Climatology of Intermediate Layers on the Equatorial and Low Latitudes Regions over Brazilian sector

• Grant number: 15/25357-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Inez Staciarini Batista
• Grantee: Angela Machado dos Santos Valentim
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Intermediate layers are thin ionization regions that are form in heights of the ionosphere between 140 and 160 km and show a downward motion that can last hours and reach the heights of the ionospheric E region. These features can be observed in ionograms, graphs of height versus time obtained from a Digisonde, however some studies from radars data have also shown the existence of these layers located at 150 km called 150 km Echo. The observations show that these layers exhibit a downward movement similar to those observed with Digisonde data. The mechanism of formation of both the intermediate layers as the echoes at 150 km is not yet fully understood but for geomagnetic midlatitudes the generation mechanism of the intermediate layers has been attributed to windshear mechanismsdue to diurnal and semidiurnal solar tide. However, the origin of these phenomena occurring in the region around the geomagnetic equator is still unknown. We intend to develop a climatological study of the intermediate layers that will be of help to a better understanding of this phenomenon, specially over the Brazilian region. It is interesting to remark that, up to now there is no climatological study of the intermediate layers with these 150 km echoes for Brazilian region. Therefore, this work aims to study the behavior of this ionization at specific times of the ionosphere for low latitudes in Brazilian region, such as Fortaleza (3.9 ° S; 38.45 ° W, I: -9 °) and Cachoeira Paulista (22.42 ° S; 45 ° W, I: -15 °); and equatorial latitude, as São Luís (2 ° S; 44 ° W, I: -2.3 °). The data from Peruvian sector of Jicamarca (11.57 ° S; 76.52 ° W, I: -2 °) and Arecibo - Porto Rico (18,3°N; 66,7°O, I: 50°) also will be analysed in order to verify if the manifestation of this phenomenon has some specific characteristic or variability due to different anomalies which is subject Brazilian region. Furthermore, the additional analyses of the data from a middle latitude region as Arecibo will be very important for us understand the variability of the electrodynamics process involved in the formation of this 150 km irregularity for different latitudinal sectors. Digisondes and radars data will be used in this study. Furthemore, we also proposes to compare the observational data with the results obtained by the Modelo Ionosférico da Região E (MIRE), which can simulates the downward movement of the intermediate layers. Finally, it is believed that the implementation of this project will be important to understanding the formation and climatology of these peculiar layers that appear in the equatorial ionosphere as both medium and low and mid-latitudes. We believe that this study will be significant contributions to ionospheric research.

Scientific publications

(10)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SANTOS, A. M.; BATISTA, I. S.; BRUM, C. G. M.; SOBRAL, J. H. A.; ABDU, M. A.; SOUZA, J. R.. F Region Electric Field Effects on the Intermediate Layer Dynamics During the Evening Prereversal Enhancement at Equatorial Region Over Brazil. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, v. 126, n. 3, MAR 2021. (15/25357-4, 17/50115-0)

ABDU, MANGALATHAYIL A.; NOGUEIRA, PAULO A. B.; SANTOS, ANGELA M.; DE SOUZA, JONAS R.; BATISTA, INEZ S.; SOBRAL, JOSE H. A.. Impact of disturbance electric fields in the evening on prereversal vertical drift and spread F developments in the equatorial ionosphere. Annales Geophysicae, v. 36, n. 2, p. 609-620, APR 9 2018. (15/25357-4)

SANTOS, A. M.; BATISTA, I. S.; SOBRAL, J. H. A.; BRUM, C. G. M.; ABDU, M. A.; SOUZA, J. R.. Some Differences in the Dynamics of the Intermediate Descending Layers Observed During Periods of Maximum and Minimum Solar Flux. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, v. 125, n. 10, OCT 2020. (15/25357-4, 17/50115-0)

PAULINO, IGO; PAULINO, ANA ROBERTA; CUEVA, RICARDO Y. C.; AGYEI-YEBOAH, EBENEZER; BURITI, RICARDO ARLEN; TAKAHASHI, HISAO; WRASSE, CRISTIANO MAX; SANTOS, ANGELA M.; DE MEDEIROS, AMAURI FRAGOSO; BATISTA, INEZ S.. Semimonthly oscillation observed in the start times of equatorial plasma bubbles. Annales Geophysicae, v. 38, n. 2, p. 437-443, MAR 31 2020. (15/25357-4)

RODRIGUES, FABIANO S.; ZHAN, WEIJIA; MILLA, MARCO A.; FEJER, BELA G.; DE PAULA, EURICO R.; NETO, ACACIO C.; SANTOS, ANGELA M.; BATISTA, INEZ S.. MELISSA: System description and spectral features of pre- and post-midnight F-region echoes. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, v. 124, n. 12, DEC 2019. (15/25357-4)

BATISTA, INEZ S.; CANDIDO, C. M. N.; SOUZA, J. R.; ABDU, M. A.; DE ARAUJO, R. C.; RESENDE, L. C. A.; SANTOS, A. M.. F-3 layer development during quiet and disturbed periods as observed at conjugate locations in Brazil: The role of the meridional wind. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, v. 122, n. 2, p. 2361-2373, FEB 2017. (14/11198-9, 15/25357-4)

SANTOS, ANGELA M.; ABDU, MANGALATHAYIL A.; SOUZA, JONAS R.; BATISTA, INEZ S.; SOBRAL, JOSE H. A.. Unusual behavior of quiet-time zonal and vertical plasma drift velocities over Jicamarca during the recent extended solar minimum of 2008. Annales Geophysicae, v. 35, n. 6, p. 1219-1229, NOV 10 2017. (15/25357-4)

DOS SANTOS, ANGELA MACHADO; BATISTA, INEZ STACIARINI; ABDU, MANGALATHAYIL ALI; ANDRADE SOBRAL, JOSE HUMBERTO; DE SOUZA, JONAS RODRIGUES; MARQUES BRUM, CHRISTIANO GARNETT. Climatology of intermediate descending layers (or 150 km echoes) over the equatorial and low-latitude regions of Brazil during the deep solar minimum of 2009. Annales Geophysicae, v. 37, n. 6, p. 1005-1024, NOV 8 2019. (15/25357-4)

SOUSASANTOS, JONAS; ABDU, MANGALATHAYIL ALI; SANTOS, ANGELA; BATISTA, INEZ; SILVA, ANDRE; LOURES, LUIS EDUARDO. Further complexities on the pre-reversal vertical drift modeling over the Brazilian region: A comparison between long-term observations and model results. JOURNAL OF SPACE WEATHER AND SPACE CLIMATE, v. 10, JUN 9 2020. (16/24970-7, 18/06158-9, 15/25357-4)

SANTOS, ANGELA M.; BRUM, CHRISTIANO G. M.; BATISTA, INEZ S.; SOBRAL, JOSE H. A.; ABDU, MANGALATHAYIL A.; SOUZA, JONAS R.. Responses of intermediate layers to geomagnetic activity during the 2009 deep solar minimum over the Brazilian low-latitude sector. Annales Geophysicae, v. 40, n. 3, p. 11-pg., 2022-05-03. (17/50115-0, 15/25357-4)