Middle‐ and low‐latitude ionosphere response to 2015 St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm

This paper presents a study of the St Patrick's Day storm of 2015, with its ionospheric response at middle and low latitudes. The effects of the storm in each longitudinal sector (Asian, African, American, and Pacific) are characterized using global and regional electron content. At the beginning of the storm, one or two ionospheric positive storm effects are observed depending on the longitudinal zones. After the main phase of the storm, a strong decrease in ionization is observed at all longitudes, lasting several days. The American region exhibits the most remarkable increase in vertical total electron content (vTEC), while in the Asian sector, the largest decrease in vTEC is observed. At low latitudes, using spectral analysis, we were able to separate the effects of the prompt penetration of the magnetospheric convection electric field (PPEF) and of the disturbance dynamo electric field (DDEF) on the basis of ground magnetic data. Concerning the PPEF, Earth's magnetic field oscillations occur simultaneously in the Asian, African, and American sectors, during southward magnetization of the B z component of the interplanetary magnetic field. Concerning the DDEF, diurnal magnetic oscillations in the horizontal component H of the Earth's magnetic field exhibit a behavior that is opposed to the regular one. These diurnal oscillations are recognized to last several days in all longitudinal sectors. The observational data obtained by all sensors used in the present paper can be interpreted on the basis of existing theoretical models.

[1]  N. Trivedi,et al.  DP 2 electric field fluctuations in the dusk‐time dip equatorial ionosphere , 1998 .

[2]  H. G. Muller,et al.  Variability of the quasi-2-day wave observed in the MLT region during the PSMOS campaign of June–August 1999 , 2004 .

[3]  S. Nozawa,et al.  Studies of the E region neutral wind in the disturbed auroral ionosphere , 1995 .

[4]  T. Harris.  A long-term study of the quasi-two-day wave in the middle atmosphere , 1994 .

[5]  K. Davies,et al.  Ionospheric slab thickness in middle and low latitudes , 1991 .

[6]  V. Vasyliūnas,et al.  Mathematical models of magnetospheric convection and its coupling to the ionosphere , 1970 .

[7]  Jaume Sanz,et al.  Improvement of global ionospheric VTEC maps by using kriging interpolation technique , 2005 .

[8]  M. Kunitake,et al.  Neutral winds in the lower thermosphere at high latitudes from five years of EISCAT data , 1991 .

[9]  Timothy Fuller-Rowell,et al.  Response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to geomagnetic storms , 1994 .

[10]  Bodo W. Reinisch,et al.  Global Ionospheric Radio Observatory (GIRO) , 2011 .

[11]  H. Volland.  Magnetospheric electric fields and currents and their influence on large scale thermospheric circulation and composition , 1979 .

[12]  J. Forbes.  Planetary Waves in the Thermosphere-Ionosphere System. , 1996 .

[13]  T. K. Ramkumar,et al.  The mesospheric quasi-2-day wave over Tirunelveli (8.7°N) , 2001 .

[14]  C. Mazaudier,et al.  Delayed ionospheric effects of the geomagnetic storms of March 22, 1979 studied by the sixth co-ordinated data analysis workshop (CDAW-6) , 1990 .

[15]  I. Batista,et al.  Equatorial disturbance dynamo electric field longitudinal structure and spread F: A case study from GUAR/EITS Campaigns , 1997 .

[16]  M. L. Huy,et al.  Planetary magnetic signature of the storm wind disturbance dynamo currents: Ddyn , 2008 .

[17]  H. Lühr,et al.  Electrodynamic coupling of high and low latitudes: Observations on May 27, 1993 , 2000 .

[18]  R. Bernard,et al.  Saint‐Santin radar observations of lower thermospheric storms , 1985 .

[19]  S. Chapman,et al.  A new theory of magnetic storms , 1931 .

[20]  K. Jones.  Storm time variation of F2-layer electron concentration , 1971 .

