Severe Disturbance of Aurora on C-Band Sentinel-1 Interferogram at Mid-Latitudes: A Case Study During 11 May 2024
Aurora is caused by the collision of high-energy particles with particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Recent advances in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) have demonstrated significant potential for ionospheric inversion at various scales, offering new insights into auroral processes. In this study, we...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/10/1687 |
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| Summary: | Aurora is caused by the collision of high-energy particles with particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Recent advances in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) have demonstrated significant potential for ionospheric inversion at various scales, offering new insights into auroral processes. In this study, we present the first reported perturbation of C-band SAR signals induced by auroral activity during the enormous geomagnetic storm of 11 May 2024. The auroral boundaries observed by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) align closely with Sentinel-1 interferograms, despite the event occurring at mid-latitudes. A novel application of Sentinel-1 is illustrated, namely the inversion of the two-dimensional morphology and boundaries of the aurora at very high resolution and without interference from severe weather. Sentinel-1 promises to become a new method for the detection of precipitation particles, despite operating in the C-band, which is less disturbed by the ionosphere. Interferograms can also capture small-scale sporadic plasma patches associated with aurora. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that distinct polarization channels exhibit varying sensitivity towards auroral boundaries, with cross-polarization displaying heightened responsiveness. |
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| ISSN: | 2072-4292 |