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International audience; On 21-22 June 2015, three consecutive interplanetary shocks slammed into the Earth's magnetosphere. Immediately after the third shock at 18:36 UT on 22 June, marked by an exceptional sudden storm commencement with an amplitude of Delta SYM-H = similar to 106 nT, a major geomagnetic storm commenced. In the present study, a multi-instrument approach comprising observations, data analysis, and modeling is used to examine the global ionospheric response. Results show that enhanced storm time processes produced major total electron content (TEC) variations at different latitudes, longitudes, and phases of the storm. A closer inspection of the TEC observations reveals strong longitudinal and hemispherical asymmetry. In addition, multiple equatorward and poleward propagating traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) were detected in the TEC data. Equatorward propagating TIDs are consistent with vertical neutral winds simulated from Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model; however, poleward TIDs were not reproduced in the model. We find that a combination of driving processes including enhanced high-latitude injection, prompt penetration electric fields, disturbance dynamo effect, neutral winds, and composition changes were acting at different stages of the storm

Data from ionosonde and GPS total electron content (TEC) observations reveal a number of ionospheric phenomena that occurred in response to the total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017 over North America. The eclipse started over the US west coast at ∼16:00 UTC (08:00 LT) and ended over the US east coast at ∼20:00 UTC (15:00 LT). We identify the growth of plasma density irregularities and turbulence on the bottomside ionosphere during the eclipse totality (at ∼10:34 LT over the Idaho station), signified by the distinct appearance of spread-F echoes in the ionosonde data. These spread-F echoes appeared in both O-mode and X-mode traces, and they lasted for approximately 10 minutes. Preceding the appearance of the spread echoes, an uplift of the ionospheric F-layer and steepening of the bottomside ionospheric density gradient were seen in the ionosonde data. In addition, data from the ionosonde observations also show some characteristic signatures of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) at ∼300 km altitude during the eclipse. The TIDs in the ionosonde observations were observed roughly 30 minutes after the time of maximum eclipse, and they have a wave periodicity of approximately 10 minutes. In other words, these TIDs were in the wake of the eclipse totality (lagging behind the umbra), and the wave period was shorter than the medium-scale or short-scale TIDs typically seen in the GPS TEC data. Finally, large reductions in TEC and ionospheric plasma densities (by 33%–45%) as a response to the eclipse were observed in both the GPS TEC and ionosonde data. The ionospheric density in the ionospheric E-region reached minimum roughly at the same time as the maximum eclipse, while the ionospheric F-region density and GPS TEC reached minimum 20–30 minutes after the maximum eclipse.

This paper discusses the ionosphere's response to the largest storm of solar cycle 24 during 16–18 March 2015. We have used the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) total electron content dat ...

The confluence of recent instrumentation deployments in Africa with developments for the determination of plasmasphere electron content using Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers has provided new opportunities for investigations in that region. This investigation, using a selected chain of GPS stations, extends the method (SCORPION) previously applied to a chain of GPS stations in North America in order to separate the ionosphere and plasmasphere contributions to the total electron content (TEC) during a day (24 July) in 2011. The results span latitudes from the southern tip of Africa, across the Equator, to the southern Arabian Peninsula, providing a continuous latitudinal profile for both the ionosphere and plasmasphere during this day.The peak diurnal vertical ionosphere electron content (IEC) increases from about 14 TEC units (1 TEC unit = 1016 electrons m−2) at the southernmost station to about 32 TEC units near the geographic equator, then decreases to about 28 TEC units at the Arabian Peninsula. The peak diurnal slant plasmasphere electron content (PEC) varies between about 4 and 7 TEC units among the stations, with a local latitudinal profile that is significantly influenced by the viewing geometry at the station location, relative to the magnetic field configuration. In contrast, the peak vertical PEC varies between about 1 and 6 TEC units among the stations, with a more uniform latitudinal variation.Comparisons to other GPS data analyses are also presented for TEC, indicating the influence of the PEC on the determination of latitudinal TEC variations and also on the absolute TEC levels, by inducing an overestimate of the receiver bias. The derived TEC latitudinal profiles, in comparison to global map profiles, tend to differ from the map results only about as much as the map results differ among themselves. A combination of ionosonde IEC and alternative GPS TEC measurements, which in principle permits a PEC determination through their difference, was compared to the composite and separate ionosphere and plasmasphere contributions derived solely by the SCORPION method for one station. Although there is considerably more scatter in the PEC values derived from the difference of the GPS TEC and ionosonde IEC measurements compared to the PEC values derived by the SCORPION method, the average overhead values for this day are comparable for the two methods, near 2 TEC units, at the South African site examined.This initial investigation provides a basis for day-to-day TEC monitoring for Africa, with separate ionosphere and plasmasphere electron content determinations.

