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Abstract On January 15, 2022, we observed various unusual atmospheric wave events over South America: Atmospheric pressure waves (Lamb mode) around 12:30 to 17:30 UT, tsunamis along the Chilean coast at around 17:00 to 19:00 UT, and ionospheric disturbances between 11:30 and 20:00 UT. We understand that these events were generated by the Tonga volcanic eruption that occurred at (20.55°S, 175.39°W) in South Pacific Ocean at 04:15 UT. Several traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs), the horizontal wavelengths of 330 to 1174 km and the phase speed of 275–544 m/s were observed before and after the Lamb wave passed over the continent and the arrival of the tsunami on the Chile coast. The observed TID characteristics suggest us that these waves might be generated by the two atmospheric events, Lamb wave and gravity waves induced by the tsunamis. This is the first time to report the signature of ionospheric disturbances over the South American continent generated by the huge volcanic eruption. Graphical Abstract

Sporadic E (Es) layers are patches of high ionization observed at around 100–140 km height in the E region. Their formation at low latitudes is primarily associated with the diurnal and semidiurnal components of the tidal winds via the ion convergence driven by the wind shear mechanism. However, recent studies have shown the influence of other tidal modes, such as the terdiurnal tide. Therefore, this work investigates the effect of terdiurnal tide-like oscillations on the occurrence and formation of the Es layers observed over Palmas (10.17∘ S, 48.33∘ W; dip lat. −7.31∘), a low-latitude station in Brazil. The analysis was conducted from December 2008 to November 2009 by using data collected from CADI (Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde). Additionally, the E Region Ionospheric Model (MIRE) was used to simulate the terdiurnal tidal component in the Es layer development. The results show modulations of 8 h periods on the occurrence rates of the Es layers during all seasonal periods. In general, we see three well-defined peaks in a superimposed summation of the Es layer types per hour in summer and autumn. We also observed that the amplitude modulation of the terdiurnal tide on the Es occurrence rates minimizes in December in comparison to the other months of the summer season. Other relevant aspects of the observations, with complementary statistical and periodogram analysis, are highlighted and discussed.

The low-electron flux variability (increase/decrease) in the Earth’s radiation belts could cause low-energy Electron Precipitation (EP) to the atmosphere over auroral and South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA) regions. This EP into the atmosphere can cause an extra upper atmosphere’s ionization, forming the auroral-type sporadic E layers (Esa) over these regions. The dynamic mechanisms responsible for developing this Esa layer over the auroral region have been established in the literature since the 1960s. In contrast, there are several open questions over the SAMA region, principally due to the absence (or contamination) of the inner radiation belt and EP parameter measurements over this region. Generally, the Esa layer is detected under the influence of geomagnetic storms during the recovery phase, associated with solar wind structures, in which the time duration over the auroral region is considerably greater than the time duration over the SAMA region. The inner radiation belt’s dynamic is investigated during a High-speed Solar wind Stream (September 24-25, 2017), and the hiss wave-particle interactions are the main dynamic mechanism able to trigger the Esa layer’s generation outside the auroral oval. This result is compared with the dynamic mechanisms that can cause particle precipitation in the auroral region, showing that each region presents different physical mechanisms. Additionally, the difference between the time duration of the hiss wave activities and the Esa layers is discussed, highlighting other ingredients mandatory to generate the Esa layer in the SAMA region.

Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) can lead to signal degradation, affecting the measurement accuracy. Studying EPBs and their characteristics has gained increasing importance. The characteristics of EPBs were investigated using the rate of total electron content (TEC) index (ROTI) maps under different solar and magnetic activity conditions during two periods: July 2014–July 2015 (solar maximum activity with F10.7: 145.9 × 10−22 W⋅m−2⋅Hz−1) and July 2019–July 2020 (solar minimum activity with F10.7: 69.7 × 10−22 W⋅m−2⋅Hz−1). We also divided this analysis according to the magnetic activity levels based on Kp and Dst (disturbance storm time) indices, classified as follows: quiet+ (Kp ≤3 and Dst >−30 nT), quiet− (Kp ≤3 and Dst

This work uses the Disturbance Ionosphere indeX (DIX) to evaluate the ionospheric responses to equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) events from 2013 to 2020 over the Brazilian equatorial and low latitudes. We have compared the DIX variations during EPBs to ionosonde and All-Sky Imager data, aiming to evaluate the physical characteristics of these events. Our results show that the DIX was able to detect EPB-related TEC disturbances in terms of their intensity and occurrence times. Thus, the EPB-related DIX responses agreed with the ionosphere behavior before, during, and after the studied cases. Finally, we found that the magnitude of those disturbances followed most of the trends of solar activity, meaning that the EPB-related total electron content variations tend to be higher (lower) in high (low) solar activity.

We present a study about the atypical and spreading Sporadic E-layers (Es) observed in Digisonde data. We analyzed a set of days around space weather events from 2016 to 2018 over Cachoeira Paulista (CXP, 22.41°S, 45°W, dip ∼35°), a low-latitude Brazilian station. The inhomogeneous Es layer is associated with the auroral-type Es layer (Esa) occurrence in this region due to the presence of South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA). However, we also observe that the spreading Es layers occurred days before the magnetic storms or quiet times. Also, this specific type of Es layer has some different characteristics concerning the Esa layer. We used data from the imager, satellite, and meteor radar to understand the dynamic processes acting in this Es layer formation. Our results lead us to believe that other mechanisms affect the Es layer development. We show evidence that the instabilities added to the wind shear mechanism can cause the atypical Es layers, such as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). Finally, an important discovery of this work is that the spreading Es layer, mainly during quiet times, is not necessarily due to the particle precipitation due to the SAMA. We found that the wind shear can be turbulent, influencing the Es layer development. Lastly, our analysis better understood the Es layer behavior during quiet and disturbed times.

This work presents an analysis of the ionospheric responses to the solar eclipse that occurred on 14 December 2020 over the Brazilian sector. This event partially covers the south of Brazil, providing an excellent opportunity to study the modifications in the peculiarities that occur in this sector, as the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). Therefore, we used the Digisonde data available in this period for two sites: Campo Grande (CG; 20.47∘ S, 54.60∘ W; dip ∼23∘ S) and Cachoeira Paulista (CXP; 22.70∘ S, 45.01∘ W; dip ∼35∘ S), assessing the E and F regions and Es layer behaviors. Additionally, a numerical model (MIRE, Portuguese acronym for E Region Ionospheric Model) is used to analyze the E layer dynamics modification around these times. The results show the F1 region disappearance and an apparent electronic density reduction in the E region during the solar eclipse. We also analyzed the total electron content (TEC) maps from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that indicate a weakness in the EIA. On the other hand, we observe the rise of the Es layer electron density, which is related to the gravity waves strengthened during solar eclipse events. Finally, our results lead to a better understanding of the restructuring mechanisms in the ionosphere at low latitudes during the solar eclipse events, even though they only partially reached the studied regions.

The dynamics of the electron population in the Earth’s radiation belts affect the upper atmosphere’s ionization level through the low-energy Electron Precipitation (EP). The impact of low-energy EP on the high-latitude ionosphere has been well explained since the 1960’s decade. Conversely, it is still not well understood for the region of the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA). In this study, we present the results of analysis of the strong geomagnetic storm associated with the Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (May 27-28, 2017). The atypical auroral sporadic E layers (Esa) over SAMA are observed in concomitance with the hiss and magnetosonic wave activities in the inner radiation belt. The wave-particle interaction effects have been estimated, and the dynamic mechanisms that caused the low-energy EP over SAMA were investigated. We suggested that the enhancement in pitch angle scattering driven by hiss waves result in the low-energy EP (≥10 keV) into the atmosphere over SAMA. The impact of these precipitations on the ionization rate at the altitude range from 100 to 120 km can generate the Esa layer in this peculiar region. In contrast, we suggested that the low-energy EP (≤1 keV) causes the maximum ionization rate close to 150 km altitude, contributing to the Esa layer occurrence in these altitudes.

