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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.

The variations of the strength and the hemispheric asymmetry of EIA were studied by Global Ionosphere Map (GIM) and SAMI2 during two geomagnetic storm periods in March and June 2013. Compared with the 30-days median TEC, the TEC at the two crests of EIA had small variations while the TEC at the trough had a more remarkable variation for the two storms after the SSC. The TEC difference between the two EIA peaks had an increase or decrease several hours after the SSC, the asymmetry between the two crests of EIA represented by the defined asymmetry index has no obvious variations except several hours after the SSC, and EIA strength represented by the Crest-to-Trough Ratio (CTR) had a remarkable increase one day after the SSC day for March storm and decrease several hours after the SSC for June storm. The variations last several hours, with more than 40% variations compared with the value during the quiet period. The EIA peaks were also found to move toward the equator after the SSC during the two storms. The simulation from SAMI2 and HWM07 also shows that EIA crests would move toward the equator during storm time and EIA strength would decrease, which suggests that the disturbed neutral wind and disturbed electric field may be important factors affecting the EIA during the storm periods.

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.

Using the empirical ionospheric model, the flux-tube integrated electron density and the ratio between the F-region Pedersen conductivity and the total E- and F-region Pedersen conductivity are calculated to investigate the characteristics of the ionospheric asymmetry after sunset during a solar cycle. Furthermore, two indices representing the asymmetric strength of the parameters respectively are defined to study its relationship with the occurrences of the irregularities during different seasons and with different solar activities. The results indicate that the electron density and the Pedersen conductivity ratio show north-south remarkable hemispheric asymmetry at different solar energy levels. The asymmetric strengths represent the dependence on seasons and solar activities, and their variation depending on seasons and solar activities show a negative correlation with the occurrences of the equatorial irregularities and also have a negative relation with the linear growth rate of the generalized Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

[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.