In this work, we investigated the veracity of an ion continuity equation in controlling equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) morphology using total electron content (TEC) of 22 GPS receivers and three ground-based magnetometers (Magnetic Data Acquisition System, MAGDAS) over Africa and the Middle East (Africa–Middle East) during the quietest periods. Apart from further confirmation of the roles of equatorial electrojet (EEJ) and integrated equatorial electrojet (IEEJ) in determining hemispheric extent of EIA crest over higher latitudes, we found some additional roles played by thermospheric meridional neutral wind. Interestingly, the simultaneous observations of EIA crests in both hemispheres of Africa–Middle East showed different morphology compared to that reported over Asia. We also observed interesting latitudinal twin EIA crests domiciled at the low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Our results further showed that weak EEJ strength associated with counter electrojet (CEJ) during sunrise hours could also trigger twin EIA crests over higher latitudes.

This paper investigates a technique to estimate near-real-time electron density structure of the ionosphere. Ground-based GPS receiver total electron content (TEC) at low and high latitudes has been used to assist the NeQuick 2 model. First, we compute model input (effective ionization level) when the modeled slant TEC (sTEC) best fits the measured sTEC by single GPS receiver (reference station). Then we run the model at different locations nearby the reference station and produce the spatial distribution of the density profiles of the ionosphere in the East African region. We investigate the performance of the model, before and after data ingestion in estimating the topside ionosphere density profiles. This is carried out by extracting in situ density from the model at the corresponding location of C/NOFS (Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System) satellite orbit and comparing the modeled ion density with the in situ ion density observed by Planar Langmuir Probe onboard C/NOFS. It is shown that the performance of the model after data ingestion reproduces the topside ionosphere better up to about 824 km away from the reference station than that before adaptation. Similarly, for high-latitude region, NeQuick 2 adapted to sTEC obtained from high-latitude (Tromso in Norway) GPS receiver and the model used to reproduce parameters measured by European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) VHF radar. It is shown that the model after adaptation shows considerable improvement in estimating EISCAT measurements of electron density profile, F2 peak density, and height.

This paper presents first observations of poleward traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) during strong geomagnetic conditions over the African sector. By analyzing different data sets we have observed both positive and negative ionospheric responses during the storm period of 08–10 March 2012. Considering the African region as a whole, three longitudinal sectors were strategically selected to establish the entire regional response. On both sides of the geomagnetic equator, results show poleward shift in peak total electron content (TEC) enhancements/depletions at different times which are associated to large-scale TIDs. The observed phenomena are linked to the global ionospheric response and electrodynamics. The understanding has been established using data from International GNSS Service receiver network, radio occultation electron density profiles, derived E×B drift measurements from magnetometer observations and regional ground-based and satellite data. Contrary to other related studies, generated regional TEC perturbation maps were not enough to show obvious directions of the large-scale TIDs due to insufficient data over the northern hemispheric part of the African sector. There appears to be a switch between positive and negative storm phases during the same storm period especially in the Southern Hemisphere part of the African region where “enough” data were available. However, a detailed analysis revealed that the positive storm phase corresponded to the expansion of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) toward some parts of midlatitude regions (and possibly with the contribution from low-latitude electrodynamics associated to equatorial electrojet), while the other part recorded a negative storm phase due to storm-induced changes from the auroral origin. We have observed a simultaneous occurrence of both poleward and equatorward propagating TIDs over the African sector during the same geomagnetic storm period. Our results show that short-lived large-scale TIDs are possibly launched by the equatorial electrojet, while the EIA expansion contributes (through modulation) to the poleward propagation of the disturbances. Temporal variation of TEC perturbations on a storm day over the entire African sector showed the existence of large-scale TIDs during the main and recovery phases which can travel poleward up to 20° latitude. The amplitudes of the TIDs have range ±2 total electron content unit, 1 TECU = 1016 el m−2, period of 2 h and virtual velocities of 250 ± 59–750 ± 95 m/s in midlatitude regions and up to 990 ± 65 m/s within the EIA region.

The equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA), inferred from the electron density profile, was used to study the ionospheric effect of 11 March 2011, 06 April 2011, 09 March 2012 and 01 October 2012 geomagnetic storms in the East African sector. The electron density profile was reconstructed from slant total electron content (sTEC) measurements using statistical linear inversion method. The sTEC measurements were recorded by a chain of ten ground-based GPS receivers deployed in the East African region in the latitude range of 6° S–20° N GeoLat (15.29° S–10.62° N geomagnetic latitude). The analysis of the effect of the storms on the EIA has demonstrated that the effect could be positive or negative. The sudden positive effects of the EIA, in terms of increasing the peak and widening the width, during storm events of 06 April 2011, 09 March 2012 and 01 October 2012 were observed dominantly due to prompt penetration electric fields to the magnetic equator, which were caused by a southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field ( B z ). The prolonged effects after the onset of the storm were attributed to disturbance dynamo electric field due to the storm-time neutral wind circulation. The depletion on the electron density profile during 11 March 2011 storm was due to a decrease in [O] to [ N 2 ] ratio in the thermosphere composition.

We present the characteristics of the EIA in the East African sector inferred from ground-based GPS receivers via ionospheric tomography during the year 2012. For the analysis, we developed and used a 2D ionospheric tomography imaging software based on Bayesian inversion approach. To reconstruct ionospheric electron density form slant Total Electron Content (sTEC) measurements, we selected a chain of ten ground-based GPS receivers with stations’ codes and geomagnetic coordinates: ARMI ( 3.03 ° S , 109.29 ° E ), DEBK ( 4.32 ° N , 109.48 ° E ), ASOS ( 1.14 ° N , 106.16 ° E ), NEGE ( 3.60 ° S , 111.35 ° E ), SHIS ( 3.26 ° N , 110.62 ° E ), ASAB ( 4.91 ° N , 114.34 ° E ), SHEB ( 7.36 ° N , 110.60 ° E ), EBBE ( 9.54 ° S , 104.10 ° E ), DODM ( 16.03 ° S , 109.04 ° E ) & NAMA ( 11.49 ° N , 113.60 ° E ). The temporal, spatial and storm-time characteristics of the EIA and the hourly, day-to-day and seasonal variations of the maximum electron density of F2 region (NmF2) at 15.29°S geomagnetic latitude are presented. We found that the magnitude of the peak and the width/thickness of the EIA pronounced during the equinox and weakened during the solstice seasons at 2100 LT. It is also observed that the EIA persisted for longer time in equinox season than the solstice season. The spatial appearance of the northern and southern anomalies are observed starting from 6.12 ° N and 10 ° S respectively along geomagnetic latitude during equinox season. The EIA is localized between 180 km and 450 km along the altitude during December solstice. The analysis on the NmF2 demonstrated a significant dependence on local time, day and season of the year. We also investigated the storm response of the EIA for the magnetic storm of Day Of the Year (DOY) 274–276. It is observed that the disturbance dynamo related composition change (O/N2 ratio) resulted in a well-developed EIA with an increase in the peak and the width of the EIA at 2100 LT on DOY 275 (main phase of the storm) compared to 274 (initial phase of the storm) and 276 (recovery phase of the storm).

