The topside sounder database – Data screening and systematic biases

The ionospheric topside sounder measurement database developed at the US National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) is a valuable source of information when investigating the composition and complex dynamics of the upper ionosphere. The database is increasingly used by many scientists around the world for both research and development of empirical models. However, there is always a danger of indiscriminately using the data without properly assessing the data quality and applicability for a given purpose. This paper is concerned with the issue of data screening and pre-processing of the Alouette/ISIS topside sounder database. An overview of the original database availability and formatting is given and the use of solar and geomagnetic indices is discussed. Data screening procedures, concerning detection and handling of erroneous profiles, are also presented. Special attention is drawn to the systematic biases observed in the database and the possibilities for their removal.     

全球电离层发电机方程的一种数值解法

为了将建立在赤道为对称面假设基础上的二维半球域对称）电离层发电机理论扩展到全球,本文在解发电机方程时,去掉赤道对称面这一假设条件和两极附加的边界条件,使通常的边值问题变成一种“无边界’问题．它更合理地描述了电离层发电机过程,而且可以给出半球发电机理论所不能给出的特征,例如,可以对Ｓｑ电流体系的ＵＴ变化、季节变化、非偶极子地磁场部分的发电机效应等南北半球不对称的情况进行数值计算．计算实例表示,在简单的赤道对称情况下,它可以复现二维半球（对称）发电机模型的结果．在不对称情况下,电流体系的强度、焦点位置、电流方向等显示出较为复杂的变化,而半球发电机理论则无法解释这些特征．     

大功率无线电波对高电离层的加热

根据动量方程、能量方程和电子的连续性方程，在偶极扩散的假设下，建立了地面入射的大功率无线电波加热高电离层的理论模型．作为应用，对以上方程组数值求解，计算了高电离层(150-400km)电子温度和电子密度随时间的变化．计算结果表明，对于一定参数的发射机，一定的吸收模型，电离层电子温度和密度均有明显的变化．我们发现，应用本文选取的加热参数，在电波反射点附近，电子温度有10％-25％的增加，电子密度有1％-2％左右的减少．电子温度达到稳态的时间要快于电子密度达到稳态的时间．最后，用本文的结果解释了电离层加热实验中的一些观测现象。     

Statistical description of low-latitude plasma blobs as observed by DMSP F15 and KOMPSAT-1

The global distribution of low-latitude plasma blobs was investigated by in-situ plasma density measurements from the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-1 (KOMPSAT-1) and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F15. In the observations, blobs occurred in the longitude sector where the activity of the equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) was appreciable, and additional blobs were found at the lower (KOMPSAT-1) altitude as in the EPBs. However, several notable differences exist between the distributions of EPBs and blobs. First, KOMPSAT-1 found few blobs around 0°E in March and June, as did DMSP F15 from 30°W to 120°E for every season. Second, the overall occurrences in December and March at the DMSP F15 (840 km) altitude were somewhat lower than expected from those of the EBPs. Third, at the DMSP F15 altitude, the occurrence probability of plasma blobs was less controlled by yearly variations in the solar activity. These results imply that topside ionospheric conditions as well as the existence of EPBs control further development of blobs. Additionally, it was found that the blob latitudes became higher as the yearly solar activity increased. Moreover, most of the blobs were encountered in the winter hemisphere, possibly due to the low ambient density.     

Investigation of Satellite Trace (ST) and Multi-reflected Echo (MRE) ionogram signatures and its possible correlation to nighttime spread F development from Cyprus over the solar mini-max (2009–2016)

Multi-reflected echoes (MREs) and satellite traces (STs) are referred in literature as ionogram signatures of Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) which is a phenomenon that apparently drives spread F development mainly at nighttime mid-latitude ionosphere. A long-term statistical study has been undertaken to investigate the morphological aspect of these signatures over the lower midlatitude European station of Nicosia, Cyprus (35.19°N, 33.38°E geographic; magnetic dip. 29.38°N) by inspecting all ionograms recorded by the DPS-4D digisonde in the interval 2009–2016. The results underline the systematic manifestation of these TID signatures over Cyprus with a possible (although not quite clear) solar activity dependence and a distinctive seasonal and diurnal occurrence rate with a seasonal peak of STs during summer and of MREs during January to April. Based on the experimental results of the present study, the seasonal occurrence rate of MREs and STs is found to increase by 75% and 56% during high solar activity periods. Satellite traces are well known ionogram signatures of TIDs and mostly correlated to the nighttime spread F formation. The occurrence of mid-latitude spread Fs over European longitude sector normally increases during summer. The occurrences of TIDs are also prominent at this interval of the year over nighttime mid-latitude ionosphere. The presence of MREs as an ionogram signature of TIDs over mid-latitude ionosphere is unique in nature.     