The High-Intensity Long-Duration and Continuous AE Activities (HILDCAA) intervals are capable of causing a global disturbance in the terrestrial ionosphere. However, the ionospheric storms' behavior due to these intervals is still not widely understood. In the current study, we seek to comprise the HILDCAA disturbance time effects in the total electron content (TEC) values with respect to the quiet days' pattern by analyzing local time and seasonal dependences, and the influences of the solar wind velocity on a sample of 10 intervals that occurred in the years 2015 and 2016. The main results showed that the hourly distribution of the disturbance TEC may vary substantially between one HILDCAA interval and another. An equinoctial anomaly was found since the equinoxes represent more ionospheric TEC responses than the solstices. Regarding the solar wind velocities, although HILDCAA intervals are associated with high-speed streams, this association does not present a direct relation to TEC disturbance magnitudes at low and equatorial latitudes.

F region vertical drifts (Vz) are the result of the interaction between ionospheric plasma with the zonal electric field and the Earth's magnetic field. Abrupt variations in Vz are strongly associated with the occurrence of plasma irregularities (spread F) during the nighttime periods. These irregularities are manifestations of space weather in the ionosphere's environment without necessarily requiring a solar burst. In this context, the Brazilian Space Weather Study and Monitoring Program (Embrace) of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has been developing different indexes to analyze these ionospheric irregularities in the Brazilian sector. Therefore, the main purpose of this work is to produce a new ionospheric scale based on the analysis of the ionospheric plasma drift velocity, named AV. It is based on the maximum value of Vz (Vzp), which in turn is calculated through its relationship with the virtual height parameter, h′F, measured by the Digisonde Portable Sounder (DPS-4D) installed in São Luís (2∘ S, 44∘ W; dip: −2.3∘). This index quantifies the time relationship between the Vz peak and the irregularity observed in the ionograms. Thus, in this study, we analyzed 7 years of data, between 2009 and 2015, divided by season in order to construct a standardized scale. The results show there is a delay of at least 15 min between the Vzp observation and the irregularity occurrence. Finally, we believe that this proposed index allows for evaluating the impacts of ionospheric phenomena in the space weather environment.

This work presents new results about sporadic E-layers (Es layers) using GPS (global positioning system) radio occultation (RO) measurements obtained from the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC satellites and digisonde data. The RO profiles are used to study the Es layer occurrence as well as its intensity of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the 50 Hz GPS L1 signal. The methodology was applied to identify the Es layer on RO measurements over Cachoeira Paulista, a low-latitude station in the Brazilian region, in which the Es layer development is not driven tidal winds only as it is at middle latitudes. The coincident events were analyzed using the RO technique and ionosonde observations during the year 2014 to 2016. We used the electron density obtained using the blanketing frequency parameter (fbEs) and the Es layer height (h'Es) acquired from the ionograms to validate the satellite measurements. The comparative results show that the Es layer characteristics extracted from the RO measurements are in good agreement with the Es layer parameters from the digisonde.

In the present work we show new results regarding equatorial counter electrojet (CEJ) events in the Brazilian sector, based on the RESCO radar, two set of fluxgate magnetometer systems and a digital sounder. RESCO radar is a 50 MHz backscatter coherent radar installed in 1998 at São Luís (SLZ, 2.33° S, 44.60° W), an equatorial site. The Digital sounder routinely monitors the electron density profile at the radar site. The magnetometer systems are fluxgate-type installed at SLZ and Eusébio (EUS, 03.89° S, 38.44° W). From the difference between the horizontal component of magnetic field at SLZ station and the same component at EUS (EEJ ground strength) several cases of westward morning electrojet and its normal inversion to the eastward equatorial electrojet (EEJ) have been observed. Also, the EEJ ground strength has shown some cases of CEJ events, which been detected with the RESCO radar too. Detection of these events were investigated with respect to their time and height of occurrence, correlation with sporadic E (Es) layers at the same time, and their spectral characteristics as well as the radar echo power intensity.