This paper examines the performances of NeQuick 2 and IRI-2007 ionospheric empirical models in describing the monthly median characteristics of the equatorial region ionosphere. This is carried out by comparing the vertical total electron content (vTEC) obtained from ground Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and NmF2 obtained from digisonde with the corresponding values computed using these models. Four years worth of data have been considered in this study. We have shown that the performances of both models are better during the medium solar activity period than low solar activity period. The present investigation has depicted that both models overestimate the observed vTEC during low solar activity period. The modeled and experimental NmF2 has shown good agreement; but the modeled and experimental vTEC has shown significant discrepancy. This discrepancy is shown mainly due to inadequately computed ionospheric slab thicknesses using IRI-2007 and NeQuick 2. However, the chi-square test showed that both models are describing the observed vTEC with 99.9% of confidence level except in the time intervals when the double peaks of modeled vTEC are obtained. In addition, we have shown that both models have a relatively minimal mismodeling during the December solstices.

[1] We present a detailed case study of the electrodynamics of a high-latitude trough observed at ~ 12 UT (~1 MLT) on 8 March 2008 using multiple instruments, including incoherent scattering radar (ISR), GPS total electron content (TEC), magnetometers, and auroral imager. The electron density within the trough dropped as much as 80% within 6 minutes. This trough was collocated with a counterclockwise convection flow vortex, indicating divergent horizontal electric fields and currents. Together with a collocated dark area shown in auroral images, the observations provide strong evidence for an existence of downward field-aligned currents (FACs) collocated with the high-latitude trough. This is further supported by assimilative mapping of ionospheric electrodynamics results. In addition, the downward FACs formed at about the same time as a substorm onset and east of the Harang reversal, suggesting it is part of the substorm current wedge. It has long been a puzzle why this type of high-latitude trough predominantly occurs just east of the Harang reversal in the postmidnight sector. We suggest that the high-latitude trough is associated with the formation of downward FACs of the substorm current system, which usually occur just east of the Harang reversal. In addition, we find that the ionospheric electron temperature within the high latitude trough decreases in the F region while increasing in the E region. We discuss possible mechanisms responsible for the complex change in electron temperature, such as ion composition change and/or presence of downward FACs.

[1] One important characteristic of longitudinal variability of the ionosphere is the global wavenumber-4 signature. Recent investigations have focused mainly on the climatological pattern during daytime and evening sectors. We investigate the day-to-day variability of the wavenumber-4 structure of the longitudinal ionospheric density distribution using the global total electron content (TEC) measurements from Global Positioning Systems receivers on the ground. The quiet time (Kp ≤ 3) day-to-day occurrence of the wavenumber-4 is obtained during periods of low solar flux conditions for the years 2008 and 2009. We find that the wavenumber-4 structure occurs at all local time sectors; however, the daytime TEC wavenumber-4 structures are clearer and can persist until the midnight hours. The most significant occurrence is observed during the 1000–2400 LT sector while the minimum number of wavenumber-4 structure is observed between the 0400 and 0600 LT sector. Around the nighttime sector, more wavenumber-4 occurrence is observed during the premidnight sector than the postmidnight hours. The seasonal occurrence probability of the wavenumber-4 pattern is at a maximum during the March–April equinox and June–July solstice. December–January is the period when the wavenumber-4 occurrence is less dominant than the rest of the year.

We report on the first simultaneous observations of poleward and equatorward traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) during the same geomagnetic storm period on a global scale. While poleward propagating TIDs originate from the geomagnetic equator region, equatorward propagating TIDs are launched from the auroral regions. On a global scale, we use total electron content observations from the Global Navigation Satellite Systems to show that these TIDs existed over South American, African, and Asian sectors. The American and African sectors exhibited predominantly strong poleward TIDs, while the Asian sector recorded mostly equatorward TIDs which crossed the geomagnetic equator to either hemisphere on 9 March 2012. However, both poleward and equatorward TIDs are simultaneously present in all three sectors. Using a combination of ground-based magnetometer observations and available low-latitude radar (JULIA) data, we have established and confirmed that poleward TIDs of geomagnetic equator origin are due to ionospheric electrodynamics, specifically changes in E × B vertical drift after the storm onset.

