Review of ionospheric irregularities and ionospheric electrodynamic coupling in the middle latitude region

This paper briefly reviews ionospheric irregularities that occur in the E and F regions at mid-latitudes. Sporadic E(ES) is a common ionospheric irregularity phenomenon that is first noticed in the E layer. ES mainly appears during daytime in summer hemispheres, and is formed primarily from neutral wind shear in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere(MLT) region. Field-aligned irregularity(FAI) in the E region is also observed by Very High Frequency(VHF) radar in mid-latitude regions. FAI frequently occurs after sunset in summer hemispheres, and spectrum features of E region FAI echoes suggest that type-2 irregularity is dominant in the nighttime ionosphere. A close relationship between ES and E region FAI implies that ES may be a possible source of E region FAI in the nighttime ionosphere. Strong neutral wind shear, steep ES plasma density gradient, and a polarized electric field are the significant factors affecting the formation of E region FAI. At mid-latitudes, joint observational experiments including ionosonde, VHF radar, Global Positioning System(GPS) stations, and all-sky optical images have revealed strong connections across different scales of ionospheric irregularities in the nighttime F region, such as spread F(SF), medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances(MSTID), and F region FAI.Observations suggest that different scales of ionospheric irregularities are generally attributed to the Perkins instability and subsequently excited gradient drift instability. Nighttime MSTID can further evolve into small-scale structures through a nonlinear cascade process when a steep plasma density gradient exists at the bottom of the F region. In addition, the effect of ionospheric electrodynamic coupling processes, including ionospheric E-F coupling and inter-hemispheric coupling on the generation of ionospheric irregularities, becomes more prominent due to the significant dip angle and equipotentiality of magnetic field lines in the mid-latitude ionosphere. Polarized electric fields can map to different ionospheric regions and excite plasma instabilities which form ionospheric irregularities. Nevertheless,the mapping efficiency of a polarized electric field depends on the ionospheric background and spatial scale of the field.

Recent ionospheric investigations in China(2018–2019)

Since the release of the 2018 National Report of China on ionospheric research(Liu LB and Wan WX,2018)to the Committee on Space Research(COSPAR),scientists from China's Mainland have made many new fruitful investigations of various ionospheric-related issues.In this update report,we briefly introduce more than 130 recent reports(2018–2019).The current report covers the following topics:ionospheric space weather,ionospheric structures and climatology,ionospheric dynamics and couplings,ionospheric irregularity and scintillation,modeling and data assimilation,and radio wave propagation in the ionosphere and sounding techniques.

Preface to the Special Issue on recent advances in the study of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles and Ionospheric Scintillation

The 2 nd Equatorial Plasma Bubble(EPB)workshop,funded by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,and the National Natural Science Foundation of China,took place in Beijing,China during September 13–15,2019.The EPB workshop belongs to a conference series that began in 2016 in Nagoya,Japan at the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research,Nagoya University,resulting in a special issue of Progress in Earth and Planetary Science that focused on EPBs.The main goal of the series is to organize in-depth discussion by scientists working on ionospheric irregularities,and solve the scientific challenges in EPB and ionospheric scintillation forecasting.The 2 nd EPB workshop gathered almost 60 scientists from seven countries.A total of 20 invited and contributing papers focusing on ionospheric irregularities and scintillations were presented.Here we briefly comment on 10 papers included in this special issue.

Numerical simulation of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in ionospheric irregularities

The characteristics of high-frequency(HF)electromagnetic(EM)wave propagation can be affected when EM waves propagate in the ionosphere.When ionospheric irregularities appear in the ionosphere,they can have a serious impact on the propagation of HF EM waves.In this study,the propagation of HF EM waves in ionospheric irregularities was investigated by numerical simulation.First,a twodimensional model of plasma bubbles was used to produce ionospheric irregularities in the ionosphere.A ray-tracing method was then utilized to simulate the propagation of HF radio waves in these ionospheric irregularities.Results showed that the propagation of HF radio waves in the ionosphere was more complex in ionospheric irregularities than without ionospheric irregularities.In addition,corresponding ionograms were synthesized by radio rays propagated in the ionosphere with these irregularities.The synthesized ionograms were then compared with the experimental ionograms recorded by an ionosonde.Results showed that spread F could be simulated on the ionograms when ionospheric irregularities occurred in the ionosphere.This result was consistent with the ionosonde observations.

