Ionospheric Response to the St. Patrick's Day Space Weather Events in March 2012, 2013, and 2015 at Southern Low and Middle Latitudes

Abstract. The electric field induced in the Bolivia–Brazil gas pipeline (GASBOL) was calculated by using the distributed source line transmission (DSLT) theory during several space weather events. We used geomagnetic data collected by a fluxgate magnetometer located at São José dos Campos (23.2∘ S, 45.9∘ W). The total corrosion rate was calculated by using the Gummow (2002) methodology and was based on the assumption of a 1 cm hole in the coating of the pipeline. The calculations were performed at the ends of pipeline where the largest “out-of-phase” pipe-to-soil potential (PSP) variations were obtained. The variations in PSP during the 17 March 2015 geomagnetic storm have led to the greatest corrosion rate of the analyzed events. All the space weather events evaluated with high terminating impedance may have contributed to increases in the corrosion process. The applied technique can be used to evaluate the corrosion rate due to the high telluric activity associated with the geomagnetic storms at specific locations.

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New GGOS JWG3 on Improved understanding of space weather events and their monitoring

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20492 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alberto Garcia-Rigo ◽

Benedikt Soja

Keyword(s):

Electron Density ◽

Space Weather ◽

International Association ◽

Real Data ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Electron Content ◽

Vertical Total Electron Content ◽

Total Electron ◽

Weather Events ◽

Space Geodetic Techniques

Multiple space geodetic techniques are capable of measuring effects caused by space weather events. In particular, space weather events can cause ionospheric disturbances correlated with variations in the vertical total electron content (VTEC) or the electron density (Ne) of the ionosphere.In this regard and in the context of the new Focus Area on Geodetic Space Weather Research within IAG&#8217;s GGOS (International Association of Geodesy; Global Geodetic Observing System), the Joint Working Group 3 on Improved understanding of space weather events and their monitoring by satellite missions has been created as part of IAG Commission 4, Sub-Commission 4.3 to run for the next four years.Within JWG3, we expect investigating different approaches to monitor space weather events using the data from different space geodetic techniques and, in particular, combinations thereof. Simulations will be beneficial to identify the contribution of different techniques and prepare for the analysis of real data. Different strategies for the combination of data will also be investigated, in particular, the weighting of estimates from different techniques in order to increase the performance and reliability of the combined estimates. Furthermore, existing algorithms for the detection and prediction of space weather events will be explored and improved to the extent possible. Furthermore, the geodetic measurement of the ionospheric electron density will be complemented by direct observations from the Sun gathered from existing spacecraft, such as SOHO, ACE, SDO, Parker Solar Probe, among others. The combination and joint evaluation of multiple datasets with the measurements of space geodetic observation techniques (e.g. geodetic VLBI) is still a great challenge. In addition, other indications for solar activity - such as the F10.7 index on solar radio flux, SOLERA as EUV proxy or rate of Global Electron Content (dGEC)-, provide additional opportunities for comparisons and validation.Through these investigations, we will identify the key parameters useful to improve real-time/prediction of ionospheric/plasmaspheric VTEC, Ne estimates, as well as ionospheric perturbations, in case of extreme solar weather conditions. In general, we will gain a better understanding of space weather events and their effect on Earth&#8217;s atmosphere and near-Earth environment.

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The Tor Vergata Synoptic Solar Telescope (TSST): A robotic, compact facility for solar full disk imaging

Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate ◽

10.1051/swsc/2020061 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 58

Author(s):

Luca Giovannelli ◽

Francesco Berrilli ◽

Daniele Calchetti ◽

Dario Del Moro ◽

Giorgio Viavattene ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Atmosphere ◽

Space Weather ◽

Coronal Mass Ejections ◽

Low Cost ◽

Optical Filter ◽

Solar Telescope ◽

The Sun ◽

Weather Events ◽

Line Observation ◽

Full Disk

By the continuous multi-line observation of the solar atmosphere, it is possible to infer the magnetic and dynamical status of the Sun. This activity is essential to identify the possible precursors of space weather events, such as flare or coronal mass ejections. We describe the design and assembly of TSST (Tor Vergata Synoptic Solar Telescope), a robotic synoptic telescope currently composed of two main full-disk instruments, a Hα telescope and a Potassium (KI D1) magneto-optical filter (MOF)-based telescope operating at 769.9 nm. TSST is designed to be later upgraded with a second MOF channel. This paper describes the TSST concepts and presents the first light observation carried out in February 2020. We show that TSST is a low-cost robotic facility able to achieve the necessary data for the study of precursors of space weather events (using the magnetic and velocity maps by the MOF telescope) and fast flare detection (by the Hα telescope) to support Space Weather investigation and services.