[21]  A. Nishida,et al.  ORIGIN OF FLUCTUATIONS IN THE EQUATORIAL ELECTROJET: A NEW TYPE OF GEOMAGNETIC VARIATION. , 1966 .

[22]  T. Gulyaeva,et al.  Climatology of ionospheric slab thickness , 2004 .

[23]  C. Fesen.  Geomagnetic activity effects on thermospheric tides: a compendium of theoretical predictions , 1997 .

[24]  H. Rishbeth,et al.  The origin of storm increases of mid-latitude F-layer electron concentration , 1971 .

[25]  Irina Zakharenkova,et al.  Ionospheric response to the 2015 St. Patrick's Day storm: A global multi‐instrumental overview , 2015 .

[26]  Iwona Stanislawska,et al.  GIM-TEC adaptive ionospheric weather assessment and forecast system , 2013 .

[27]  Jaume Sanz,et al.  New approaches in global ionospheric determination using ground GPS data , 1999 .

[28]  Ludger Scherliess,et al.  Empirical models of storm time equatorial zonal electric fields , 1997 .

[29]  H. Takahashi,et al.  Equatorial planetary wave signatures observed in mesospheric airglow emissions , 2002 .

[30]  Sandro M. Radicella,et al.  Calibration errors on experimental slant total electron content (TEC) determined with GPS , 2007 .

[31]  Iurii Cherniak,et al.  Dependence of the high-latitude plasma irregularities on the auroral activity indices: a case study of 17 March 2015 geomagnetic storm , 2015, Earth, Planets and Space.

[32]  A. Nishida.  Geomagnetic Dp 2 fluctuations and associated magnetospheric phenomena , 1968 .

[33]  H. Lühr,et al.  Direct penetration of the polar electric field to the equator during a DP 2 event as detected by the auroral and equatorial magnetometer chains and the EISCAT radar , 1996 .

[34]  T. Araki,et al.  Horizontal transmission of the polar electric field to the equator , 1979 .

[35]  I. V. Zhivetiev,et al.  Solar activity and global electron content , 2006 .

[36]  D. T. Farley,et al.  Equatorial disturbance dynamo electric fields , 1983 .

[37]  Arthur D. Richmond,et al.  The ionospheric disturbance dynamo , 1980 .

[38]  T. Fuller‐Rowell,et al.  Tidal oscillations in the thermosphere: a theoretical investigation of their sources , 2001 .

[39]  J. Forbes,et al.  Quasi 16‐day oscillation in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere , 1995 .

[40]  Peiyan Chen.  Two‐day oscillation of the equatorial ionization anomaly , 1992 .

[41]  A. Mahrous,et al.  Ionospheric disturbance dynamo associated to a coronal hole: Case study of 5–10 April 2010 , 2014 .

[42]  T. Yokoyama,et al.  Duskside enhancement of equatorial zonal electric field response to convection electric fields during the St. Patrick's Day storm on 17 March 2015 , 2016 .

[43]  M. L. Huy,et al.  Magnetic signature of the Ionospheric disturbance dynamo at equatorial latitudes “Ddyn”, ICDC –session N° 1. , 2005 .

[44]  H. Takahashi,et al.  Planetary wave signatures in the equatorial atmosphere ionosphere system, and mesosphere- E- and F-region coupling , 2006 .

[45]  R. Bernard,et al.  Correction to “Saint-Santin Radar observations of lower thermospheric storms” , 1985 .

[46]  R. Roble,et al.  Dynamic effects of aurora-generated gravity waves on the mid-latitude ionosphere , 1979 .

[47]  B. Fejer,et al.  Sporadic E layer development and disruption at low latitudes by prompt penetration electric fields during magnetic storms , 2013 .

[48]  J. J. Zhang,et al.  GIC due to storm sudden commencement in low‐latitude high‐voltage power network in China: Observation and simulation , 2015 .

[49]  R. Roble,et al.  A magnetosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere electrodynamics general circulation model , 1998 .