The Australian Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsatellite, FedSat (named to commemorate the centenary of the Australian Federation in 2001), was launched into orbit on December 14, 2002 from the Tanegashima Space Centre, Japan. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver was one of the instruments onboard. The received GPS signals can be used to investigate the ionospheric electron density and the atmosphere below FedSat's orbiting altitude, using radio occultation (RO) techniques. The RO technique developed involves a simplified form of the Abel transform using the slant total electron content (STEC) determined from radio signals that traverse below FedSat's orbiting altitude. Electron density profiles from the GPS RO data, recorded by the GPS receiver onboard the FedSat satellite, are determined for the first time. The technique combined with simultaneous occultation density profile extraction from different LEO satellites and satellite navigation systems has the potential to image near real-time 3-D structures of the ionospheric electron density.

The plasmaspheric electron content is directly estimated from the global positioning system (GPS) data onboard JASON-1 Satellite for the first time. Similarly, the ground-based GPS total electron content (TEC) is estimated using about 1000 GPS receivers distributed around the globe. The relative contribution of the plasmaspheric electron content to the ground-based GPS TEC is then estimated globally using these two independent simultaneous measurements; namely ground-based GPS TEC and JASON-1 GPS TEC. Results presented here include data from 3 months of different solar cycle conditions (October 2003, May 2005, and December 2006). The global comparison between the two independent measurements was performed by dividing the data into three different regions; equatorial, mid- and high-latitude regions. This division is essential as the GPS raypaths traverse different distances through the plasmasphere at different latitudes. The raypath length through the plasmasphere decreases as latitude increases. The relative contribution of the plasmaspheric electron content exhibits a diurnal variation that depends on latitude with minimum contribution (∼10%) during daytime and maximum (up to 60%) at night. The contribution is also maximum at the equatorial region where the GPS raypath traverses a long distance through the plasmasphere compared to its length in mid- and high-latitude regions. Finally, the solar cycle variation of plasmaspheric contribution is also reported globally.

This paper introduces a technique that calculates average electron density (Ne) profiles over a wide geographic area of coverage, using tomographic ionospheric Ne profiles. These Ne profiles, which can provide information of the Ne distribution up to global positioning system (GPS) orbiting altitude (with the coordination of space-based GPS tomographic profiles), can be incorporated into the next generation of the international reference ionosphere (IRI) model. An additional advantage of tomography is that it enables accurate modeling of the topside ionosphere. By applying the tomographic reconstruction approach to ground-based GPS slant total electron content (STEC), we calculate 3-h average Ne profiles over a wide region. Since it uses real measurement data, tomographic average Ne profiles describe the ionosphere during quiet and disturbed periods. The computed average Ne profiles are compared with IRI model profiles and average Ne profiles obtained from ground-based ionosondes.

The spatial electron density distribution observations using the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver onboard, the Australian research micro satellite FedSat, are being used to investigate more detailed information about the topside ionospheric and plasmaspheric density distribution than can be obtained using ground based receivers. This is because with ground based receivers, the topside ionosphere and the plasmasphere contribute only a small fraction to the total electron content and so the measurements are dominated by the higher ionospheric structure at the F2 peak. Being in a polar Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), and with a GPS Total Electron Content (TEC) sampling rate of 10 s, FedSat is capable of covering a large area of interest within short period of data sampling period which is very important to obtain realistic electron density profiles of the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere. The GPS data from FedSat can be divided into two types: GPS below-the-horizon data that is recorded when FedSat detects GPS signals that have traversed the ionosphere below FedSat’s orbiting height, GPS above-the-horizon data that is recorded when FedSat receives signals that have crossed the ionosphere above its orbiting height. FedSat’s GPS below-the-horizon data can be used to supplement ground based GPS data to provide tomographic reconstruction with better resolution. FedSat’s GPS above-the-horizon data can be used by itself to obtain the electron density distribution of the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere using tomographic reconstruction technique. For this paper we have used only above-the-horizon data to obtain the topside ionospheric electron density distribution during both geomagnetically quiet and severe storm-time conditions.

