Daytime and Nighttime Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Disturbances and Their Delayed Occurrence After Geomagnetic Activity
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Indian Journal of Radio & Space Physics Vol.22, February 1993,pp. i-io " Daytime and nighttime mid-latitude ionospheric disturbances and their delayed occurrence after geomagnetic activity GGBowman Department of Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia Received 14 September 1992;revised received 15 December 1992 For a mid-latitude station the occurrence rates on ionograms of nighttime spread-F, daytime first-hop distortions (produced by medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances) and daytime second-hop spread are considered over a five-year period. Superposed-epoch analysis has been used to investigate the second-hop spread relative to days of enhanced activity in the other two parameters. The results show that all three parameters are closely related, with the second-hop spread being related to spread-F occurrence on the night following the daytime occurrence of this second-hop spread. Additional superposed-epoch analyses show that all three parameters are related to enhanced geomagnetic activity which is found to occur during an early-morning period which is displaced by three such periods from the days of enhanced activity for these parameters. Two peaks occur in this-early-morning period, one at 0400 local time, and the other close to local midnight. The paper concentrates particularly on this daytime second-hop phenomenon and sample ionograms are prescn led 10 illustrate some of the characteristics of the spread traces which are recorded. 1 Introduction performed to investigate whether or not daytime For mid-latitude regions this paper considers the disturbances can be related to geomagnetic activity delayed occurrence of nighttime spread-F, daytime with similar delayed occurrences. In the past it has not first-hop distortions and daytime second-hop spread been possible to associate with any certainty daytime following increased geomagnetic activity in disturbances with geomagnetic activity" - 8. This auroral-zone regions. It seems likely that all three could be due possibly to the fact that delayed parameters result from the passage of medium-scale occurrence was not considered and/or to the fact that travelling ionospheric disturbances (MS- TI Ds) daily geomagnetic indices were used rather than the (Refs I and 2). Interrelationships between these three hourly values which are available with the AE parameters (which are recorded on ionograms) will indices. also be considered. Particular attention will be paid to the daytime second-hop spread which has received 2 Experimental details and method of analysis little or no attention by investigators in the past, The special features of a modern ionosondc" possibly due to the reason that it was thought to result located on Bribie Island (36.1 "S, 218.1 °E - corrected from backscatter from ground irregularities. geomagnetic coordinates) at a site 55 km magnetically However recent results':", which indicate weaker north of Brisbane, Australia, have been used to record first-hop signals when this second-hop spread is on ionograms some of the characteristics of the recorded, as well as evidence of associations with second-hop daytime spread. These characteristics nighttime spread-F (ReD) and daytime MS-TIOs will be considered in the next section. This paper will (Ref.Z), suggest that irregularities in the ionosphere also consider statistically the occurrence rates of the are involved. three parameters which were mentioned in section I. Absorption events in the 0 region delayed by a These occurrence rates have been determined from number of days after increased geomagnetic activity ionograms recorded routinely every 15 minutes at at specific local times (in the early morning hours)" are Moggill, another recording site situated apparently associated with similar delayed approximately 60 km magnetically south of Bribie occurrences of mid-latitude spread-F (Ref.5). Island. The Moggill ionograms from 1979 to 1983 Therefore in view of the relationships between (inclusive) were used, although recordings for several daytime and nighttime disturbances, which will be months of 1982 were unavailable or unsuitable. explored further in this paper, analyses have been For each day or night of each month used, counts INDIAN J RADIO & SPACE PHYS, FEBRUARY 1993 IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES - MOGGILL (BRISBANE) JUNE 1981 (a) SPREAD-F (NIGHTTIME) 1800 - 0600 (DATE FOR 1800 - 0000 USED) 26 27 6 5 @@20@@ 17 1 17 64)@) 23 (33) 24 30 6 @) 7 11 9@@ 18 7 @ 19 14 • (b) FIRST-HOP DISTORTIONS (DAYTIME) 0600 -1800 6 10 4 @ 16 10 15@@ 12 6 11 13 13 9 6 9@ 9 @ 7 9 12 7 14 16 10@ 8 10 (e) SECOND-HOP SPREAD (DAYTIME) 0600 -1800 15 6 14 21 23 14 11 15 26 17 11 25@ 26 22 23 14@ 18@ 21 13 26@29@@@ 17 20 DATE 5 10 15 20 25 30 NUMBER OF EVENTS AT 15 - min INTERVALS AVERAGE MONTHLY VALUES (a) 23.7, (b) 12.0, (e) 22.0 o INDICATES VALUES> 1.33 AVERAGE .