The effect of solar and geomagnetic parameters on total electron content over Ankara,Turkey

In this study, the relationship between total electron content (TEC) and solar and geomagnetic parameters for Ankara station (39.7 N, 32.76 E), Turkey located in the mid-latitude ionosphere is investigated. In this context, F10.7 solar flux and Interplanetary Magnetic Fields (IMF) from solar parameters and Kp and Dst indices from geomagnetic parameters affecting on TEC are considered. The relationship between the variables is investigated by means of the statistical multiple regression model at the universal time (UT) (Local Time = UT + 2 h) 1200 and 2400 in the years when the 24th solar cycle was minimum (2007–2009) and maximum (2015). As a result, it is found that explainable rates by solar and geomagnetic parameters of TEC changes in 2007–2009 are lower than in 2015 at daytime, while the explainable rates in the solar minimum years are higher than those the maximum year at nighttime. To be higher than the solar maximum of explainable rate in the solar minimum years at nighttime may be related to the fact that the dynamics of the ionosphere is significantly different than expected in this deep minimum period. As expected in 2015, the relationship between TEC and independent parameters is greater at daytime than at nighttime.     

Space Weather in the Equatorial Ionosphere

The ‘scintillations’ observed on signals received in the equatorial region from GPS satellites are due to plasma instabilities in the F region of the ionosphere, also detected as spread F. These instabilities give rise to depletions of ionisation or ‘bubbles’. The occurrence of these events and their relation to the equatorial electrojet are reviewed. Possibilities of short-term forecasting are examined with particular attention to problems encountered in modelling the equatorial electrojet. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Commonalities Between Ionosphere and Chromosphere

Three types of processes, occurring in the weakly ionized plasmas of the Earth’s ionosphere as well as in the solar chromosphere, are being compared with each other. The main objective is to elaborate on the differences introduced primarily by the grossly different magnitudes of the densities, both with respect to the neutral and, even more so, to the plasma constituents. This leads to great differences in the momentum coupling from the plasma to the neutral component and becomes clear when considering the direct electric current component transverse to the magnetic field, called “Pedersen current”; in the ionosphere, which has no quasi-static counterpart in the chromosphere. The three classes of processes are related to the dynamical response of the two plasmas to energy influx from below and from above. In the first two cases, the energy is carried by waves. The third class concerns plasma erosion or ablation in the two respective regions in reaction to the injection of high Poynting and/or energetic particle fluxes.     

短波射线追踪技术中的电离层混合建模方法

在国际参考电离层模型和多层准抛物模型的基础上,提出了一种混合应用两种模型进行电离层建模的新方法.利用射线追踪技术,分别对混合模型和传统国际参考电离层模型下短波射线在电离层中的轨迹进行了仿真,得到了电波群路径.通过与实测电波群路径的对比,结果表明:对中国中纬度地区在电离层混合模型下的射线追踪精度优于传统国际参考电离层模型下的射线追踪精度,同时混合建模方法降低了多层准抛物模型对输入条件的要求,扩展了多层准抛物模型在射线追踪技术中的应用范围.     

Linkage of the ionospheric peak electron density and height deduced from the topside sounding data

Topside sounding electron density profiles are analyzed to explore interrelations of the F2 layer critical frequency and the peak height for a representative set of conditions provided by ISIS1, ISIS2, IK19 and Cosmos-1809 satellites for the period of 1969–1987. The foF2 and hmF2 are delivered with exponential extrapolation of electron density profile to zero of its 1st derivative. It is shown that the linear regression exists between foF2 and hmF2 under different conditions. The linkage between the two parameters amended to the empirical model of the peak height [Gulyaeva, T.L., Bradley, P.A., Stanislawska, I., Juchnikowski, G. Towards a new reference model of hmF2 for IRI. Adv. Space Res. 42, 666–672, doi:10.1016/j.asr.2008.02.021, 2008] results in an empirical model of the both foF2 and hmF2 expressed by superposition of functions in terms of local-time, season, geodetic longitude, modified dip latitude and solar activity. For the solar activity we use a proxy Fsp index averaged from the mean solar radio flux F10.7s for the past 81 days (3 solar rotations) and F10.7 value for 1 day prior the day of observation. Impact of geomagnetic activity is not discernible with the topside sounding data due to mixed positive and negative storm-time effects. Appreciable differences have been revealed between IRI-CCIR predictions and outcome of the new model which might be attributed to the different techniques of the peak electron density and height derivation, different epochs and different global distribution of the source data as well as the different mathematical functions involved in the maps and the model presentation.