A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere

Abstract A comparison tool has been developed by mapping the global GPS total electron content (TEC) and large coverage of ionospheric scintillations together on the geomagnetic latitude/magnetic local time coordinates. Using this tool, a comparison between large‐scale ionospheric irregularities and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Y. Wang, Q.‐H. Zhang, P. T. Jayachandran, M. Lockwood, S.‐R. Zhang, J. Moen, Z.‐Y. Xing, Y.‐Z. Ma, M. Lester
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-05-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069230
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849321369565659136
author Y. Wang
Q.‐H. Zhang
P. T. Jayachandran
M. Lockwood
S.‐R. Zhang
J. Moen
Z.‐Y. Xing
Y.‐Z. Ma
M. Lester
author_facet Y. Wang
Q.‐H. Zhang
P. T. Jayachandran
M. Lockwood
S.‐R. Zhang
J. Moen
Z.‐Y. Xing
Y.‐Z. Ma
M. Lester
author_sort Y. Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract A comparison tool has been developed by mapping the global GPS total electron content (TEC) and large coverage of ionospheric scintillations together on the geomagnetic latitude/magnetic local time coordinates. Using this tool, a comparison between large‐scale ionospheric irregularities and scintillations is pursued during a geomagnetic storm. Irregularities, such as storm enhanced density, middle‐latitude trough, and polar cap patches, are clearly identified from the TEC maps. At the edges of these irregularities, clear scintillations appeared but their behaviors were different. Phase scintillations (σφ) were almost always larger than amplitude scintillations (S4) at the edges of these irregularities, associated with bursty flows or flow reversals with large density gradients. An unexpected scintillation feature appeared inside the modeled auroral oval where S4 were much larger than σφ, most likely caused by particle precipitations around the exiting polar cap patches.
format Article
id doaj-art-c4aa3c9b60cd452a860fbf057b8a2722
institution Kabale University
issn 0094-8276
1944-8007
language English
publishDate 2016-05-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-c4aa3c9b60cd452a860fbf057b8a27222025-08-20T03:49:46ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-05-0143104790479810.1002/2016GL069230A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphereY. Wang0Q.‐H. Zhang1P. T. Jayachandran2M. Lockwood3S.‐R. Zhang4J. Moen5Z.‐Y. Xing6Y.‐Z. Ma7M. Lester8Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar‐Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences Shandong University Weihai ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar‐Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences Shandong University Weihai ChinaPhysics Department University of New Brunswick Fredericton New Brunswick CanadaDepartment of Meteorology University of Reading Reading UKHaystack Observatory Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge Massachusetts USADepartment of Physics University of Oslo Oslo NorwayShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar‐Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences Shandong University Weihai ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar‐Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences Shandong University Weihai ChinaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of Leicester Leicester UKAbstract A comparison tool has been developed by mapping the global GPS total electron content (TEC) and large coverage of ionospheric scintillations together on the geomagnetic latitude/magnetic local time coordinates. Using this tool, a comparison between large‐scale ionospheric irregularities and scintillations is pursued during a geomagnetic storm. Irregularities, such as storm enhanced density, middle‐latitude trough, and polar cap patches, are clearly identified from the TEC maps. At the edges of these irregularities, clear scintillations appeared but their behaviors were different. Phase scintillations (σφ) were almost always larger than amplitude scintillations (S4) at the edges of these irregularities, associated with bursty flows or flow reversals with large density gradients. An unexpected scintillation feature appeared inside the modeled auroral oval where S4 were much larger than σφ, most likely caused by particle precipitations around the exiting polar cap patches.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069230ionospheric irregularitiesionospheric scintillationspolar ionosphereGPS TECSuperDARN
spellingShingle Y. Wang
Q.‐H. Zhang
P. T. Jayachandran
M. Lockwood
S.‐R. Zhang
J. Moen
Z.‐Y. Xing
Y.‐Z. Ma
M. Lester
A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
Geophysical Research Letters
ionospheric irregularities
ionospheric scintillations
polar ionosphere
GPS TEC
SuperDARN
title A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
title_full A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
title_fullStr A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
title_full_unstemmed A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
title_short A comparison between large‐scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
title_sort comparison between large scale irregularities and scintillations in the polar ionosphere
topic ionospheric irregularities
ionospheric scintillations
polar ionosphere
GPS TEC
SuperDARN
url https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069230
work_keys_str_mv AT ywang acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT qhzhang acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT ptjayachandran acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT mlockwood acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT srzhang acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT jmoen acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT zyxing acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT yzma acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT mlester acomparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT ywang comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT qhzhang comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT ptjayachandran comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT mlockwood comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT srzhang comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT jmoen comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT zyxing comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT yzma comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere
AT mlester comparisonbetweenlargescaleirregularitiesandscintillationsinthepolarionosphere