scholarly journals Dynamics Ionospheric Plasma Bubbles Measured by Optical Imaging System

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Narayan P. Chapagain
Keyword(s):  
Imaging System ◽  
Equatorial Ionosphere ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Plasma Bubble ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Central Pacific Ocean ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Plasma Depletions

Deep plasma depletions during the nighttime period in the equatorial ionosphere (referred to as equatorial plasma bubbles –EPBs) can significantly affect communications and navigation systems. In this study, we present the image measurements of plasma bubble from Christmas Island (2.1°N, 157.4°W, dip latitude 2.8°N) in the central Pacific Ocean. These observations were made during September-October 1995 using a Utah State University (USU) CCD imaging system measured at ~280 km altitude. Well-defined magnetic field-aligned plasma depletions were observed for 18 nights, including strong post-midnight fossilized structures, enabling detailed measurements of their morphology and dynamics. We also estimate zonal velocity of the plasma bubbles from available images. The zonal drift velocity of the EPBs is a very important parameter for the understanding and modeling of the electrodynamics of the equatorial ionosphere and for the predictions of ionospheric irregularities. The eastward zonal drift velocities were around 90-100 m/s prior to local midnight, and decreases during the post-midnight period that persisted until dawn.Journal of Institute of Science and Technology, 2015, 20(1): 20-27

scholarly journals Ship- and island-based soundings from the 2016 El Niño Rapid Response (ENRR) field campaign

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Hartten ◽  
Christopher J. Cox ◽  
Paul E. Johnston ◽  
Daniel E. Wolfe ◽  
Scott Abbott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
East Central ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Central Pacific Ocean ◽  
Christmas Island

Abstract. As the 2015/2016 El Niño was gathering strength in late 2015, scientists at the Earth System Research Laboratory's Physical Sciences Division proposed and led the implementation of NOAA's El Niño Rapid Response (ENRR) Field Campaign. ENRR observations included wind and thermodynamic profiles of the atmosphere over the near-equatorial east-central Pacific Ocean, many of which were collected from two field sites and transmitted in near-real time for inclusion in global forecasting models. From 26 January to 28 March 2016, twice-daily rawinsonde observations were made from Kiritimati (pronounced Christmas) Island (2.0°N, 157.4°E; call sign CXENRR). From 16 February to 16 March 2016, three to eight radiosondes were launched each day from the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown (allocated call sign WTEC) as it travelled southeast from Hawaii to service Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoys along longitudes 140°W and 125°W and then north to San Diego, California. Both the rapid and the remote nature of these deployments created particular difficulties in collecting and disseminating the soundings; these are described together with the methods used to reprocess the data after the field campaign finished. The reprocessed and lightly quality-controlled data have been put into an easy-to-read text format, qualifying them to be termed Level 2 soundings. They are archived and freely available for public access at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in the form of two separate data sets: one consisting of 125 soundings from Kiritimati Island (doi:10.7289/V55Q4T5K), the other of 193 soundings from the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown (doi:10.7289/V5X63K15). Of the Kiritimati soundings, 94 % reached the tropopause and 88 % reached 40 hPa, while 89 % of the ship's soundings reached the tropopause and 87 % reached 40 hPa. The soundings captured the repeated advance and retreat of the ITCZ at Kiritimati, a variety of marine tropospheric environments encountered by the ship, and lower-stratospheric features of the 2015–2016 QBO (quasi-biennial oscillation), all providing a rich view of the local atmosphere's response to the east-central Pacific's extremely warm waters during the 2015/16 El Niño.

scholarly journals Filamentary Alfvénic structures excited at the edges of equatorial plasma bubbles

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 2159-2165 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pottelette ◽  
M. Malingre ◽  
J. J. Berthelier ◽  
E. Seran ◽  
M. Parrot
Keyword(s):  
Alfven Waves ◽  
Alfvén Waves ◽  
Plasma Bubble ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Wave Measurements ◽  
Demeter Satellite ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Background Magnetic Field ◽  
Gravity Driven ◽  
Displacement Currents

