Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind
In this study, we provide a detailed analysis of the latitudinal four-peak structure of the F region electron density observed by the Swarm B satellite during the night of January 31, 2017. Consisting of three satellites flying at different local times, Swarm provides an opportunity to investigate t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | zho |
| Published: |
Editorial Office of Reviews of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | 地球与行星物理论评 |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.sjdz.org.cn/en/article/doi/10.19975/j.dqyxx.2023-009 |
| _version_ | 1797740509797548032 |
|---|---|
| author | Chao Xiong Xinyi Rang Yuyang Huang Guoying Jiang Kun Hu Weihua Luo |
| author_facet | Chao Xiong Xinyi Rang Yuyang Huang Guoying Jiang Kun Hu Weihua Luo |
| author_sort | Chao Xiong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we provide a detailed analysis of the latitudinal four-peak structure of the F region electron density observed by the Swarm B satellite during the night of January 31, 2017. Consisting of three satellites flying at different local times, Swarm provides an opportunity to investigate the temporal evolution of the nighttime latitudinal four-peak structure. For this event, Swarm A/C did not observe the two crests of equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) at 17:55/18:01 LT, but Swarm B, which flew over the same longitudinal sector approximately 4.5 h later, observed a clear latitudinal four-peak structure. This provides direct evidence that the two inner peaks of the latitudinal four-peak structure are not remnants of the EIA crests from sunset. In addition, simultaneous measurements of the vertical plasma drift from the incoherent scatter radar at Jicamarca and neutral wind from the ground-based Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) at Arecibo were compared to reveal the possible driving mechanisms. The observed F region vertical plasma drift was generally downward from sunset throughout the local night of January 31, 2017, which reveals that an enhanced upward plasma drift is not necessary to cause the nighttime latitudinal four-peak structure. The neutral wind measurements from the FPI located at Arecibo showed enhanced eastward and southward components during the night when the latitudinal four-peak structure was observed by Swarm B, both with a difference of approximately 100 m/s compared with the other two days. This suggests that the neutral winds play an important role in the nighttime latitudinal four-peak structure. Further simulations using the SAMI2 (another model of the ionosphere) model support these observations. In general, eastward and equatorward winds from both hemispheres at night provided favorable conditions for the latitudinal four-peak structure. However, when the equatorward wind is too large, a strong hemispheric asymmetry of the background Ne can occur, which prevents the development of the latitudinal four-peak structure at night. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:13:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-328b54cf7f83471abacdcdb3fe3a1a02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2097-1893 |
| language | zho |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:13:26Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Editorial Office of Reviews of Geophysics and Planetary Physics |
| record_format | Article |
| series | 地球与行星物理论评 |
| spelling | doaj.art-328b54cf7f83471abacdcdb3fe3a1a022023-08-21T02:39:37ZzhoEditorial Office of Reviews of Geophysics and Planetary Physics地球与行星物理论评2097-18932024-01-015519410810.19975/j.dqyxx.2023-0092023-009Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral windChao Xiong0Xinyi Rang1Yuyang Huang2Guoying Jiang3Kun Hu4Weihua Luo5Hubei Luojia Laboratory, Wuhan 430079, ChinaDepartment of Space Physics, Electronic Information School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaDepartment of Space Physics, Electronic Information School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100084, ChinaDepartment of Space Physics, Electronic Information School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaCollege of Electronic Information and Engineer, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, ChinaIn this study, we provide a detailed analysis of the latitudinal four-peak structure of the F region electron density observed by the Swarm B satellite during the night of January 31, 2017. Consisting of three satellites flying at different local times, Swarm provides an opportunity to investigate the temporal evolution of the nighttime latitudinal four-peak structure. For this event, Swarm A/C did not observe the two crests of equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) at 17:55/18:01 LT, but Swarm B, which flew over the same longitudinal sector approximately 4.5 h later, observed a clear latitudinal four-peak structure. This provides direct evidence that the two inner peaks of the latitudinal four-peak structure are not remnants of the EIA crests from sunset. In addition, simultaneous measurements of the vertical plasma drift from the incoherent scatter radar at Jicamarca and neutral wind from the ground-based Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) at Arecibo were compared to reveal the possible driving mechanisms. The observed F region vertical plasma drift was generally downward from sunset throughout the local night of January 31, 2017, which reveals that an enhanced upward plasma drift is not necessary to cause the nighttime latitudinal four-peak structure. The neutral wind measurements from the FPI located at Arecibo showed enhanced eastward and southward components during the night when the latitudinal four-peak structure was observed by Swarm B, both with a difference of approximately 100 m/s compared with the other two days. This suggests that the neutral winds play an important role in the nighttime latitudinal four-peak structure. Further simulations using the SAMI2 (another model of the ionosphere) model support these observations. In general, eastward and equatorward winds from both hemispheres at night provided favorable conditions for the latitudinal four-peak structure. However, when the equatorward wind is too large, a strong hemispheric asymmetry of the background Ne can occur, which prevents the development of the latitudinal four-peak structure at night.https://www.sjdz.org.cn/en/article/doi/10.19975/j.dqyxx.2023-009nighttime ionosphereequatorial ionization anomalylatitudinal four-peak structureswarm satellitesneutral wind |
| spellingShingle | Chao Xiong Xinyi Rang Yuyang Huang Guoying Jiang Kun Hu Weihua Luo Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind 地球与行星物理论评 nighttime ionosphere equatorial ionization anomaly latitudinal four-peak structure swarm satellites neutral wind |
| title | Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind |
| title_full | Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind |
| title_fullStr | Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind |
| title_full_unstemmed | Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind |
| title_short | Latitudinal four-peak structure of the nighttime F region ionosphere: Possible contribution of the neutral wind |
| title_sort | latitudinal four peak structure of the nighttime f region ionosphere possible contribution of the neutral wind |
| topic | nighttime ionosphere equatorial ionization anomaly latitudinal four-peak structure swarm satellites neutral wind |
| url | https://www.sjdz.org.cn/en/article/doi/10.19975/j.dqyxx.2023-009 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chaoxiong latitudinalfourpeakstructureofthenighttimefregionionospherepossiblecontributionoftheneutralwind AT xinyirang latitudinalfourpeakstructureofthenighttimefregionionospherepossiblecontributionoftheneutralwind AT yuyanghuang latitudinalfourpeakstructureofthenighttimefregionionospherepossiblecontributionoftheneutralwind AT guoyingjiang latitudinalfourpeakstructureofthenighttimefregionionospherepossiblecontributionoftheneutralwind AT kunhu latitudinalfourpeakstructureofthenighttimefregionionospherepossiblecontributionoftheneutralwind AT weihualuo latitudinalfourpeakstructureofthenighttimefregionionospherepossiblecontributionoftheneutralwind |