Variability of ionospheric parameters by the Swarm satellites for different solar activity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Kotova ◽  
Yaqi Jin ◽  
Wojciech Miloch
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Plasma Parameters ◽  
Solar Activity Level ◽  
Ionospheric Variability ◽  
Swarm Satellites ◽  
Swarm Mission ◽  
Northern And Southern Hemispheres

<p>The use of satellite data allows us to study the variability of ionospheric plasma parameters globally without references to ground stations or receivers in different regions of the Earth. The Swarm mission, which was launched in 2014 and is still operational, allows us to investigate the effects of decreasing solar activity on the ionospheric variability. In our study we use the Swarm in-situ measurements of the electron density and derived parameters. This dataset provides characteristics of the plasma variability along the orbit and gives information on plasma density structures in the ionosphere in terms of their amplitudes, gradients and spatial scales. We analyze the variability of these parameters in the contexts of the northern and southern hemispheres, specific latitudinal regions, and the solar activity level. Understanding of the distribution of such parameters in the context of the solar activity level and selected ionospheric regions can have implications for the development of new satellite instruments and for the accuracy of GNSS precise positioning.</p>

scholarly journals Topside Ionosphere and Plasmasphere Modelling Using GNSS Radio Occultation and POD Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1559
Author(s):  
Fabricio S. Prol ◽  
M. Mainul Hoque
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Electron Density ◽  
Radio Occultation ◽  
Geomagnetic Latitude ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Topside Ionosphere ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Solar Activity Level

A 3D-model approach has been developed to describe the electron density of the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements onboard low Earth orbit satellites. Electron density profiles derived from ionospheric Radio Occultation (RO) data are extrapolated to the upper ionosphere and plasmasphere based on a linear Vary-Chap function and Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements. A final update is then obtained by applying tomographic algorithms to the slant TEC measurements. Since the background specification is created with RO data, the proposed approach does not require using any external ionospheric/plasmaspheric model to adapt to the most recent data distributions. We assessed the model accuracy in 2013 and 2018 using independent TEC data, in situ electron density measurements, and ionosondes. A systematic better specification was obtained in comparison to NeQuick, with improvements around 15% in terms of electron density at 800 km, 26% at the top-most region (above 10,000 km) and 26% to 55% in terms of TEC, depending on the solar activity level. Our investigation shows that the developed model follows a known variation of electron density with respect to geographic/geomagnetic latitude, altitude, solar activity level, season, and local time, revealing the approach as a practical and useful tool for describing topside ionosphere and plasmasphere using satellite-based GNSS data.

scholarly journals The dependence of plasma density in the topside ionosphere on the solar activity level

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1337-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Liu ◽  
W. Wan ◽  
X. Yue ◽  
B. Zhao ◽  
B. Ning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Plasma Density ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Nonlinear Dependence ◽  
High Solar Activity ◽  
Topside Ionosphere ◽  
Ion Density ◽  
Solar Activity Level ◽  
F Region

Abstract. In this paper, the ten-year (1996–2005) total ion density Ni measurements from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft in the morning and evening (09:30 and 21:30 LT) sectors have been analyzed to explore the dependence of plasma densities in the topside ionosphere at middle and low latitudes on the solar activity level. Results indicate that there is a strong solar activity dependence of DMSP Ni at 848 km altitude, which has latitudinal and seasonal features. The plasma density in the topside ionosphere has an approximately linear dependence on daily F107 and a strongly nonlinear dependence on SEM/SOHO EUV, such that the change rate of Ni becomes greater with increasing solar EUV. This is quite different from the dependence of Ni near the F-Region peak (NmF2), at which the rate of change of NmF2 decreases with increasing solar EUV. The rate of change of Ni at the DMSP altitude is greatest in the latitude range where Ni is greatest during high solar activity. We suggest that this greater rate of change (or amplification effect) of Ni at the DMSP altitude is mainly a consequence of the solar activity variations of the topside scale height. The changes in the height of the F-Region peak (hmF2) and the density NmF2 play a secondary role.

scholarly journals Winter anomaly in NmF2 and TEC: when and where it can occur

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. A45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yury V. Yasyukevich ◽  
Anna S. Yasyukevich ◽  
Konstantin G. Ratovsky ◽  
Maxim V. Klimenko ◽  
Vladimir V. Klimenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Meridional Wind ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Intensity Increase ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Solar Activity Level ◽  
Winter Anomaly ◽  
Activity Dependence

For the first time, by using a regression procedure, we analyzed the solar activity dependence of the winter anomaly intensity in the ionospheric F2-layer peak electron density (Nm F2) and in the Total Electron Content (TEC) on a global scale. We used the data from global ionospheric maps for 1998–2015, from GPS radio occultation observations with COSMIC, CHAMP, and GRACE satellites for 2001–2015, and ground-based ionosonde data. The fundamental features of the winter anomaly in Nm F2 and in TEC (spatial distribution and solar activity dependence) are similar for these parameters. We determined the regions, where the winter anomaly may be observed in principle, and the solar activity level, at which the winter anomaly may be recorded in different sectors. A growth in geomagnetic disturbance or in the solar activity level is shown to facilitate the winter anomaly intensity increase. Longitudinal variations in the winter anomaly intensity do not conform partly to the generally accepted Rishbeth theory. We consider the obtained results in the context of spatial and solar cycle variations in O/N2 ratio and thermospheric meridional wind. Additionally, we briefly discuss different definitions of the winter anomaly.

Solar Activity Level in 1611–1613: Sunspot Groups and Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 1001-1008
Author(s):  
N. V. Zolotova ◽  
M. V. Vokhmyanin
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Solar Activity Level ◽  
Sunspot Groups

scholarly journals Solar rotational cycle in lightning activity in Japan during the 18–19th centuries

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 633-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroko Miyahara ◽  
Ryuho Kataoka ◽  
Takehiko Mikami ◽  
Masumi Zaiki ◽  
Junpei Hirano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Solar Rotation ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Lightning Activity ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Rotational Period ◽  
Solar Activity Level ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Thunderstorm and cloud activities sometimes show a 27-day period, and this has long been studied to uncover a possible important link to solar rotation. Because the 27-day variations in the solar forcing parameters such as solar ultraviolet and galactic cosmic rays become more prominent when the solar activity is high, it is expected that the signal of the 27-day period in meteorological phenomena may wax and wane according to the changes in the solar activity level. In this study, we examine in detail the intensity variations in the signal of the 27-day solar rotational period in thunder and lightning activity from the 18th to the 19th centuries based on 150-year-long records found in old diaries kept in Japan and discuss their relation with the solar activity levels. Such long records enable us to examine the signals of solar rotation at both high and low solar activity levels. We found that the signal of the solar rotational period in the thunder and lightning activity increases as the solar activity increases. In this study, we also discuss the possibility of the impact of the long-term climatological conditions on the signals of the 27-day period in thunder/lightning activities. Keywords. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (lightning)

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