Unusual nighttime impulsive enhancements of electron density characterizing the low-latitude ionosphere: Phenomenology and possible mechanisms of triggering

Pezzopane, M. (2014) Unusual nighttime impulsive enhancements of electron density characterizing the low-latitude ionosphere: Phenomenology and possible mechanisms of triggering. Il nuovo cimento C, 37 (4). pp. 145-154. ISSN 1826-9885

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Abstract

Unusual nighttime impulsive electron density enhancements that are rarely observed at low latitudes on a wide region of South America are here investigated. These phenomena are very atypical because besides being of brief duration, they are characterized by a pronounced compression of the ionosphere. The events were studied and analyzed using both the F2 layer critical frequency (foF2) and the lowest virtual height of the ordinary trace of the F region (h'F) values recorded at five ionospheric stations widely distributed in space. A careful analysis of isoheight ionosonde plots suggests that traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) caused by atmospheric gravity wave (AGW) propagation could play a significant role in causing these phenomena, both for quiet and for medium-high geomagnetic activity; in the latter case however a nocturnal recharging of the fountain effect, due to electric fields penetrating from the magnetosphere, plays an as much significant role.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Equatorial ionosphere ; Ionosphere/atmospheric interactions ; Magnetic storms, substorms ; Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions
Subjects: 500 Scienze naturali e Matematica > 530 Fisica
Depositing User: Marina Spanti
Date Deposited: 19 May 2020 16:03
Last Modified: 19 May 2020 16:03
URI: http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/18647

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