Roles of thermospheric neutral wind and equatorial electrojet in pre-reversal enhancement,deduced from observations in Southeast Asia

Previous studies have proposed that both the thermospheric neutral wind and the equatorial electrojet(EEJ)near sunset play important roles in the pre-reversal enhancement(PRE)mechanism.In this study,we have used observations made in the equatorial region of Southeast Asia during March–April and September–October in 2010–2013 to investigate influences of the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ on the PRE’s strength.Our analysis employs data collected by the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer(GOCE)satellite to determine the zonal(east-west direction)neutral wind at an altitude of~250 km(bottomside F region)at longitudes of 90°–130°E in the dusk sector.Three ionosondes,at Chumphon(dip lat.:3.0°N)in Thailand,at Bac Lieu(dip lat.:1.7°N)in Vietnam,and at Cebu(dip lat.:3.0°N)in Philippines,provided the data we have used to derive the PRE strength.Data from two magnetometers—at Phuket(dip lat.:0.1°S)in Thailand and at Kototabang(dip lat.:10.3°S)in Indonesia—were used to estimate the EEJ strength.Our study is focused particularly on days with magnetically quiet conditions.We have found that the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ are both closely correlated with the PRE;their cross-correlation coefficients with it are,respectively,0.42 and 0.47.Their relationship with each other is weaker:the cross-correlation coefficient between the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ is just 0.26.Our findings suggest that both the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ near sunset are involved in the PRE mechanism.Based on the weak relationship between these two parameters,however,they appear to be significantly independent of each other.Thus,the wind and the EEJ are likely to be influencing the PRE magnitude independently,their effects balancing each other.

Response of the Ionospheric F_2-region Over Irkutsk and Hainan to Strong Geomagnetic Storms

The ionospheric responses to two strong storms on 17-19 August 2003 and 22-23 January 2004 are studied,using the data from Irkutsk(52.5°N,104°E) and Hainan(19.5°N,109°E) ionospheric stations.The analysis of variations in relative deviations of the critical frequency △f_0F_2 revealed that at middle latitudes(Irkutsk) negative disturbances were observed in the summer ionosphere; positive and negative ones,in the winter ionosphere during the main and recovery phases respectively.At low latitudes(Hainan),the disturbances were positive in all the cases considered. Mechanisms of the disturbances were analyzed with the aid of empirical models of the neutral atmosphere NRLMSISE-00 and thermospheric wind HWM07.The main factors determining △f_0F_2 variations at middle latitudes during the storms were demonstrated to be the disturbed equatorward thermospheric wind transporting the disturbed atmospheric composition,the increase in the atomic oxygen concentration,and the passage of internal gravity waves.At low latitudes,the effects associated with neutral composition variations are less significant than those of the thermospheric wind and electric fields.