Abstract. Recent observations performed by the French DEMETER satellite at altitudes of about 710 km suggest that the generation of equatorial plasma bubbles correlates with the presence of filamentary structures of field aligned currents carried by Alfvén waves. These localized structures are located at the bubble edges. We study the dynamics of the equatorial plasma bubbles, taking into account that their motion is dictated by gravity driven and displacement currents. Ion-polarization currents appear to be crucial for the accurate description of the evolution of plasma bubbles in the high altitude ionosphere. During their eastward/westward motion the bubbles intersect gravity driven currents flowing transversely with respect to the background magnetic field. The circulation of these currents is prohibited by large density depressions located at the bubble edges acting as perfect insulators. As a result, in these localized regions the transverse currents have to be locally closed by field aligned currents. Such a physical process generates kinetic Alfvén waves which appear to be stationary in the plasma bubble reference frame. Using a two-dimensional model and "in situ" wave measurements on board the DEMETER spacecraft, we give estimates for the magnitude of the field aligned currents and the associated Alfvén fields.

scholarly journals Simultaneous observations of equatorial F-region plasma depletions over Brazil during the Spread-F Experiment (SpreadFEx)

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 2371-2381 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.-D. Pautet ◽  
M. J. Taylor ◽  
N. P. Chapagain ◽  
H. Takahashi ◽  
A. F. Medeiros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
State University ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
F Region ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Star Program ◽  
Spread F ◽  
Plasma Depletions ◽  
Bubble Characteristics

Abstract. From September to November 2005, the NASA Living with a Star program supported the Spread-F Experiment campaign (SpreadFEx) in Brazil to study the effects of convectively generated gravity waves on the ionosphere and their role in seeding Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, and associated equatorial plasma bubbles. Several US and Brazilian institutes deployed a broad range of instruments (all-sky imagers, digisondes, photometers, meteor/VHF radars, GPS receivers) covering a large area of Brazil. The campaign was divided in two observational phases centered on the September and October new moon periods. During these periods, an Utah State University (USU) all-sky CCD imager operated at São João d'Aliança (14.8° S, 47.6° W), near Brasilia, and a Brazilian all-sky CCD imager located at Cariri (7.4° S, 36° W), observed simultaneously the evolution of the ionospheric bubbles in the OI (630 nm) emission and the mesospheric gravity wave field. The two sites had approximately the same magnetic latitude (9–10° S) but were separated in longitude by ~1500 km. Plasma bubbles were observed on every clear night (17 from Brasilia and 19 from Cariri, with 8 coincident nights). These joint datasets provided important information for characterizing the ionospheric depletions during the campaign and to perform a novel longitudinal investigation of their variability. Measurements of the drift velocities at both sites are in good agreement with previous studies, however, the overlapping fields of view revealed significant differences in the occurrence and structure of the plasma bubbles, providing new evidence for localized generation. This paper summarizes the observed bubble characteristics important for related investigations of their seeding mechanisms associated with gravity wave activity.

scholarly journals Stormtime dynamics of the global thermosphere and equatorial ionosphere

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 2035-2044 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Burke ◽  
C. Y. Huang ◽  
R. D. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Equatorial Ionosphere ◽  
Magnetic Storms ◽  
Main Phase ◽  
New Method ◽  
Sufficient Time ◽  
Quiet Time ◽  
Early Recovery ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Phase Activity

Abstract. During magnetic storms the development of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) and distributions of thermospheric densities are strongly influenced by the histories of imposed magnetospheric electric (εM) fields. Periods of intense EPB activity driven by penetration εM fields in the main phase are followed by their worldwide absence during recovery. A new method is applied to estimate global thermospheric energy (Eth) budgets from orbit-averaged densities measured by accelerometers on polar-orbiting satellites. During the main phase of storms Eth increases as long as the stormtime εM operates, then exponentially decays toward quiet-time values during early recovery. Some fraction of the energy deposited at high magnetic latitudes during the main phase propagates into the subauroral ionosphere-thermosphere where it affects chemical and azimuthal-wind dynamics well into recovery. We suggest a scenario wherein fossils of main phase activity inhibit full restoration of quiet-time dayside dynamos and pre-reversal enhancements of upward plasma drifts near dusk denying bottomside irregularities sufficient time to grow into EPBs.

