Seasonal trends of nighttime plasma density enhancements in the topside ionosphere

In situ registrations of electron density from the Langmuir probe on board Detection of Electro‐Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions satellite are used to study spatial and temporal evolution of nighttime plasma density enhancements (NPDEs). The study introduces the normalized dens...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2014-08, Vol.119 (8), p.6902-6912
Main Authors: Slominska, Ewa, Blecki, Jan, Lebreton, Jean-Pierre, Parrot, Michel, Slominski, Jan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anomalies
Earthquakes
Electron density
Equatorial ionosphere
Equatorial regions
Equinoxes
Evolution
Ionosphere
Langmuir probe
Night
Onboard
Plasma
Plasma density
Sciences of the Universe
Seismic activity
Signatures
Solar minimum
Summer
Weddell Sea Anomaly
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Summary:In situ registrations of electron density from the Langmuir probe on board Detection of Electro‐Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions satellite are used to study spatial and temporal evolution of nighttime plasma density enhancements (NPDEs). The study introduces the normalized density difference index INDD in order to provide global estimates of the phenomenon. In the validation test, in situ data are compared with synthetic data set generated with the International Reference Ionosphere model. We find signatures of two most common examples of NPDEs, the Weddell Sea Anomaly (WSA) and midlatitude nighttime summer anomaly (MSNA) with proposed index, in the topside ionosphere. The study provides evidence that the occurrence of the WSA and MSNA is not limited to the local summer conditions. Analyzed annual trend of INDD and in particular spatial pattern obtained during equinoxes suggest that mechanisms governing the behavior of the equatorial ionosphere cannot be neglected in the explanation of the development of NPDEs. Key Points Ionospheric anomalies resembling the Weddell Sea Anomaly (WSA)Spatial and temporal characteristics of the WSA‐like phenomenaElectron density during deep solar minimum
ISSN:2169-9380
2169-9402
DOI:10.1002/2014JA020181