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The low latitude ionosphere and thermosphere are strongly disturbed during and shortly after geomagnetic storms. We use novel Jicamarca radar measurements, ACE satellite solar wind, and SuperMAG geomagnetic field observations to study the electrodynamic response of the equatorial ionosphere to the 23, 24 April 2023 geomagnetic storm. We also compare our data with results from previous experimental and modeling studies of equatorial storm-time electrodynamics. We show, for the first time, unusually large equatorial vertical and zonal plasma drift (zonal and meridional electric field) perturbations driven simultaneously by multi storm-time electric field mechanisms during both the storm main and recovery phases. These include daytime undershielding and overshielding prompt penetration electric fields driven by solar wind electric fields and dynamic pressure changes, substorms, as well as disturbance dynamo electric fields, which are not well reproduced by current empirical models. Our nighttime measurements, over an extended period of large and slowly decreasing southward IMF Bz, show very large, substorm-driven, vertical and zonal drift fluctuations superposed on large undershield driven upward and westward drifts up to about 01 LT, and the occurrence of equatorial spread F irregularities with very strong spatial and temporal structuring. These nighttime observations cannot be explained by present models of equatorial storm-time electrodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The low latitude ionosphere is highly variable over a large range of temporal and spatial scales even during geomagnetically quiet periods, largely as a result of electrodynamic plasma drift effects. Several recent experimental and modeling studies have investigated the electrodynamic response of the low latitude ionosphere to high latitude and lower atmospheric wave activity, particularly during sudden stratospheric warmings. In this work, we review some recent results on the short-term variability of equatorial vertical plasma drifts measured mostly at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory and their effects on equatorial short-scale spread F irregularities. We show that lunar tidal semidiurnal and diurnal effects, which have been largely ignored in most studies, can play significant roles in low latitude ionospheric variability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]