scholarly journals Study of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles Using ASI and GPS Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dada P. Nade ◽  
Swapnil S. Potdar ◽  
Rani P. Pawar
Keyword(s):  
Electron Content ◽  
Gps Receiver ◽  
Plasma Bubble ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Plasma Irregularities ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
F Region ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Background Density

The plasma irregularities have been frequently observed in the F-region, at low latitude regions, due to the instability processes occurring in the ionosphere. The depletions in electron density, as compared to the background density, is a signature of the plasma irregularities. These irregularities are also known as the “equatorial plasma bubble” (EPB). These EPBs can measure by the total electron content (TEC) using GPS receiver and by images of the nightglow OI 630.0 nm emissions using all sky imager (ASI). The current chapter is based on the review on the signature of the EPBs in TEC and ASI. measurements. We have also discussed the importance of the study of EPBs.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles during Intense Magnetic Storms

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao-Song Huang
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Magnetic Storms ◽  
Ion Density ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Evening Sector ◽  
Plasma Depletions ◽  
Meteorological Satellite ◽  
The Imf

An important issue in low-latitude ionospheric space weather is how magnetic storms affect the generation of equatorial plasma bubbles. In this study, we present the measurements of the ion density and velocity in the evening equatorial ionosphere by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites during 22 intense magnetic storms. The DMSP measurements show that deep ion density depletions (plasma bubbles) are generated after the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) turns southward. The time delay between the IMF southward turning and the first DMSP detection of plasma depletions decreases with the minimum value of the IMFBz, the maximum value of the interplanetary electric field (IEF)Ey, and the magnitude of the Dst index. The results of this study provide strong evidence that penetration electric field associated with southward IMF during the main phase of magnetic storms increases the generation of equatorial plasma bubbles in the evening sector.

scholarly journals Ship- and island-based soundings from the 2016 El Niño Rapid Response (ENRR) field campaign

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1165-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Hartten ◽  
Christopher J. Cox ◽  
Paul E. Johnston ◽  
Daniel E. Wolfe ◽  
Scott Abbott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Central Pacific Ocean ◽  
Christmas Island

Abstract. As the 2015/2016 El Niño was gathering strength in late 2015, scientists at the Earth System Research Laboratory's Physical Sciences Division proposed and led the implementation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) El Niño Rapid Response (ENRR) Field Campaign. ENRR observations included wind and thermodynamic profiles of the atmosphere over the near-equatorial eastern central Pacific Ocean, many of which were collected from two field sites and transmitted in near-real time for inclusion in global forecasting models. From 26 January to 28 March 2016, twice-daily rawinsonde observations were made from Kiritimati (pronounced Christmas) Island (2.0° N, 157.4° E; call sign CXENRR). From 16 February to 16 March 2016, three to eight radiosondes were launched each day from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown (allocated call sign WTEC) as it travelled southeast from Hawaii to service Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoys along longitudes 140 and 125° W and then north to San Diego, California. Both the rapid and remote nature of these deployments created particular difficulties in collecting and disseminating the soundings; these are described together with the methods used to reprocess the data after the field campaign finished. The reprocessed and lightly quality-controlled data have been put into an easy-to-read text format, qualifying them to be termed Level 2 soundings. They are archived and freely available for public access at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in the form of two separate data sets: one consisting of 125 soundings from Kiritimati (https://doi.org/10.7289/V55Q4T5K), the other of 193 soundings from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown (https://doi.org/10.7289/V5X63K15). Of the Kiritimati soundings, 94 % reached the tropopause and 88 % reached 40 hPa, while 89 % of the ship's soundings reached the tropopause and 87 % reached 40 hPa. The soundings captured the repeated advance and retreat of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) at Kiritimati, a variety of marine tropospheric environments encountered by the ship, and lower-stratospheric features of the 2015–2016 QBO (quasi-biennial oscillation), all providing a rich view of the local atmosphere's response to the eastern central Pacific's extremely warm waters during the 2015/16 El Niño.