[1] NeQuick 2 ionospheric empirical model depends on global ionospheric coefficients that are estimated from unevenly distributed ionosonde measurements. In regions, like Africa, where very few observational data were available until recently, the model estimated the ionospheric peak parameters by interpolation. When one wants to employ the model to specify the ionosphere where very few data have been used for model development, the performances of the model need careful validation. This study investigates the performances of NeQuick 2 in the East African region by assisting the model with measurements from a single Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, which has been deployed recently. This can be done by first calculating an effective ionization level that drives NeQuick 2 to compute slant total electron content (sTEC) which fits, in the least square sense, with the measurements taken from a single GPS receiver. We then quantify the performances of NeQuick 2 in reproducing the measured TEC by running the model at four other locations, where GPS stations are available, using the same effective ionization level that we calculated from a single GPS station as a driver of the model. Finally, the performances of the model before and after data ingestion have been investigated by comparing the model results with the experimental sTEC and vertical TEC (vTEC) obtained from the four test stations. Three months data during low solar activity conditions have been used for this study. We have shown that the capability of NeQuick 2, in describing the East African region of the ionosphere, can be improved substantially by data ingestion. We found that the model after ingestion reproduces the experimental TEC better as far as about 620 km away from the reference station than that before adaptation. The statistical comparisons of the performances of the model in reproducing sTEC before and after ingestion are also discussed in this study.

Accurate estimation of global vertical distribution of ionospheric and plasmaspheric density as a function of local time, season, and magnetic activity is required to improve the operation of space-based navigation and communication systems. The vertical density distribution, especially at low and equatorial latitudes, is governed by the equatorial electrodynamics that produces a vertical driving force. The vertical structure of the equatorial density distribution can be observed by using tomographic reconstruction techniques on ground-based global positioning system (GPS) total electron content (TEC). Similarly, the vertical drift, which is one of the driving mechanisms that govern equatorial electrodynamics and strongly affect the structure and dynamics of the ionosphere in the low/midlatitude region, can be estimated using ground magnetometer observations. We present tomographically reconstructed density distribution and the corresponding vertical drifts at two different longitudes: the East African and west South American sectors. Chains of GPS stations in the east African and west South American longitudinal sectors, covering the equatorial anomaly region of meridian approx. 37 deg and 290 deg E, respectively, are used to reconstruct the vertical density distribution. Similarly, magnetometer sites of African Meridian B-field Education and Research (AMBER) and INTERMAGNET for the east African sector and South American Meridional B-field Array (SAMBA) and Low Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (LISN) are used to estimate the vertical drift velocity at two distinct longitudes. The comparison between the reconstructed and Jicamarca Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) measured density profiles shows excellent agreement, demonstrating the usefulness of tomographic reconstruction technique in providing the vertical density distribution at different longitudes. Similarly, the comparison between magnetometer estimated vertical drift and other independent drift observation, such as from VEFI onboard Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite and JULIA radar, is equally promising. The observations at different longitudes suggest that the vertical drift velocities and the vertical density distribution have significant longitudinal differences; especially the equatorial anomaly peaks expand to higher latitudes more in American sector than the African sector, indicating that the vertical drift in the American sector is stronger than the African sector.

