North‐south components of the annual asymmetry in the ionosphere

A retrospective study of the asymmetry in the ionosphere during the solstices is made using the different geospace parameters in the North and South magnetic hemispheres. Data of total electron content (TEC) and global electron content (GEC) produced from global ionospheric maps, GIM-TEC for 1999-2013, the ionospheric electron content (IEC) measured by TOPEX-Jason 1 and 2 satellites for 2001-2012, the F-2 layer critical frequency and peak height measured on board ISIS 1, ISIS 2, and IK19 satellites during 1969-1982, and the earthquakes M5+ occurrences for 1999-2013 are analyzed. Annual asymmetry is observed with GEC and IEC for the years of observation with asymmetry index, AI, showing January > July excess from 0.02 to 0.25. The coincident pattern of January-to-July asymmetry ratio of TEC and IEC colocated along the magnetic longitude sector of 270 degrees +/- 5 degrees E in the Pacific Ocean is obtained varying with local time and magnetic latitude. The sea/land differences in the F-2 layer peak electron density, NmF2, and the peak height, h(m)F(2), gathered with topside sounding data exhibit tilted ionosphere along the seashores with denser electron population at greater peak heights over the sea. The topside peak electron density NmF2, TEC, IEC, and the hemisphere part of GEC are dominant in the South hemisphere which resembles the pattern for seismic activity with dominant earthquake occurrence in the South magnetic hemisphere. Though the study is made for the hemispheric and annual asymmetry during solstices in the ionosphere, the conclusions seem valid for other aspects of seismic-ionospheric associations with tectonic plate boundaries representing zones of enhanced risk for space weather.

[1]  Sergey Pulinets,et al.  Ionospheric precursors of earthquakes and Global Electric Circuit , 2014 .

[2]  O. Zolotov,et al.  Manifestations of the earthquake preparations in the ionosphere total electron content variations , 2012 .

[3]  P. Bencze.  Geographical distribution of long-term changes in the height of the maximum electron density of the F region: A nonmigrating-tide effect? , 2009 .

[4]  Xinan Yue,et al.  Features of the middle- and low-latitude ionosphere during solar minimum as revealed from COSMIC radio occultation measurements , 2011 .

[5]  Lixin Wu,et al.  Is there a one-to-one correspondence between ionospheric anomalies and large earthquakes along Longmenshan faults? , 2014 .

[6]  M. Fujii.  Theory of ground surface plasma wave associated with pre‐earthquake electrical charges , 2013 .

[7]  Ying-Hwa Kuo,et al.  Ionospheric annual asymmetry observed by the COSMIC radio occultation measurements and simulated by the TIEGCM , 2008 .

[8]  T. Gulyaeva,et al.  Imaging Global Electron Content backwards in time more than 160 years ago , 2014 .

[9]  H. Le,et al.  The ionospheric anomalies prior to the M9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake , 2013 .

[10]  Jing Liu,et al.  Ionospheric perturbations in plasma parameters before global strong earthquakes , 2014 .

[11]  T. Gulyaeva.  Calibration of IRI–ITU-R peak density and height over the oceans with topside sounding data , 2010 .

[12]  Ingo Müller-Wodarg,et al.  Why is there more ionosphere in January than in July? The annual asymmetry in the F2-layer , 2006 .

[13]  Hyun-Yup Lee,et al.  Characteristics of global plasmaspheric TEC in comparison with the ionosphere simultaneously observed by Jason‐1 satellite , 2013 .

[14]  Klemens Hocke,et al.  Oscillations of global mean TEC , 2008 .

[15]  E. Afraimovich,et al.  Dynamics of global electron content in 1998–2005 derived from global GPS data and IRI modeling , 2008 .

[16]  J. Lean,et al.  Ionospheric total electron content: Global and hemispheric climatology , 2011 .

[17]  Wenbin Wang,et al.  Annual/semiannual variation of the ionosphere , 2013 .