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From solar eruption to transformer saturation: the space weather chain

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921313011733 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (S300) ◽

pp. 500-501

Author(s):

Larisa Trichtchenko

Keyword(s):

Space Weather ◽

Geomagnetic Field ◽

Geomagnetic Storms ◽

Interplanetary Medium ◽

Practical Importance ◽

Power Grids ◽

Geomagnetically Induced Currents ◽

Large Space ◽

Weather Events ◽

Induced Currents

AbstractCoronal mass ejections (CME) and associated interplanetary-propagated solar wind disturbances are the established causes of the geomagnetic storms which, in turn, create the most hazardous impacts on power grids. These impacts are due to the large geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) associated with variations of geomagnetic field during storms, which, flowing through the transformer windings, cause extra magnetisation. That can lead to transformer saturation and, in extreme cases, can result in power blackouts. Thus, it is of practical importance to study the solar causes of the large space weather events. This paper presents the example of the space weather chain for the event of 5-6 November 2001 and a table providing complete overview of the largest solar events during solar cycle 23 with their subsequent effects on interplanetary medium and on the ground. This compact overview can be used as guidance for investigations of the solar causes and their predictions, which has a practical importance in everyday life.

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The ionospheric response over the UK to major bombing raids during World War II

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-36-1243-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 1243-1254 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christopher J. Scott ◽

Patrick Major

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

Space Weather ◽

Tectonic Activity ◽

World War ◽

Median Response ◽

Ionospheric Response ◽

Explosive Energy ◽

Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽

Near Earth Space ◽

Ionospheric Variability

Abstract. The Earth's ionosphere is subject to disturbance from above (via solar variability and space-weather effects) and from below (such as tectonic activity, thunderstorms and sudden stratospheric warmings). Identifying the relative contribution of these effects remains challenging, despite recent advances in spacecraft monitoring near-Earth space. Man-made explosions provide a quantifiable proxy for natural terrestrial sources, enabling their impact on ionospheric variability to be studied. In this paper, the contribution of ground-based disturbances to ionospheric variability is investigated by considering the response of the ionospheric F2 layer over Slough, UK, to 152 major bombing raids over Europe during World War II, using a superposed epoch analysis. The median response of the F2 layer is a significant decrease in peak electron concentration (∼0.3 MHz decrease in foF2). This response is consistent with wave energy heating the thermosphere, enhancing the (temperature-dependent) loss rate of O+ ions. The analysis was repeated for a range of thresholds in both time of bombing before the (noon) ionospheric measurement and tonnage of bombs dropped per raid. It was found that significant (∼2–3σ) deviations from the mean occurred for events occurring between approximately 3 and 7 h ahead of the noon ionospheric measurements and for raids using a minimum of between 100 and 800 t of high explosives. The most significant ionospheric response (2.99σ) occurred for 20 raids up to 5 h before the ionospheric measurement, each with a minimum of 300 t of explosives. To ensure that the observed ionospheric response cannot be attributable to space-weather sources, the analysis was restricted to those events for which the geomagnetic Ap index was less than 48 (Kp<5). Digitisation of the early ionospheric data would enable the investigation into the response of additional ionospheric parameters (sporadic E, E and F1 layer heights and peak concentrations). One metric ton of TNT has an explosive energy of 4.184×109 J, which is of the same order of energy as a cloud to ground lightning stroke. Since the occurrence of lightning has distinctive diurnal and seasonal cycles, it is feasible that a similar mechanism could contribute to the observed seasonal anomaly in ionospheric F-region electron concentrations. Further investigation, using less extreme examples, is required to determine the minimum explosive energy required to generate a detectable ionospheric response.

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Research Progresses of Ionospheric Plasma Irregularities from the Ground–Based Airglow Network in China

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1883 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiyao Xu ◽

Wei Yuan ◽

Kun Wu ◽

Longchang Sun

Keyword(s):

Ionospheric Plasma ◽

Ionospheric Disturbance ◽

Geomagnetic Latitude ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Plasma Bubble ◽

Low Latitude ◽

Plasma Irregularities ◽

Middle Latitudes ◽

Weather Events ◽

New Phenomena

China, from north to south, spans from the middle latitudes to the low latitude both in geographic latitude and geomagnetic latitude. And China has a variety of topography environment, which including high lands, plains, seas, and long coasts. To better understand topographic and latitudinal effects on the mesosphere and thermosphere and features of ionospheric plasma irregularities at various latitudes in China, we have established a ground-based airglow network in China gradually since 2010, which consists of 16 stations. This network almost cover China, which focuses on two airglow layers: the OI (~250 km) and OH (~87 km) airglow layers. The observations from OI airglow layers provide convenience to systematically investigate the morphologic feature and evolution of ionospheric plasma irregularities over China. Based on the airglow network observations, we mainly report some important research results of ionospheric plasma irregularities in recent years. These findings include (1) statistical characteristic of equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) over China, (2) the influences of severe extreme weather events on the ionosphere, (3) interaction between medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance (MSTIDs) and ionospheric irregularity, and (4) some new phenomena of ionospheric irregularities.

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