The effects of the 15 May 2005 severe geomagnetic storm on the South African ionosphere are studied using ground-based and satellite observations. Ionospheric disturbances have less frequently been investigated over mid-latitude regions. Recently, a number of studies investigated their evolution and generation over these regions. This paper reports on the first investigation of travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) over mid-latitude South Africa. Using Global Positioning System (GPS)-derived total electron content (TEC) variations from the South African network of dual frequency GPS receivers, we were able to examine the effects of the disturbance on the quiet-time TEC. Two TEC enhancements were observed at low- and mid-latitudes: the first observed between 30–45°S geomagnetic latitudes associated with equatorward neutral winds and the passage of a TID, and the second TEC enhancement associated with a second TID. In addition, the F-region critical frequency (foF2) values observed at two ionosonde stations show that the ionospheric response as seen by ionosondes was different from that of the TEC response during the disturbance period. The dissimilarity between the TEC and the foF2 suggests that two competing drivers existed, i.e., the westward electric field and equatorward neutral wind effects.

[1] We have examined the quiet time equatorial electrodynamics of the ionosphere in the postmidnight sector using satellite, GPS total electron content (TEC) and ionosonde data. ROCSAT-1 vertical drift data are used to estimate the equatorial ionosphere electrodynamics, TOPEX altimeter and GPS TEC are used to obtain the density structure of the ionosphere. Ionosonde data measure the postmidnight F layer height as function of local time. We analyzed 4 years (2001–2004) of quiet time (Kp ≤ 3) observations in the postmidnight sector. We found that very strong equatorial ionospheric anomalies (EIAs) in the postmidnight (0100–0500 LT) sector during magnetically quiet periods are common and are capable of disrupting satellite communication and navigation systems. The coordinated multi-instrument observations clearly demonstrate that these strong EIAs are not simply the EIAs observed in earlier local time sectors that have corotated into the postmidnight sector as has been suggested by previous studies. We demonstrate that they are triggered by a reversed vertically upward drift, which is suggested to be generated by thermospheric neutral wind through F region dynamo. This clearly demonstrates that the Earth's postmidnight ionosphere is dynamic even in magnetically quiet periods contrary to simple theoretical model predictions.

[1] Plasmaspheric plumes have ionospheric signatures and are observed as storm-enhanced density (SED) in global positioning system (GPS) total electron content (TEC). These ionospheric signatures have been primarily observed over the American sector and in a few limited examples over the European sector. This study examines the longitudinal occurrence frequency of plasmaspheric plumes. We analyzed all images from the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUV) databases for the first half of 2001 and identified a total of 31 distinct plume intervals observed during different storm events. Out of the total IMAGE EUV plumes that we identified, 12 were projected over North America, 10 over Asia, and the remaining 9 were over Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. Using ground-based GPS TEC from MIT's Madrigal database, we searched for corresponding SED/TEC plumes at different longitudinal sector and found 12 ionospheric SED plume signatures over North America, 4 over Europe, and 2 over Asia. This indicates that the observation probability of an ionospheric SED plume when a plasmaspheric plume is seen is 100% in the American sector, 50% in the European sector, and 20% in the Asian sector. This could be due to the fact that the plumes may be either positioned beyond the limit of the ground-based GPS field of view, which happens mainly when there is less plasmaspheric erosion, or are too weak to be detected by the sparse number of GPS receivers over Asia. The in situ plasma densities from the available coincident defense metrological satellite program (DMSP) satellites were also used to study the characteristics of SED/TEC plume at DMSP orbiting altitude (i.e., ∼870 km). The TOPographic EXplorer (TOPEX) altimeter TEC also is used to identify the conjugate SED/plume signature over the Southern Hemisphere.

[1] Previously, ionospheric signatures of plasmaspheric plumes were reported only at the North American longitude sector. This led to the hypothesis that the geomagnetic field configuration at those longitudes played a vital role in the observation of plasmaspheric plume signatures only over the American continent. Combining ground-based GPS total electron content (TEC), EISCAT incoherent scattering radar (ISR), and DMSP F15 ion drift meter observations we have observed greatly elevated density over the European continent during storm recovery phase on 12 September 2005. The TEC seen over Europe has a tongue of enhanced ionization extending to higher latitudes, which is identical to the plasmaspheric plume signatures that have been often observed over North America. Therefore, our observations clearly demonstrate that ionospheric signatures of plasmaspheric plumes are not limited to the North American sector and suggest that they may be observed at any longitude as long as a dense array of instruments are available to identify these signatures. Citation: Yizengaw, E., M. B. Moldwin, and D. A. Galvan (2006), Ionospheric signatures of a plasmaspheric plume over Europe, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L17103, doi:10.1029/2006GL026597.

