scholarly journals Polar tongue of ionisation during geomagnetic superstorm

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitry Pokhotelov ◽  
Isabel Fernandez-Gomez ◽  
Claudia Borries
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Convection Flow ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Global Circulation Model ◽  
Plasma Convection ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Global Circulation ◽  
Ionospheric Plasma Density

Abstract. During the main phase of geomagnetic storms large positive ionospheric plasma density anomalies arise at middle and polar latitudes. A prominent example is the tongue of ionisation (TOI), which extends poleward from the dayside storm-enhanced density (SED) anomaly, often crossing the polar cap and streaming with the plasma convection flow into the nightside ionosphere. A fragmentation of the TOI anomaly contributes to the formation of polar plasma patches partially responsible for the scintillations of satellite positioning signals at high latitudes. To investigate this intense plasma anomaly, numerical simulations of plasma and neutral dynamics during the geomagnetic superstorm of 20 November 2003 are performed using the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics Global Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) coupled with the statistical parameterisation of high-latitude plasma convection. The simulation results reproduce the TOI features consistently with observations of total electron content and with the results of ionospheric tomography, published previously by the authors. It is demonstrated that the fast plasma uplift, due to the electric plasma convection expanded to subauroral mid-latitudes, serves as a primary feeding mechanism for the TOI anomaly, while a complex interplay between electrodynamic and neutral wind transports is shown to contribute to the formation of mid-latitude SED anomaly. It is suggested that better representation of the high-latitude plasma convection is needed. The results are discussed in the context of space weather modelling.

scholarly journals Polar tongue of ionisation during geomagnetic superstorm

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 833-847
Author(s):  
Dimitry Pokhotelov ◽  
Isabel Fernandez-Gomez ◽  
Claudia Borries
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Convection Flow ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Global Circulation Model ◽  
Plasma Convection ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Ionospheric Plasma Density ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. During the main phase of geomagnetic storms, large positive ionospheric plasma density anomalies arise at middle and polar latitudes. A prominent example is the tongue of ionisation (TOI), which extends poleward from the dayside storm-enhanced density (SED) anomaly, often crossing the polar cap and streaming with the plasma convection flow into the nightside ionosphere. A fragmentation of the TOI anomaly contributes to the formation of polar plasma patches partially responsible for the scintillations of satellite positioning signals at high latitudes. To investigate this intense plasma anomaly, numerical simulations of plasma and neutral dynamics during the geomagnetic superstorm of 20 November 2003 are performed using the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics Global Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) coupled with the statistical parameterisation of high-latitude plasma convection. The simulation results reproduce the TOI features consistently with observations of total electron content and with the results of ionospheric tomography, published previously by the authors. It is demonstrated that the fast plasma uplift, due to the electric plasma convection expanded to subauroral mid-latitudes, serves as a primary feeding mechanism for the TOI anomaly, while a complex interplay between electrodynamic and neutral wind transports is shown to contribute to the formation of a mid-latitude SED anomaly. This contrasts with published simulations of relatively smaller geomagnetic storms, where the impact of neutral dynamics on the TOI formation appears more pronounced. It is suggested that better representation of the high-latitude plasma convection during superstorms is needed. The results are discussed in the context of space weather modelling.

scholarly journals Data Assimilation for Ionospheric Space-Weather Forecasting in the Presence of Model Bias

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Durazo ◽  
Eric J. Kostelich ◽  
Alex Mahalov
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Space Weather ◽  
Bias Correction ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Mean Square Errors