scholarly journals Observations of day-to-day variability in precursor signatures to equatorial F-region plasma depletions

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1053-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Fagundes ◽  
Y. Sahai ◽  
I. S. Batista ◽  
M. A. Abdu ◽  
J. A. Bittencourt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Plasma Bubble ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
F Region ◽  
Good Sequence ◽  
Region Plasma

Abstract. In December 1995, a campaign was carried out to study the day-to-day variability in precursor signatures to large-scale ionospheric F-region plasma irregularities, using optical diagnostic techniques, near the magnetic equator in the Brazilian sector. Three instruments were operated simultaneously: (a) an all-sky (180° field of view) imaging system for observing the OI 630 nm nightglow emission at Alcântara (2.5°S, 44.4°W); (b) a digisonde (256-Lowell) at São Luis (2.6°S, 44.2°W); and (c) a multi-channel tilting filter-type zenith photometer for observing the OI 630 nm and mesospheric nightglow emissions at Fortaleza (3.9°S, 38.4°W). During the period December 14-18, 1995 (summer in the southern hemisphere), a good sequence of the OI 630 nm imaging observations on five consecutive nights were obtained, which are presented and discussed in this study. The observing period was geomagnetically quiet to moderate  (Kp = 0+ to 5+; Dst = 18 nT to -37 nT). On four nights, out of the five observation nights, the OI 630 nm imaging pictures showed formations of transequatorial north-south aligned intensity depletions, which are the optical signatures of large-scale ionospheric F-region plasma bubbles. However, considerable day-to-day variability in the onset and development of the plasma depleted bands was observed. On one of the nights it appears that the rapid uplifting of the F-layer in the post-sunset period, in conjunction with gravity wave activity at mesospheric heights, resulted in generation of very strong plasma bubble irregularities. One of the nights showed an unusual formation of north-south depleted band in the western sector of the imaging system field of view, but the structure did not show any eastward movement, which is a normal characteristic of plasma bubbles. This type of irregularity structure, which probably can be observed only by wide-angle imaging system, needs more investigations for a better understanding of its behaviour.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (airglow and aurora) · Ionosphere (equatorial ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities)

scholarly journals Analysis of the seasonal variations of equatorial plasma bubble occurrence observed from Haleakala, Hawaii

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 3109-3121 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Makela ◽  
B. M. Ledvina ◽  
M. C. Kelley ◽  
P. M. Kintner
Keyword(s):  
Optical Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Maximum Probability ◽  
Plasma Bubble ◽  
Active Growth ◽  
Seasonal Trends ◽  
Plasma Bubbles ◽  
Gps Scintillation ◽  
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract. Over 300 nights of airglow and GPS scintillation data collected between January 2002 and August 2003 (a period near solar maximum) from the Haleakala Volcano, Hawaii are analyzed to obtain the seasonal trends for the occurrence of equatorial plasma bubbles in the Pacific sector (203° E). A maximum probability for bubble development is seen in the data in April (45%) and September (83%). A broad maximum of occurrence is seen in the data from June to October (62%). Many of the bubbles observed from June through August occur later in the evening, and, as seen in the optical data, tend to be "fossilized". This suggests that the active growth region during these months is to the west of the observing location. These seasonal trends are consistent with previous data sets obtained both from other ground-based and satellite studies of the occurrence of equatorial bubbles in the Pacific sector. However, our data suggests a much greater probability of bubble occurrence than is seen in other data sets, with bubbles observed on over 40% of the nights studied.

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