A measure of ionospheric irregularities:zonal velocity and its implications for L-band scintillation at low-latitudes

We estimate the zonal drift velocity of small-scale ionospheric irregularities at low latitude by leveraging the spaced-receivers technique applied to two GNSS receivers for scintillation monitoring installed along the magnetic parallel passing in Presidente Prudente(Brazil,magnetic latitude 12.8°S).The investigated ionospheric sector is ideal to study small-scale irregularities,being located close to the expected position of the southern crest of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly.The measurement campaign took place between September 2013 and February 2014,i.e.equinox and summer solstice seasons under solar maximum,during which the probability of formation of small-scale irregularities is expected to maximize.We found that the hourly average of the velocity increases up to 135 m/s right after the local sunset at ionospheric altitudes and then smoothly decreases in the next hours.Such measurements are in agreement with independent estimations of the velocity made by the Incoherent Scatter Radar located at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory(magnetic latitude 0.1°N),by the Boa Vista Ionosonde(magnetic latitude 12.0°N),and by applying a recently-developed empirical regional short-term forecasting model.Additionally,we investigated the relationship with the percentage occurrence of amplitude scintillation;we report that it is exponentially dependent on the zonal velocity of the irregularities that cause it.

Modeling of kilometer-scale ionospheric irregularities at Mars

Recently, kilometer-scale Martian ionospheric irregularities have been measured by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN) mission(Fowler et al., 2020). In this study, we carried out a simulation of these irregularities, assuming a uniform Martian zonal neutral wind and a cosinusoidal perturbation of the plasma density as the seeding source. Results show that a vertical electric field shear could be induced by such a plasma density perturbation. We find that the vertical electric field shear causes a velocity shear of the plasma between the topside and bottomside ionosphere, which in turn is able to produce kilometer-scale ionospheric irregularities — irregularities of a smaller scale than were seen in previous simulations(Jiang CH et al., 2021). These kilometer-scale variations with altitude, in plasma density and magnetic field profiles, are comparable to the MAVEN observations.

Global investigation of the ionospheric irregularities during the severe geomagnetic storm on September 7-8, 2017

In this study,the global effects of the severe geomagnetic storm on the Earth’s ionosphere on September5 e9,2017 with Coronal Mass Ejections(CMEs)associated with X-9.3 flares on September 6,2017 were investigated by the Rate of Total Electron Content(TEC)Index(ROTI).ROTI was used as a criterion of ionospheric irregularities that took place during the storm.This study was conducted with TEC values obtained from fifty stations connected to the International GNSS System(IGS)-GPS network for five different latitude regions.As a result,it was observed that the irregularities in the high latitude regions of the southern hemisphere were greater in number in comparison with those at the high latitude regions of the northern hemisphere during the storm.It was observed that these irregularities generally occurred during the main and recovery phases of the storm at all latitudes.The weak and moderate ionospheric irregularities that developed at high latitudes during the storm were more in the southern hemisphere.Especially,moderate ionospheric irregularities in high latitudes of both hemispheres took place in eastern longitudes(18 oE-160 oE).However,ionospheric irregularities in the mid-latitude regions were observed in more stations at the northern hemisphere than at the southern hemisphere.Generally,ionospheric irregularities during the storm developed at eastern longitudes in all sectors.