- Fig. I-A sample month (June 1981) of occurrence rates (at 15-min intervals) of the three parameters. namely. nighttime spread- F. daytime first-hop distortions. and daytime second-hop spread. Control dates are indicated by circles. were made of the number ofionograms showing (a) upper atmosphere (UA-NPD) most likely controls nighttime spread-F between the local times of 1800 the annual distributions of these parameters. As this and 0600, (b) first-hop daytime trace distortions appears to result from control of the MS-TID wave between local times of 0600 and 1800, and (c) amplitudes by the neutral-particle density, it seems second-hop daytime spread, again from 0600 to 1800. reasonable (in the absence of any other information) The local time is \0 h ahead of Universal Time. The m·~ •.u.u.iform distribution of disturbances counts obtained for the month of June 1981,which are ~~"')CIFCWIta",:~~e MS-TID wave quoted in Fig.l , show the variability of these three amplit'u~ •.•• ".., sia••• ~. As Bowman- parameters from day to day. The spread-F counts for shows, the o(,C1fnt:Ilteratr:~ \~ June solstice is each night were allocated the date of the first half of the at least 4 times greater than chafing the equinoctial night (i.e. from 1800 to 0000). Sets of controls were periods. obtained from each parameter determined by considering those counts in each month which were 3 Some characteristics of second-hop daytime spread greater than 1.33 times the average count for that The modem ionosonde? mentioned in section 2 was month. The days of these controls for June 1981 are responsible for the swept- and fixed-frequency indicated by circles on Fig.l. These controls have been ionograms which are presented in Figs 2 and 3, as used not only to investigate further relationships representative of second-hop daytime spread between these three parameters, but also to determine conditions. These conditions are most prevalent in what associations, if any, these days of enhanced sunspot-minimum years. In 1990and 1991 when the occurrence for each parameter might have with solar cycle was near its maximum. ionograms such as geomagnetic activity. Hourly values of the AE, AL and those which appear in Figs 2 and 3 were almost never AU indices have been used for geomagnetic activity. recorded. Except for Fig.3(a) all the ionograms on and superposed-epoch methods were employed to Figs 2 and 3 record primarily O-ray traces. However investigate these relationships. sometimes weak X-ray traces are also recorded [see It seems desirable to explain in some detail why it Fig.2(a)]. has been necessary to consider controls relative to The second-hop spread conditions during a short monthly averages rather than yearly averages. It has interval of time near 1420 LT on 23 June 1988 are been shown? for the parameters considered here and shown in Fig.2 by (a) the full-scale swept-frequency for spread-F generally from mid- and low-latitude ionogram, (b) a limited-scale ionogram with limited stations'? that modulation of occurrence rates by height and frequency parameters (a frequency range changing levels of the neutral-particle density of the of about 300 kHz), and (c) an ionogram similar to (b) (a) (b) 540 _(c) c 540 - 600 - o:l 520 - o < 400 - z 500 - > Z 200 - ~ 480 - I ? I I - I I I r 5.7 5.8 5.9 MHz 5 7 Mrfz 5.8 5.9 MHz 5.6 ~ 1420.09 1418.39 (GAIN SWEEP 30 dB IN 1S) ~ 1419.25 (23 JUNE 1988) C o (d) (e) (f ) rn 540- (3 E Z 2S o Vl -0 I-- 520 ::r: I rn (9 :;0 W 500 o I o Vl -.J -l « 480- C ::J :;0 l- o:l rr 1420.40 (1Os) 1421.15 (10s) :» 5.8 MHz 1422.04 (105) z :> o rn (g) Vl (h) (i) Rc !I.......~..,..~~~.~.I .:', ',:"., ' "':'~.:.•,:. 1\'--"" '''''''''''-'''~ ',' , '.. ",'\'\; o I!!I!I! 640 - ;....:...,~"\~~,~~,~~~'~,~,~..••,~~~'~"~~"~"'~"'\~ ....•. '~'~''''~ rn 600- - ~~~~;::~.;.;>-~~~;~~,,~~~.;,~~~~ ..•.:~~ o z 6 580 - z rn :j () .~~~~:> o 520 - -l I I I I 5 7 MHz 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 MHz <: 1249.47 (16 JUNE 1988) 1256.45 1259.31 ~ Fig. 2-Ionograms which illustrate some of the characteristics of daytime second-hop spread (The time quoted on each ionogram is the local time and the numoer appearing after decimal point shows seconds. e.g. 1419.25 means 14 hrs 19 min 25 s). w 4 INDIAN J RADIO & SPACE PHYS, FEBRUARY 1993 (a) (b) 600- I I I 6 MHz 5.25 5.50 1147.47 (6 SEP. 1989) 1149.37 (6 SEP. 1989) (GAINSWEEP 60 dB in O.Ss) (c) E ~ f- I CJ 400- W 550- I ....J -c 200- ::) f- a: s I I 520., 4 5 MHz I I I 4.0 4.2 4.4 MHz 4.6 1225.54 (30 MAY 1985) 1227.19 (30 MAY 1985) (e) (f) 1237.09 (30 MAY 1985) 1237.41 (30 MAY 1985) Fig.