Deep Ionospheric Hole Created by Sudden Stratospheric Warming in the Nighttime Ionosphere

Multiple observational studies have demonstrated large ionospheric variations during the daytime associated with sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events, but only limited evidence of ionospheric disturbances during the nighttime has been reported up to now. We focus on the American longitudinal se...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2018-09, Vol.123 (9), p.7621-7633
Main Authors: Goncharenko, L. P., Coster, A. J., Zhang, S.‐R., Erickson, P. J., Benkevitch, L., Aponte, N., Harvey, V. L., Reinisch, B. W., Galkin, I., Spraggs, M., Hernández‐Espiet, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Daytime
Earth atmosphere
Electric fields
Electron density
F region
Global navigation satellite system
Incoherent scattering
Ion temperature
Ionosphere
Ionospheric disturbances
Ionospheric variations
Navigation
Navigation satellites
Navigation systems
Night
Northern Hemisphere
Satellite observation
Satellites
Southern Hemisphere
Space weather
Stratospheric warming
sudden stratospheric warming
Sunrise
Thermospheric winds
Weather forecasting
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Summary:Multiple observational studies have demonstrated large ionospheric variations during the daytime associated with sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events, but only limited evidence of ionospheric disturbances during the nighttime has been reported up to now. We focus on the American longitudinal sector with its extensive observational network of Global Navigation Satellite System receivers, four Digisondes located at low and middle latitudes, and the Arecibo and Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radars. The study focuses on a major SSW event of January 2013 to investigate large‐scale disturbances in the nighttime ionosphere. We report a deep decrease in total electron content that reaches a factor of 2–5 as compared to the background level and is observed between local midnight and local sunrise (6–12 UT). This decrease is observed for several consecutive days in the range of latitudes from ~55°S to ~45°N. It is accompanied by a strong downward plasma motion and a significant decrease in ion temperature, as observed by both Arecibo and Millstone Hill radars. These results demonstrate that SSW events cause changes in the nighttime ionosphere that are even larger than in the daytime ionosphere. We discuss variations in electric field and F‐region dynamics as possible drivers of this behavior and suggest that thermospheric winds play a much larger role than previously thought. Plain Language Summary Large‐scale meteorological disturbances like sudden stratospheric warmings are often used in research to illuminate a variety of mechanisms and processes that link different regions of the Earth's atmosphere across a wide range of altitudes and latitudes. Earlier studies have shown large and long‐lasting anomalies caused by sudden stratospheric warmings in the Earth's daytime ionosphere. In this study, we show that in addition to the daytime changes, large changes also occur at night. In particular, major warming of January 2013 carved a deep hole in the nighttime ionosphere that extended through half the globe and decreased electron density by a factor of 2 to 4. These results suggest that strong disturbances occurred in the upper atmospheric wind system in a wide region from middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere to middle latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. These results improve our understanding of reasons for very large day‐to‐day variations in the ionosphere and move us a step closer to improvements in space weather forecasting. Key Points Impacts of
ISSN:2169-9380
2169-9402
DOI:10.1029/2018JA025541