Plasma depletions lasting into daytime during the recovery phase of a geomagnetic storm in May 2017:Analysis and simulation of GPS total electron content observations

This paper reports that plasma density depletions appearing at middle latitudes near sunrise survived until afternoon on 29 May 2017 during the recovery phase of a geomagnetic storm.By analyzing GPS data collected in Japan,we investigate temporal variations in the horizontal two-dimensional distribution of total electron content(TEC)during the geomagnetic storm.The SYM-H index reached-142 n T around 08 UT on 28 May 2017.TEC depletions extending up to approximately 38°N along the meridional direction appeared over Japan around 05 LT(LT=UT+9 hours)on 29 May 2017,when TEC rapidly increased at sunrise due to the solar extreme ultraviolet(EUV)radiation.The TEC depletions appeared sequentially over Japan for approximately 8 hours in sunlit conditions.At 06 LT on 29 May,when the plasma depletions first appeared over Japan,the background TEC was enhanced to approximately 17 TECU,and then decreased to approximately 80%of the TEC typical of magnetically quiet conditions.We conclude that this temporal variation of background plasma density in the ionosphere was responsible for the persistence of these plasma depletions for so long in daytime.By using the Naval Research Laboratory:Sami2 is Another Model of the Ionosphere(SAMI2),we have evaluated how plasma production and ambipolar diffusion along the magnetic field may affect the rate of plasma depletion disappearance.Simulation shows that the plasma density increases at the time of plasma depletion appearance;subsequent decreases in the plasma density appear to be responsible for the long-lasting persistence of plasma depletions during daytime.The plasma density depletion in the top side ionosphere is not filled by the plasma generated by the solar EUV productions because plasma production occurs mainly at the bottom side of the ionosphere.

Occurrence characteristics of branching structures in equatorial plasma bubbles:a statistical study based on all-sky imagers in China

Branching structure(BS)is a very important phenomenon in the evolution of equatorial plasma bubbles(EPBs),the mechanism of which is widely studied from observation and from simulation.However,occurrence characteristics of branching structure of equatorial plasma bubbles(BSEPBs)have not been well addressed.In this work,we used seven-years(2012-2018)of observations from two all-sky imagers to study occurrence of BSEPBs in detail.These data reveal a high incidence of BS in EPB cases;in particular,most EPBs occurring on days with geomagnetic disturbances exhibited BS.Periods when all EPBs exhibited BS increased significantly in the 2014 solar maximum.Occurrence times of BSEPBs varied with local time;most of the BSEPBs began to appear between 21:00 and 22:00 LT.During the solar maximum,some BSEPBs were observed after midnight.The data also reveal that BSEPBs are characterized primarily by two branches or three branches.Multi-branching appeared only in the solar maximum.EPB events with different coexisting branching structures increased from 2012 to 2014 and decreased from 2014 to 2018.These results strongly suggest that BSEPB occurrence is related to solar activity and geomagnetic activity,and thus provide a new perspective for future studies of EPBs as well as enriching our understanding of ionospheric irregularity.

Observations of equatorial plasma bubbles during the geomagnetic storm of October 2016

We investigated the variations of equatorial plasma bubbles(EPBs)in the East-Asian sector during a strong geomagnetic storm in October 2016,based on observations from the Beidou geostationary(GEO)satellites,Swarm satellite and ground-based ionosonde.Significant nighttime depletions of F region in situ electron density from Swarm and obvious nighttime EPBs in the Beidou GEO observations were observed on 13 October 2016 during the main phase.Moreover,one interesting feature is that the rare and unique sunrise EPBs were triggered on 14 October 2016 in the main phase rather than during the recovery phase as reported by previous studies.In addition,the nighttime EPBs were suppressed during the whole recovery phase,and absent from 14 to 19 October 2016.Meanwhile,the minimum virtual height of F trace(h’F)at Sanya(18.3°N,109.6°E,MLAT 11.1°N)displayed obvious changes during these intervals.The h’F was enhanced in the main phase and declined during the recovery phase,compared with the values at pre-and post-storm.These results indicate that the enhanced nighttime EPBs and sunrise EPBs during the main phase and the absence nighttime EPBs for many days during the recovery phase could be associated with storm-time electric field changes.

