak solar maximum year. The ∼ 3-day and ∼ 7-day planetary-wave-type oscillations have been observed in the neutral zonal winds and the time rate of change in F-layer virtual heights. According to the propagation characteristics, the 3-day and 7-day planetary-wave-type oscillations are basically recognized as ultrafast and fast Kelvin waves, respectively. With increasing heights, the 3-day wave oscillations are gradually amplified, while the 7-day wave oscillations are generally constant. By performing a cross-wavelet transform on the onsets of ESF and the vertical drifts of the F layer, we found that there are simultaneously occurring 7-day and 3-day common wave oscillations between them. The 7-day waves are mainly in the inversion phase, while the 3-day waves are mostly in an in-phase state, indicating that the 7-day waves may play a main role in ESF initiation. Approximate delays of 6 days for the 7-day waves and 5 days for the 3-day waves in their propagation upward from the lower atmosphere to the ionosphere are evaluated with wavelet power spectrum analysis. The estimated upward velocities from these time delays provide consistent evidence that the 7-day and 3-day waves propagate vertically upward with typical Kelvin wave characteristics. The results highlight the role of planetary-wave-type oscillations in the initiation and development of ESF in the Chinese low-latitude region.

Ionosonde ionogram measurements over Sanya (18°N, 109°E; 13°N dip latitude), China during 2012–2013 are used to investigate the occurrence characteristics of spread-F (SF) and satellite traces (STs), and the possible correlation between them under the weak solar maximum of solar cycle 24. The SF and STs were manually identified from ionograms. The results show that the diurnal pattern of SF peaks at post-sunset during equinox, and at post-midnight during summer months, respectively. By classifying the SF into range spread-F (RSF) and frequency spread-F (FSF), it is found that the SF during equinox are mostly RSF associated with the equatorial F-region irregularities and can be explained by the generalized Rayleigh–Taylor instability. A statistics on the RSF and STs shows that not all RSF events were preceded by STs, and not all STs led to RSF development. The monthly mean value of the sunset ionospheric F2 layer peak height (hmF2) on RSF days is apparently higher than that on non RSF days. This result provides statistically consistent evidence that both the sunset rapid rising of the F-layer and the presence of F-region bottomside density perturbations (as indicated by STs) are important factors for the equinoctial RSF onset and development. However in summer months, the occurrences of RSF and FSF are comparable. Most FSF initiated at midnight. And there was no close relationship between the summer time FSF, F-layer height increase and STs. We suggest that the midnight FSF during summer months observed over Sanya might not be resulting from the decaying of post-sunset RSF initiated at equatorial latitude, but due to the quite localized generation of F-region irregularities.

Ionogram observations from the ionosonde at Fuke (9.5°N geomagnetic latitude), a Chinese low latitude station, in 2010–2012 are analyzed to present the features of F3 layer under low and moderate solar activity conditions. Structure of the ionogram, displaying the F3 layer, was more distinct and clear during MSA than LSA periods especially during spring to summer. Start time of occurrence of the F3 layer is about at 0830–0900 LT and is approximately the same for LSA and MSA conditions. The average duration time of the F3 layer occurrence was 181 min per day under F 10.7 = 75 condition, 263 min in F 10.7 = 99 and 358 min in F 10.7 = 125, respectively. The differences of h′F2 and h′F3 exhibited obvious semiannual variation observed at Fuke from March 2010 to June 2012 and increased with increasing solar activity. The difference of foF2 and foF3 in the months February, March, September, October and November is less evident in the middle solar activity period 2011–2012 than the low solar activity 2010 and in the other period it shows a slight increase (0.5 MHz) or keeps constant. The results show that the solar activity dependence of the F3 layer occurrence at low latitude away from the magnetic equator is different from that at near the magnetic equator.

[1] Detecting Doppler frequency shifts from ionospheric high-frequency echoes is an important way to study ionospheric disturbances. This paper presents and realizes a new mode for observation of ionospheric disturbances using a combination of coded pulses and echo phase measurement analysis in ionospheric vertical sounding based on the Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI) platform. Experimental results show that the newly developed mode for observation of ionospheric disturbances on CADI can acquire accurate Doppler ionogram (Dopplionogram) and obtain temporal and spatial variations of the velocity of ionospheric disturbances in real time so that it has essential value in observation and research of ionospheric disturbances. The application of the new mode for observation of ionospheric disturbances in ionospheric vertical sounding opens up a new, effective way by which much more ionospheric information can be acquired with existing common ionospheric sounding instruments.