The dynamics of many models of physical systems depend on the choices of key parameters. This paper describes the results of some observing system simulation experiments using a first-principles model of the Earth’s ionosphere, the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics Global Circulation Model (TIEGCM), which is driven by parameters that describe solar activity, geomagnetic conditions, and the state of the thermosphere. Of particular interest is the response of the ionosphere (and predictions of space weather generally) during geomagnetic storms. Errors in the overall specification of driving parameters for the TIEGCM (and similar dynamical models) may be especially large during geomagnetic storms, because they represent significant perturbations away from more typical interactions of the earth-sun system. Such errors can induce systematic biases in model predictions of the ionospheric state and pose difficulties for data assimilation methods, which attempt to infer the model state vector from a collection of sparse and/or noisy measurements. Typical data assimilation schemes assume that the model produces an unbiased estimate of the truth. This paper tests one potential approach to handle the case where there is some systematic bias in the model outputs. Our focus is on the TIEGCM when it is driven with solar and magnetospheric inputs that are systematically misspecified. We report results from observing system experiments in which synthetic electron density vertical profiles are generated at locations representative of the operational FormoSat-3/COSMIC satellite observing platforms during a moderate (G2, Kp = 6) geomagnetic storm event on September 26–27, 2011. The synthetic data are assimilated into the TIEGCM using the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter with a state-augmentation approach to estimate a small set of bias-correction factors. Two representative processes for the time evolution of the bias in the TIEGCM are tested: one in which the bias is constant and another in which the bias has an exponential growth and decay phase in response to strong geomagnetic forcing. We show that even simple approximations of the TIEGCM bias can reduce root-mean-square errors in 1-h forecasts of total electron content (a key ionospheric variable) by 20–45%, compared to no bias correction. These results suggest that our approach is computationally efficient and can be further refined to improve short-term predictions (∼1-h) of ionospheric dynamics during geomagnetic storms.

scholarly journals Comparative Study of the Influence of Full and Partial Halo Geomagnetic Storms on High Latitude Ionosphere

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Dominic Chukwuebuka Obiegbuna ◽  
Francisca Nneka Okeke ◽  
Kingsley Chukwudi Okpala ◽  
Orji Prince Orji ◽  
Gregory Ibeabuchi Egba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Geomagnetic Storm ◽  
Global Positioning System ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
High Latitude Ionosphere ◽  
Gnss Observations

We have studied and compared the effects of full and partial halo geomagnetic storms on the high latitude ionosphere. The study used the total electron content (TEC) data obtained from the global positioning system (GPS) to examine the level of response of high latitude ionosphere around Ny Alesund, Norway to full and partial halo geomagnetic storms of June 23rd 2015 and January 1st 2016 respectively. This study was carried out using a dual frequency ground based GNSS observations at high latitude (NYAL: 78.56oN, 11.52oE) ionospheric station in Norway. The vertical TEC (VTEC) was extracted from Receiver Independent Exchange (RINEX) formatted GPS-TEC data using the GOPI Software developed by Seemala Gopi. The GOPI software is a GNSS-TEC analysis program which uses ephemeris data and differential code biases (DCBs) in estimating slant TEC (STEC) prior to its conversion to VTEC. From the results, the responses of the high latitude before the storm days were more positive than on the storm days. Also the overall response of the high latitude to the full halo geomagnetic storm was more positive with more impact than that of the partial halo geomagnetic storm.

scholarly journals The nighttime ionospheric response and occurrence of equatorial plasma irregularities during geomagnetic storms: a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wan ◽  
Chao Xiong ◽  
Shunzu Gao ◽  
Fuqing Huang ◽  
Yiwen Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Ionospheric Response ◽  
Plasma Irregularities ◽  
Night Side ◽  
Ionospheric Plasma Density

AbstractRecent studies revealed that the long-lasting daytime ionospheric enhancements of Total Electron Content (TEC) were sometimes observed in the Asian sector during the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms (e.g., Lei (J Geophys Res Space Phys 123: 3217–3232, 2018), Li (J Geophys Res Space Phys 125: e2020JA028238, 2020). However, they focused only on the dayside ionosphere, and no dedicated studies have been performed to investigate the nighttime ionospheric behavior during such kinds of storm recovery phases. In this study, we focused on two geomagnetic storms that happened on 7–8 September 2017 and 25–26 August 2018, which showed the prominent daytime TEC enhancements in the Asian sector during their recovery phases, to explore the nighttime large-scale ionospheric responses as well as the small-scale Equatorial Plasma Irregularities (EPIs). It is found that during the September 2017 storm recovery phase, the nighttime ionosphere in the American sector is largely depressed, which is similar to the daytime ionospheric response in the same longitude sector; while in the Asian sector, only a small TEC increase is observed at nighttime, which is much weaker than the prominent daytime TEC enhancement in this longitude sector. During the recovery phase of the August 2018 storm, a slight TEC increase is observed on the night side at all longitudes, which is also weaker than the prominent daytime TEC enhancement. For the small-scale EPIs, they are enhanced and extended to higher latitudes during the main phase of both storms. However, during the recovery phases of the first storm, the EPIs are largely enhanced and suppressed in the Asian and American sectors, respectively, while no prominent nighttime EPIs are observed during the second storm recovery phase. The clear north–south asymmetry of equatorial ionization anomaly crests during the second storm should be responsible for the suppression of EPIs during this storm. In addition, our results also suggest that the dusk side ionospheric response could be affected by the daytime ionospheric plasma density/TEC variations during the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms, which further modulates the vertical plasma drift and plasma gradient. As a result, the growth rate of post-sunset EPIs will be enhanced or inhibited.