On the solar activity dependence of midnight equatorial plasma bubbles during June solstice periods

The occurrence of midnight Equatorial Plasma Bubbles(EPBs)during the June solstice period of the ascending phase of solar cycle 24,from 2010 to 2014,was studied using data from the 47 MHz Equatorial Atmosphere Radar(EAR)at Kototabang,Indonesia.The analysis shows that the occurrence of midnight hour EPBs was at its maximum during the low solar activity year 2010 and monotonically decreased thereafter with increasing solar activity.Details of the dependence of midnight hour EPB occurrence on solar activity were investigated using SAMI2 model simulation with a realistic input of E×B drift velocity data obtained from the CINDI-IVM onboard the C/NOFS satellite.Results obtained from term-by-term analysis of the flux tube integrated linear growth rate of RT instability indicate that the formation of a high flux tube electron content height gradient(steep vertical gradient)region at higher altitudes,due to the elevated F layer,is the key factor enhancing the growth rate of RT instability during low solar activity June solstices.Other factors are discussed in light of the relatively weak westward zonal electric field in the presence of the equatorward neutral wind and north-to-south transequatorial wind around the midnight hours of low solar activity June solstices.Also discussed are the initial seeding of RT instability by MSTIDs and how the threshold height required for EPB development varies with solar activity.

Characteristics of Ionospheric North-South Asymmetry and Their Relationship with Irregularity

Using the empirical ionospheric model, the flux-tube integrated electron density and the ratio between the F-region Pedersen conductivity and the total E- and F-region Pedersen conductivity are calculated to investigate the characteristics of the ionospheric asymmetry after sunset during a solar cycle. Furthermore, two indices representing the asymmetric strength of the parameters respectively are defined to study its relationship with the occurrences of the irregularities during different seasons and with different solar activities. The results indicate that the electron density and the Pedersen conductivity ratio show north-south remarkable hemispheric asymmetry at different solar energy levels. The asymmetric strengths represent the dependence on seasons and solar activities, and their variation depending on seasons and solar activities show a negative correlation with the occurrences of the equatorial irregularities and also have a negative relation with the linear growth rate of the generalized Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

A general climatology of categorized Martian ionospheric irregularities

A climatological survey of Martian ionospheric plasma density irregularities was conducted by exploring the in-situ measurements of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN) spacecraft. The irregularities were first classified as enhancement, depletion, and oscillation. By checking the simultaneous magnetic field fluctuation, the irregularities have been classified into two types: with or without magnetic signatures. The classified irregularities exhibit diverse global occurrence patterns, as those with magnetic signatures tend to appear near the periphery of the crustal magnetic anomaly(MA), and those without magnetic signatures prefer to appear either inside of the MA or outside of the MA, depending on the type and solar zenith angle. Under most circumstances, the irregularities have a considerable occurrence rate at altitudes above the ionospheric dynamo height(above 200 km), and the magnetization state of the ions seems irrelevant to their occurrence. In addition, the irregularities do not show dependence on magnetic field geometry, except that the enhancement without magnetic signatures favors the vertical field line, implying its equivalence to the localized bulge. Other similarities and discrepancies exist in reference to previous studies. We believe this global survey complements previous research and provides crucial research clues for future efforts to clarify the nature of the Martian ionospheric irregularities.

Observational study of daytime ionospheric irregularities associated with typhoon

Spread-F is a manifestation of ionospheric irregularities and generally takes place at nighttime. However, it can also be ob- served seldom at daytime, It is recognized that acoustic gravity waves （AGWs） play an important role in triggering plasma instability which results in spread-F in the ionosphere. The typhoon is a main source of the AGWs. In this paper, two cases of ionospheric daytime spread-F in the period of typhoon were analyzed. One case was on July 29, 1988 and the other was on August 01, 1989. The results showed the following： 1） There were some wave-like disturbances appearing in the HF Doppler records firstly, consequently the Doppler echo traces became scattered, which indicated that the ionospheric spread-F was triggered; 2） the blurred echo traces in the both two cases appeared in the morning （08：30-11：30 Beijing time） and lasted for more than two hours; 3） with the blurred echoes gradually weakening, the traveling ionospheric disturbances （TIDs） still ex- isted and became clearer; 4） the frequency shifts in the two of the radio wave in the ionosphere moved downwards. spread-F during the typhoon period in Asian region. cases were both positive, implying the effective reflecting surface These results provide good observational evidence for daytime