[1] We analyze the effects on the Southern Hemisphere ionosphere and plasmasphere due to the 29–31 October 2003 geomagnetic storms (the so-called series of Halloween storms). Solar wind data from ACE and ionospheric data from the GPS (Global Position System) ground and LEO (Low Earth Orbit) receivers, the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter, the IMAGE FUV camera, and the DMSP drift meter are used to understand the ionospheric dynamics as a function of the storm phase. The detailed structure of the ionosphere has been obtained using tomographic reconstruction applied to data from both ground- and space-based GPS receivers. The tomographic approach using LEO observations of signals received from GPS satellites above the LEO's horizon allows us to investigate the topside ionospheric and plasmaspheric density distribution in more detail than can be obtained using ground-based GPS receivers. This is because with ground-based receivers, the higher topside ionosphere and plasmasphere contribute only a small fraction to the total electron content (TEC) and so the measurements are dominated by the ionospheric structure at the F2 peak. In contrast, the Australian LEO satellite, FedSat, which has been used for this study, orbits at 800 km altitude, well above the F2 peak and hence the TEC measured is primarily due to the upper topside ionosphere and plasmasphere. This paper presents the tomographically reconstructed topside ionosphere and plasmasphere electron density distributions using LEO observations. The temporal and regional maps of TEC and the IMAGE FUV data show that the storm that commenced on 29 October dramatically decreased the plasma density in the Southern Hemisphere middle and high latitudes. The region remained depleted of plasma for more than 24 hours until 31 October, when the second severe storm began. TOPEX/Poseidon data shows a daytime localized density enhancement occurred above the middle of the Pacific Ocean. These results show large interhemispheric and longitudinally narrow storm-time structure in the ionosphere and topside ionosphere/plasmasphere.

[1] Tomographic imaging provides a powerful technique for obtaining images of the spatial distribution of ionospheric electron density in an altitude versus geographic latitude grid at a specified longitudinal sector. The method, which involves monitoring the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere using signals transmitted from the global positioning system (GPS), has the ability to reveal the detailed structure of the ionosphere including the mid-latitude trough. The tomographic reconstruction of ionospheric electron density structures are performed at different specific longitudinal sectors both in the northern and southern hemisphere. At the same time the plasmapause position is estimated from IMAGE EUV images and mapped onto tomographic images. The simultaneous location of the altitude extension of the mid-latitude trough and the plasmapause position are essentially co-located.

The ionospheric storm evolution process was monitored during the 22 September 1999 magnetic storm over the Australian eastern region, through measurements of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) from seven Global Positioning Systems (GPS) stations. The spatial and temporal variations of the ionosphere were analysed as a time series of TEC maps. Results of our analysis show that the main ionospheric effect of the storm under consideration are: the long lasting negative storm effect during a magnetic storm at mid-latitude regions; the strong, positive disturbances during the storm's main phase at auroral latitude regions; the effects of storm-induced equatorward directed wind causing a positive disturbance at high and mid-latitude stations with appropriate time shift between higher and lower latitudes; daytime poleward movement of depleted plasma that causes temporary suppression of the equatorial anomaly during the start of the storm recovery phase; and prompt penetration of eastward electric fields to ionospheric altitudes and the production of nearly simultaneous TEC enhancement at all latitudes. In general, we found dominant negative disturbance over mid and high latitudes and positive disturbance at low latitudes. A comparison of storm-time behaviour of TEC determined from GPS satellites, and foF2 derived from ionosondes at a range of latitudes, showed reasonable agreement between the two independent measurements.