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Equatorial Plasma Bubbles Observed at Dawn and After Sunrise Over South America During the 2015 St. Patrick's Day Storm.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Equatorial Plasma Bubbles Observed at Dawn and After Sunrise Over South America During the 2015 St. Patrick's Day Storm.
Authors: Carmo, C. S.1,2 carolina.carmo@inpe.br, Pi, X.2, Denardini, C. M.1, Figueiredo, C. A. O. B.1, Verkhoglyadova, O. P.2, Picanço, G. A. S.1
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics. Oct2022, Vol. 127 Issue 10, p1-16. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Magnetic storms, Global Positioning System, Thermosphere, Electric field effects, Rayleigh-Taylor instability
Geographic Terms: South America
Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB) events that occurred during pre- and post-sunrise hours in the South America sector on 18 March 2015, when the St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm was in the recovery phase. The data from a set of multi-diagnostic instruments, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers, L-band GNSS ionospheric scintillation monitors, ionosondes, and a Fabry-Perot interferometer, are analyzed. Strong L-band amplitude scintillation was observed with spread-F and total electron content (TEC) fluctuations at times when the electron density and tTEC were minimum with respect to their diurnal variations. The EPBs remained observed for about 3:30 hr after sunrise on the east coast of the South American continent. The daytime ionospheric irregularities show a longitudinal dependency between the west and east coasts, separated by about 3,600 km. Our analysis of the observations suggests that a Disturbance Dynamo Electric Field effect caused by storm-time wind perturbations might have triggered the Rayleigh-Taylor instability near local dawn on the east and west coasts of the South American continent. The effects of ambient ionosphere-thermosphere conditions on the evolution of irregularities are assessed to understand the longitudinal differences. The assessment includes the effect of the E region that appears in the morning hours and the effects of geomagnetic declination and tilting the solar-terminator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: GreenFILE
Description
Abstract:This paper presents an analysis of Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB) events that occurred during pre- and post-sunrise hours in the South America sector on 18 March 2015, when the St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm was in the recovery phase. The data from a set of multi-diagnostic instruments, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers, L-band GNSS ionospheric scintillation monitors, ionosondes, and a Fabry-Perot interferometer, are analyzed. Strong L-band amplitude scintillation was observed with spread-F and total electron content (TEC) fluctuations at times when the electron density and tTEC were minimum with respect to their diurnal variations. The EPBs remained observed for about 3:30 hr after sunrise on the east coast of the South American continent. The daytime ionospheric irregularities show a longitudinal dependency between the west and east coasts, separated by about 3,600 km. Our analysis of the observations suggests that a Disturbance Dynamo Electric Field effect caused by storm-time wind perturbations might have triggered the Rayleigh-Taylor instability near local dawn on the east and west coasts of the South American continent. The effects of ambient ionosphere-thermosphere conditions on the evolution of irregularities are assessed to understand the longitudinal differences. The assessment includes the effect of the E region that appears in the morning hours and the effects of geomagnetic declination and tilting the solar-terminator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:21699380
DOI:10.1029/2021JA029934