The first time observations of low-latitude ionospheric irregularities by VHF radar in Hainan

Sanya VHF radar （18.4°N, 109.6°E, dip latitude 12.8°N） at Hainan Island is the first coherent backscatter radar for sounding low-latitude ionospheric irregularities in the mainland of China. In this paper, we present the first results of low-latitude iono- spheric E and F region irregularities using the radar data during the period from February 2009 to March 2010. The Doppler velocity of radar echoes from E region field aligned irregularities （FAIs） was about several tens of meters per second, while the Doppler spectral width was appreciably larger than the velocity, and could reach one hundred meters per second, indicating that the observed E region FAls belonged to type 2 irregularities. The observations of range time intensity （RTI） maps of FAIs showed that E region irregularities most often occurred at night within the altitude range 85-115 kin, and were rarely observed at afternoon hours. The percentage occurrence of E region FAIs maximized during spring months （Feb.-May） with a peak value over 80%. The heights at which the strongest echo related FAIs occurred were mainly around 100 kin, lower than h＇Es and the difference is mostly 10-20 km. December solstice seemed to be the minimum period of occurrence when the FA! ech- oes were commonly detected at a narrow altitude range 90-100 km. Moreover, simultaneous radar and GPS observations dur- ing spread F events in the pre-midnight hours of solar minimum revealed that significant GPS L band scintillations coincided with the appearance of F region plasma plume structures, which extended up to 450 km in altitude.

Case study of ionospheric fluctuation over mid-latitude region during one large magnetic storm

From Nov. 6 to 10, 2004, a large number of solar events occurred, which triggered many solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These CMEs caused two large geomagnetic storms and continuous energy proton events. During this period, one large positive ionospheric storm happened over the East-Asian region on Nov. 8, 2004. On Nov. 10, 2004, a strong spread-F was observed by the ionosonde located in the mid-latitude region of East China and Japan, and the ionospheric fluctuation over the ionosonde stations derived from GPS observation was also obvious. In this report, the characteristics of the spatial distribution of the ionosphere fluctuation and its temporal evolution are studied using the parameter of the rate of total electron content (ROT) derived from dual-frequency GPS measurement. Strong fluctuating activity of the ionosphere was found over the mid-latitude region in the southern and northern hemispheres between longitudes of 100°E and 180°E during the magnetic storm period on Nov. 10, 2004, and a regular movement of the disturbing region was observed. In the end, the reason of the ionospheric fluctuation during this magnetic storm is analyzed.

Characterization of multi-scale ionospheric irregularities using ground-based and space-based GNSS observations

Ionospheric irregularities can adversely affect the performance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). How-ever, this opens the possibility of using GNSS as an effective ionospheric remote sensing tool. Despite ionospheric monitoring has been undertaken for decades, these irregularities in multiple spatial and temporal scales are still not fully understood. This paper reviews Virginia Tech’s recent studies on multi-scale ionospheric irregularities using ground-based and space-based GNSS observations. First, the relevant background of ionospheric irregularities and their impact on GNSS signals is reviewed. Next, three topics of ground-based observations of ionospheric irregulari-ties for which GNSS and other ground-based techniques are used simultaneously are reviewed. Both passive and active measurements in high-latitude regions are covered. Modelling and observations in mid-latitude regions are considered as well. Emphasis is placed on the increased capability of assessing the multi-scale nature of ionospheric irregularities using other traditional techniques (e.g., radar, magnetometer, high frequency receivers) as well as GNSS observations (e.g., Total-Electron-Content or TEC, scintillation). Besides ground-based observations, recent advances in GNSS space-based ionospheric measurements are briefly reviewed. Finally, a new space-based ionospheric observa-tion technique using GNSS-based spacecraft formation flying and a differential TEC method is demonstrated using the newly developed Virginia Tech Formation Flying Testbed (VTFFTB). Based on multi-constellation multi-band GNSS, the VTFFTB has been developed into a hardware-in-the-loop simulation testbed with external high-fidelity global ionospheric model(s) for 3-satellite formation flying, which can potentially be used for new multi-scale ionospheric measurement mission design.