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Statistical Study of Equatorial Ionospheric Anomaly after Midnight Based on FY-3(D) Ionospheric Photometer

Authors :
Bin Zhang
Liping Fu
Tian Mao
Xiuqing Hu
Fang Jiang
Nan Jia
Tianfang Wang
Ruyi Peng
Jinsong Wang
Source :
Atmosphere, Vol 13, Iss 12, p 2068 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

The OI135.6 nm radiation intensity and the associated change with solar activity are very complex, and this is particularly the case during November 2020. In this paper, we investigated the OI135.6 nm radiation intensity in the low-latitude ionosphere during a quiet geomagnetic period. The Ionospheric Photometer (IPM) instrument onboard the FY-3(D) meteorological satellite was employed to measure the OI135.6 nm night airglow at 02:00 LT (local time) and its response to the solar activity. The results showed there is a statistically significant correlation between the intensity of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly (EIA) and solar activity after midnight. The EIA at 02:00 LT and before midnight shared the same climatological characteristics—strong in equinoxes and weak in solstices. In November 2020, when the F10.7 flux significantly increased, the OI135.6 nm radiation intensity in the EIA region recorded a 100–200% increase compared to the previous month, which was much higher than in the same period in the preceding two years. A similar phenomenon was observed at the same time by the Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD), which makes continuous observations of ionospheric structure variation in global patterns. Data analysis suggests that the EIA at 02:00 LT was due to the attenuation of the EIA before midnight after the disappearance of the eastward electric field. The magnetic latitude of the EIA crest (hereafter denoted by θmlF2) indicates a range-and-seasonal rule of hemispherical asymmetry: closer to the geomagnetic equator in equinoxes and farther away from the geomagnetic equator in solstices. Further studies are needed.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20734433
Volume :
13
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Atmosphere
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.1b884c3f1ceb4be685667d5c77223ed1
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122068