[18]  P. Lognonné,et al.  Normal modes modelling of post‐seismic ionospheric oscillations , 2001 .

[19]  Libo Liu,et al.  Climatology of the mean total electron content derived from GPS global ionospheric maps , 2009 .

[20]  Yi-Ben Tsai,et al.  Pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies registered by continuous GPS TEC measurements , 2004 .

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

[22]  Junhuan Peng,et al.  Time series modeling and analysis of trends of daily averaged ionospheric total electron content , 2013 .

[23]  Xiaoqing Pi,et al.  Automated daily process for global ionospheric total electron content maps and satellite ocean altimeter ionospheric calibration based on Global Positioning System data , 1999 .

[24]  I. V. Zhivetiev,et al.  Global electron content: a new conception to track solar activity , 2008 .

[25]  T. L. Gulyaeva,et al.  Two‐phase storm profile of global electron content in the ionosphere and plasmasphere of the Earth , 2012 .

[26]  Remko Scharroo,et al.  A global positioning system–based climatology for the total electron content in the ionosphere , 2010 .

[27]  Libo Liu,et al.  Is an unusual large enhancement of ionospheric electron density linked with the 2008 great Wenchuan earthquake , 2008 .

[28]  S. V. Voeykov,et al.  A review of GPS/GLONASS studies of the ionospheric response to natural and anthropogenic processes and phenomena , 2013 .

[29]  Xiaoqing Pi,et al.  The global ionospheric asymmetry in total electron content , 2005 .

[30]  H. Rishbeth.  F-region links with the lower atmosphere? , 2006 .

[31]  R. Schunk,et al.  Analysis of TEC data from the TOPEX/Poseidon mission , 2004 .

[32]  E. Illés-Almár,et al.  A North–South asymmetry in thermospheric density , 2006 .

[33]  M. Momani.  GPS observations at quasi‐conjugate points during solar minimum , 2012 .

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

[35]  Andrew B. Christensen,et al.  Features of annual and semiannual variations derived from the global ionospheric maps of total electron content , 2007 .

[36]  P. K. Rajesh,et al.  Modeling and observations of the north–south ionospheric asymmetry at low latitudes at long deep solar minimum , 2013 .

[37]  Anthony J. Mannucci,et al.  A global mapping technique for GPS‐derived ionospheric total electron content measurements , 1998 .

[38]  Vladislav V. Kiryushkin,et al.  Two‐mode long‐distance propagation of coseismic ionosphere disturbances , 2009 .

[39]  F. Freund,et al.  Earthquake forewarning — A multidisciplinary challenge from the ground up to space , 2013, Acta Geophysica.

[40]  J. Gregory,et al.  Land/sea warming ratio in response to climate change: IPCC AR4 model results and comparison with observations , 2007 .

[41]  B. Wilson,et al.  Detecting ionospheric TEC perturbations caused by natural hazards using a global network of GPS receivers: The Tohoku case study , 2012, Earth, Planets and Space.

[42]  H. Lühr,et al.  The magnitude and inter-hemispheric asymmetry of equatorial ionization anomaly-based on CHAMP and GRACE observations , 2013 .

[43]  I. Cnossen,et al.  Upper atmosphere differences between northern and southern high latitudes: The role of magnetic field asymmetry , 2013 .

[44]  S. Pulinets,et al.  Ionospheric precursors of earthquakes , 2004 .

[45]  A. Garcia-Rigo,et al.  The IGS VTEC maps: a reliable source of ionospheric information since 1998 , 2009 .

[46]  Y. Tsai,et al.  Statistical Tests for Pre-earthquake Ionospheric Anomaly , 2004 .

[47]  W. Weixing,et al.  Climatological analysis and modeling of the ionospheric global electron content , 2008 .

[48]  Orhan Arikan,et al.  Investigation of total electron content variability due to seismic and geomagnetic disturbances in the ionosphere , 2010 .