1. Detection of Different Properties of Ionospheric Perturbations in the Vicinity of the Korean Peninsula After the Hunga‐Tonga Volcanic Eruption on 15 January 2022.
- Author
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Hong, Junseok, Kil, Hyosub, Lee, Woo Kyoung, Kwak, Young‐Sil, Choi, Byung‐Kyu, and Paxton, Larry J.
- Subjects
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VOLCANIC eruptions , *ATMOSPHERIC waves , *LAMB waves , *SURFACE pressure , *PLASMA instabilities , *PENINSULAS - Abstract
This study reports different properties of ionospheric perturbations detected to the west and south of the Korean Peninsula after the Hunga‐Tonga volcanic eruption on 15 January 2022. Transient wave‐like total electron content (TEC) modulations and intense irregular TEC perturbations are detected in the west and south of the Korean Peninsula, respectively, about 8 hr after the eruption. The TEC modulations in the west propagate away from the epicenter with a speed of 302 m/s. Their occurrence time, propagation direction and velocity, and alignment with the surface air pressure perturbations indicate the generation of the TEC modulations by Lamb waves generated by the eruption. The strong TEC perturbations and L band scintillations in the south are interpreted in terms of the poleward extension of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs). We demonstrate the association of the EPBs with the volcanic eruption using the EPB occurrence climatology derived from Swarm satellite data. Plain Language Summary: A massive eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano on 15 January 2022 left its footprint as various perturbations in the atmosphere and ionosphere. We report the detection of different types of ionospheric perturbations in the south and west of the Korean Peninsula. One is a transient wave‐like perturbation detected to the west, and the other is a more substantial one detected to the south, including L band scintillation. Both disturbances occurred about 8 hr after the eruption. This study demonstrates that the ionospheric perturbations in the two regions are generated by different mechanisms. The former is associated with the modulation of the ionospheric height by atmospheric waves, but the latter is attributed to the plasma instabilities triggered by atmospheric waves. The consistent behavior of atmospheric and ionospheric perturbations and the development of severe storms in the low latitude ionosphere support these interpretations. Key Points: Moderate and intense total electron content perturbations are detected to the west and south of Korea about 8 hr after eruptionPerturbations to the west are consistent with surface air pressure perturbations and propagate away from the epicenter at 302 m/sIntense perturbations to the south are associated with the poleward extension of equatorial plasma bubbles triggered by the eruption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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