This study presents an analysis of the ground-based observations and model simulations of ionospheric electron density disturbances at three longitudinal sectors (eastern European, Siberian and ...American) during geomagnetic storms that occurred on 26–30 September 2011. We use the Global Self-consistent Model of the Thermosphere, Ionosphere and Protonosphere (GSM TIP) to reveal the main mechanisms influencing the storm-time behavior of the total electron content (TEC) and the ionospheric F2 peak critical frequency (foF2) during different phases of geomagnetic storms. During the storm's main phase the long-lasting positive disturbances in TEC and foF2 at sunlit mid-latitudes are mainly explained by the storm-time equatorward neutral wind. The effects of eastward electric field can only explain the positive ionospheric storm in the first few hours of the initial storm phase. During the main phase the ionosphere was more changeable than the plasmasphere. The positive disturbances in the electron content at the plasmaspheric heights (800–20 000 km) at high latitudes can appear simultaneously with the negative disturbances in TEC and foF2. The daytime positive disturbances in foF2 and TEC occurred at middle and low latitudes and at the Equator due to n(O) ∕ n(N2) enhancement during later stage of the main phase and during the recovery phase of the geomagnetic storm. The plasma tube diffusional depletion and negative disturbances in electron and neutral temperature were the main formation mechanisms of the simultaneous formation of the positive disturbances in foF2 and negative disturbances in TEC at low latitudes during the storm's recovery phase.
Describing the current ionospheric conditions is crucial to solving problems of radio communication, radar, and navigation. Techniques to update ionospheric models using current measurements found a ...wide application to improve the ionosphere description. We present the results of updating the NeQuick and IRI-Plas empirical ionosphere models using the slant total electron content observed by ground-based GPS/GLONASS receivers. The updating method is based on calculating the effective value of the solar activity index, which allows minimizing the discrepancy between the measured and the model-calculated slant TEC. We estimated the updating efficiency based on the
foF
2 observational data obtained by ionosonde measurements. We calculated the data for 4 stations: Irkutsk, Norilsk, Kaliningrad, and Sodankylä. We analyzed 4 days in 2014: March 22, June 22, September 22, and December 18. We found that, in some cases, upon updating, the IRI-Plas underestimates the
foF
2, whereas NeQuick, on the contrary, overestimates it. We found a seasonal dependence of the updating efficiency of the ionosphere model using slant TEC. Possible causes of this dependence might be associated with the seasonal dependence of the correctness of model’s reproduction of the latitude–longitude TEC distribution. In general, we found the low level of the updating efficiency of the
foF2
using slant TEC. This can be mainly explained by the fact that the models describe the electron density vertical profile and ionospheric slab thickness incorrectly.
The paper presents observations of atmospheric and ionospheric parameters during strong meteorological disturbances (storms) in the Kaliningrad region. The analysis of ionospheric observations has ...shown that during meteorological storms the amplitude of diurnal variations in TEC decreases to 50 %; and in foF2, to 15 % as compared to quiet days. The revealed changes in ionospheric conditions during meteorological storms are regularly registered and represent a characteristic feature of the meteorological effect on the ionosphere. Modeling studies of the vertical propagation of AGW from the Earth’s surface showed that such waves quickly (within ~15 min) reach altitudes of the upper atmosphere (~300 km). The refraction and dissipation of waves in the upper atmosphere produces perturbations of the background state of the atmosphere and gives rise to the waveguide propagation of infrasonic wave components. The observed manifestations of TEC disturbances caused by AGW propagating from the lower atmosphere can be explained by the diurnal variation of the altitude of the ionosphere and the waveguide propagation of infrasonic waves.
Our previous studies have shown the presence of daytime positive electron density disturb-ances during several days after the start of the recovery phase. The aim of this paper is to study ...after-effects of geomagnetic storms (after-storm effects), i.e. ionospher-ic effects observed on the 3–5th day after the beginning of the storm recovery phase. From numerical calcula-tions with the GSM TIP model, we have found the main mechanisms for the formation of the after-storm effects. Using Irkutsk (52° N, 104° E) and Kaliningrad (54° N, 20° E) ionosonde data, we have carried out a statistical analysis of daytime ionospheric responses to geomagnetic storms. As a result of the analysis, we obtained averaged ionospheric responses at the beginning of the storm recovery phase and for five consecutive days. The statistical analysis results received near the beginning of the recovery phase are in good agreement with the well-known ionospheric effects of geomagnetic storms obtained in previous studies. For the first time, the obtained statistics of iono-spheric responses observed on the 3–5th day after the beginning of the recovery phase allowed us to reveal the dependence of after-storm ionospheric effects on season, storm intensity, and ionosonde geomagnetic latitude. In addition, we for the first time present the interpretation of after-storm ionospheric effects from numerical simulation results.
The results of observations and modeling of the ionosphere parameters in periods of the severe troposphere weather events in October 2017, 2018 are presented. We analyze variations in the F2-layer ...critical frequency (foF2), in the total electron content (TEC), in the sporadic E-layer critical frequency during meteorology disturbances in the troposphere. It was shown that the meteorology storms can influence on the ionosphere parameters through the gravity waves (GWs). The GWs generated in the meteorology storm area can propagate into upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The GWs dissipation leads to the formation of disturbances in the thermospheric state at spatial scales that are determined by the duration and spatial dimensions of the region located in the meteorological disturbance zone. To interpret the observed disturbances in the upper atmosphere, the experimental measurements are compared with the results of model calculations obtained with the Global Self-Consistent Model of Thermosphere- Ionosphere-Protonosphere (GSM TIP).
The paper presents the results of observations of the sporadic Es layer during the period of meteorological disturbances in Kaliningrad in October 2017 and 2018 under quiet geomagnetic conditions. ...During the meteorological storms (October 29–30, 2017 and October 23–24, 2018), significant changes occurred in the dynamics of the Es-layer critical frequency. Observations of atmospheric and ionospheric disturbances in the Kaliningrad region show that the delay between the ionospheric response and the moment of maximum disturbances in atmospheric parameters is about 3 hours. These phenomena at the heights of the E-region might have been caused by propagation of acoustic-gravity waves generated by convective processes in the lower atmosphere during periods of a meteorological storm. Intensification of turbulent processes in the lower thermosphere leads to an increase in the atmospheric density and, accordingly, to higher recombination rates. This leads to a rapid decrease in the concentration of ions and, consequently, to a decrease in the critical frequency of the sporadic layer below the sensitivity threshold of ionosondes.
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