scholarly journals Sub-Auroral and Mid-Latitude GNSS ROTI Performance during Solar Cycle 24 Geomagnetic Disturbed Periods: Towards Storm’s Early Sensing

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4325
Author(s):  
Kacper Kotulak ◽  
Andrzej Krankowski ◽  
Adam Froń ◽  
Paweł Flisek ◽  
Ningbo Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cycle ◽  
Plasma Density ◽  
Ionospheric Plasma ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Content Index ◽  
Solar Cycle 24 ◽  
Ionospheric Plasma Density ◽  
Cycle 24

Geomagnetic storms—triggered by the interaction between Earth’s magnetosphere and interplanetary magnetic field, driven by solar activity—are important for many Earth-bound aspects of life. Serious events may impact the electroenergetic infrastructure, but even weaker storms generate noticeable irregularities in the density of ionospheric plasma. Ionosphere electron density gradients interact with electromagnetic radiation in the radiofrequency domain, affecting sub- and trans-ionospheric transmissions. The main objective of the manuscript is to find key features of the storm-induced plasma density behaviour irregularities in regard to the event’s magnitude and general geomagnetic conditions. We also aim to set the foundations for the mid-latitude ionospheric plasma density now-casting irregularities. In the manuscript, we calculate the GPS+GLONASS-derived rate of TEC (total electron content) index (ROTI) for the meridional sector of 10–20∘ E, covering the latitudes between 40 and 70∘ N. Such an approach reveals equatorward spread of the auroral TEC irregularities reaching down to mid-latitudes. We have assessed the ROTI performance for 57 moderate-to-severe storms that occurred during solar cycle 24 and analyzed their behaviors in regard to the geomagnetic conditions (described by Kp, Dst, AE, Sym-H and PC indices).

scholarly journals A Comparative Evaluation of a Mesoscale Model and Atmospheric Global Circulation Model for Air Quality Simulation: A Multiscale, Multisite Evaluation

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Goswami ◽  
J. Baruah
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Large City ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Urban Pollution ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutants ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Global Circulation Model ◽  
Global Circulation ◽  
Meso Scale

Concentrations of atmospheric pollutants are strongly influenced by meteorological parameters like rainfall, relative humidity and wind advection. Thus accurate specifications of the meteorological fields, and their effects on pollutants, are critical requirements for successful modelling of air pollution. In terms of their applications, pollutant concentration models can be used in different ways; in one, short term high resolution forecasts are generated to predict and manage urban pollution. Another application of dynamical pollution models is to generate outlook for a given airbasin, such as over a large city. An important question is application-specific model configuration for the meteorological simulations. While a meso-scale model provides a high-resolution configuration, a global model allows better simulation of large-sale fields through its global environment. Our objective is to comparatively evaluate a meso-scale atmospheric model (MM5) and atmospheric global circulation model (AGCM) in simulating different species of pollutants over different airbasins. In this study we consider four locations: ITO (Central Delhi), Sirifort (South Delhi), Bandra (Mumbai) and Karve Road (Pune). The results show that both the model configurations provide comparable skills in simulation of monthly and annual loads, although the skill of the meso-scale model is somewhat higher, especially at shorter time scales.

scholarly journals THOR: A NEW AND FLEXIBLE GLOBAL CIRCULATION MODEL TO EXPLORE PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

2016 ◽  
Vol 829 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
João M. Mendonça ◽  
Simon L. Grimm ◽  
Luc Grosheintz ◽  
Kevin Heng
Keyword(s):  
Circulation Model ◽  
Planetary Atmospheres ◽  
Global Circulation Model ◽  
Global Circulation
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