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The massive explosive eruption of the Hunga volcano on 15 January 2022 generated atmospheric waves that were recorded around the globe and affected the ionosphere. The paper focuses on observations of atmospheric waves in the troposphere and ionosphere in Europe, however, a comparison with observations in East Asia, South Africa and South America is also provided. Unlike most recent studies of waves in the ionosphere based on the detection of changes in the total electron content, this study builds on detection of ionospheric motions at specific altitudes using continuous Doppler sounding. In addition, much attention is paid to long-period infrasound (periods longer than ∼50 s), which in Europe is observed simultaneously in the troposphere and ionosphere about an hour after the arrival of the first horizontally propagating pressure pulse (Lamb wave). It is shown that the long-period infrasound propagated approximately along the shorter great circle path, similar to the previously detected pressure pulse in the troposphere. It is suggested that the infrasound propagated in the ionosphere probably due to imperfect refraction in the lower thermosphere. The observation of infrasound in the ionosphere at such large distances from the source (over 16 000 km) is rare and differs from ionospheric infrasound detected at large distances from the epicenters of strong earthquakes, because in the latter case the infrasound is generated locally by seismic waves. An unusually large traveling ionospheric disturbance (TID) observed in Europe and associated with the pressure pulse from the Hunga eruption is also discussed. Doppler sounders in East Asia, South Africa and South America did not record such a significant TID. However, TIDs were observed in East Asia around times when Lamb waves passed the magnetically conjugate points. A probable observation of wave in the mesopause region in Europe approximately 25 min after the arrival of pressure pulse in the troposphere using a 23.4 kHz signal from a transmitter 557 km away and a coincident pulse in electric field data are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the Earth's magnetic field can deeply modify the polar caps and auroral zones, which are the regions of most frequent precipitation of energetic particles. The present field is characterized by a dominant dipole plus weaker multipolar components. The field varies greatly in time, with the most drastic changes being polarity reversals that take place on average every ∼200 000 yr. During a polarity transition the field magnitude may diminish to about 10 per cent of its value prior to the reversal due to a decreasing dipolar component and by becoming mostly multipolar in nature. Polar caps depend on the geomagnetic field configuration so changes in their morphology are expected as a consequence of the variation and reversal of this field. We model polar caps' location by considering a superposition of the internal geomagnetic field and a uniform external field and then following the open field lines to the Earth's surface. Polar caps' location and shape for different magnetic field reversal scenarios are analysed in this work. Two polar caps near the present dipole axis intersection with the Earth's surface prevail for a dipole decrease to a certain extent, below which the southern hemisphere polar cap moves to mid-latitudes. An axial dipole collapse gives a pair of polar caps both at mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere, while in a dipole rotation scenario the polar caps reside at the equator. If reversals occur due to an energy cascade from the dipole to higher degrees, more than two polar caps may appear. In our energy cascade scenario, four polar caps at various latitudes of both hemispheres prevail. These results indicate that during reversals auroral zones may reach mid- and low-latitude regions, and the atmosphere may become more vulnerable to the direct effect of energetic particle precipitation. This vulnerability is particularly striking at the southern hemisphere where reversed flux patches appear on the core–mantle boundary and weak intensity characterizes the present field at the Earth's surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Earth's ionosphere presents long-term trends that have been of interest since a pioneering study in 1989 suggesting that greenhouse gases increasing due to anthropogenic activity will produce not only a troposphere global warming, but a cooling in the upper atmosphere as well. Since then, long-term changes in the upper atmosphere, and particularly in the ionosphere, have become a significant topic in global change studies with many results already published. There are also other ionospheric long-term change forcings of natural origin, such as the Earth's magnetic field secular variation with very special characteristics at equatorial and low latitudes. The ionosphere, as a part of the space weather environment, plays a crucial role to the point that it could certainly be said that space weather cannot be understood without reference to it. In this work, theoretical and experimental results on equatorial and low-latitude ionospheric trends linked to the geomagnetic field secular variation are reviewed and analyzed. Controversies and gaps in existing knowledge are identified together with important areas for future study. These trends, although weak when compared to other ionospheric variations, are steady and may become significant in the future and important even now for long-term space weather forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]