An alternative possibility to equatorial plasma bubble forecasting through mathematical modeling and Digisonde data

Autor(es)

Sousasantos, J. ; Kherani, E. A. ; Sobral, J. H. A.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS; v. 122, n. 2, p. 2079-2088, FEB 2017.
• Citações Web of Science: 3

Resumo

Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs), or large-scale plasma depleted regions, are one of the subjects of great interest in space weather research since such phenomena have been extensively reported to cause strong degrading effects on transionospheric radio propagation at low latitudes, especially over the Brazilian region, where satellite communication interruptions by the EPBs have been, frequently, registered. One of the most difficult tasks for this field of scientific research is the forecasting of such plasma-depleted structures. This forecasting capability would be of significant help for users of positioning/navigation systems operating in the low-latitude/equatorial region all over the world. Recently, some efforts have been made trying to assess and improve the capability of predicting the EPB events. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative approach to EPB prediction by means of the use of mathematical numerical simulation associated with ionospheric vertical drift, obtained through Digisonde data, focusing on telling beforehand whether ionospheric plasma instability processes will evolve or not into EPB structures. Modulations in the ionospheric vertical motion induced by gravity waves prior to the prereversal enhancement occurrence were used as input in the numerical model. A comparison between the numerical results and the observed EPB phenomena through CCD all-sky image data reveals a considerable coherence and supports the hypothesis of a capability of short-term forecasting. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 11/21903-3 - Distúrbios ionosféricos viajantes: simulação e observação, a importância de latitudinal de acoplamento de ondas gravidade-instabilidades Perkins-Es-layer e de forçando desde a pré-sísmica eventos
• Beneficiário: Esfhan Alam Kherani
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores