Conveners
SWR4 –Interactions in the Earth’s Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System and their Space Weather Impact: Orals - Part 1
- Alan George Wood (University of Birmingham)
- Lucilla Alfonsi (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)
- Daria Kotova (Department of Physics, University of Oslo)
- Guram Kervalishvili (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences)
SWR4 –Interactions in the Earth’s Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System and their Space Weather Impact: Orals - Part 2
- Alan George Wood (University of Birmingham)
- Guram Kervalishvili (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences)
- Daria Kotova (Department of Physics, University of Oslo)
- Lucilla Alfonsi (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)
SWR4 –Interactions in the Earth’s Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System and their Space Weather Impact: Orals - Part 3
- Guram Kervalishvili (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences)
- Lucilla Alfonsi (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)
- Daria Kotova (Department of Physics, University of Oslo)
- Alan George Wood (University of Birmingham)
SWR4 –Interactions in the Earth’s Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System and their Space Weather Impact: Orals - part 4
- Alan George Wood (University of Birmingham)
- Daria Kotova (Department of Physics, University of Oslo)
- Lucilla Alfonsi (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)
- Guram Kervalishvili (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences)
Description
The session focuses on the state-of-the-art understanding of the complex mechanisms ruling the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere (M-I-T) coupling and how they translate into space weather impacts. Such an understanding is fundamental for the developing effective countermeasures against disruption, failure and deterioration of vulnerable technologies, including GNSS critical applications, HF/VHF/UHF radio communications and LEO satellite operations. It is essential to improve the prediction of both the underlying physical phenomena and how these are related to space weather impacts. This improved understanding is crucial for better forecasts, warnings, and mitigate measures for adverse space weather effects. Other crucial aspects of M-I-T coupling are the interhemispheric symmetric/asymmetric response to variable drivers, vertical coupling and coupling between different latitudinal regions which, if properly predicted, could support regional space weather modelling. This session seeks to encourage and foster dialogue between researchers studying the underlying physical phenomena and operators seeking to mitigate space weather impacts. As such, contributions are invited which address any aspect of M-I-T coupling and associated threats to systems at regional and global scales.
We investigates how large-scale meteorological disturbances, such as sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), drive variability throughout the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere (MIT) system. While previous studies have clarified the role of lower atmospheric forcing in shaping IT dynamics, the extent to which this forcing imprints on magnetospheric structure and variability remains...
The center of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA) is located in the southern part of Brazil, where enhanced energetic particle precipitation (EPP) can occur, particularly during strong geomagnetic storms. Consequently, the sporadic auroral E layer (Esa), a feature typically observed in ionograms from high latitude auroral regions, can also be detected at stations near the center of the...
Geomagnetic storms during the declining phase of the solar cycle 24 were studied using the total electron content (TEC) data obtained from three geodetic receivers located in Portugal: Lisbon (Continental Portugal), Furnas (Azores) and Funchal (Madeira). Two of the receivers (Lisbon and Furnas) are located at about the same latitude (~39ºN) while the third receiver (Funchal, ~33ºN) is...
The main drivers of geomagnetic storms are interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and solar wind high-speed streams (HSSs) with stream interaction regions (SIRs). In this presentation, we show one example of both cases and study their effects on the high-latitude ionosphere-thermosphere (I-T) system. We use a multi-instrument approach with ground-based instruments (e.g., the EISCAT...
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) polar satellites are vulnerable to the effects of mirror mode events due to their proximity to the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere. Mirror modes are localized magnetic field structures arising from plasma mirror instabilities caused by a pressure anisotropy in the plasma, often in regions with a high plasma beta. Mirror mode events affect LEO satellites via increased...
The bow shock current (BSC) plays an important role in supplying the magnetosphere with solar wind energy, in particular during times of low solar wind magnetosonic Mach numbers. Since the magnetic pile-up in the magnetosheath has to be maintained, the BSC cannot close locally, but must instead connect to magnetospheric current systems. However, the details of this closure remain poorly...
Changes in solar wind flow, typically associated with interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and high-speed streams (HSSs), directly impact the near-Earth space environment. These structures disturb the Earth’s magnetosphere and induce variability in the geomagnetic field. Rapid variations in the geomagnetic field, characterized by elevated values of dBH/dt, can lead to the generation...
The near-Earth space environment is strongly influenced by the solar wind and embedded interplanetary magnetic field. Therefore a thorough understanding of the upper atmosphere response during the passage of geoeffective solar wind transients, such as high-speed streams/stream interaction regions (HSS/SIR) and interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) is crucial for accurate space weather...
An overwhelming number of impactful space weather effects, such as equatorial plasma bubbles and polar cap ionization patches, take place in or are driven by the strongly coupled ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) system. Society’s exponentially increasing dependence on the LEO environment for defense and commercial needs requires a comprehensive examination of this multi-scale, coupled system. Such...
In this new ionospheric modeling study, we developed a physics-informed neural network (PINN) to predict key ionospheric peak parameters: foF2, hmF2, and TEC, using various space weather inputs. The model is trained on a globally distributed dataset that combines ground-based ionosonde measurements from the GIRO network with corrected space-based observations from the COSMIC satellites.
To...
Sporadic-E, thin metallic ion layers in the lower ionosphere compressed via neutral wind shears or externally imposed electric fields, pose considerable challenges for High Frequency (HF) radio propagation modelling. As their name suggests, these layers can appear to be quasi-stochastic, requiring both an abundance of metallic ions and a mechanism through which to compress them into thin,...
This study investigates the occurrence, characteristics, and formation mechanisms of slant sporadic-E layers (Ess). The Ess-type layers observed at the Brazilian low-latitude stations of Jataí (17.9°S, 51.7°W) and São José dos Campos (23.2°S, 45.8°W), are analyzed using ionosonde data recorded for four months (April, June, September, and December) of 2016. Parameters such as top frequency...
Abstract-- Understanding the absorption of high-frequency (HF) radio waves within the ionospheric D, E, and F regions remains a pivotal challenge in accurately modeling signal propagation, particularly when considering ground reflection losses. This study investigates HF signal reception at two HamSCI Personal Space Weather Stations (PSWS): W2NAF near Scranton, Pennsylvania, and KPH in...
Sudden Commencements (SCs) are rapid, near-impulsive changes of the geomagnetic field that are measured on the ground. SCs are caused by sudden increases of solar wind dynamic pressure (e.g., interplanetary shocks), that compress the Earth’s geomagnetic cavity (the magnetosphere). Such changes in the geomagnetic field, as measured on the surface of the Earth, result in the creation of...
Space weather events like solar flares cause enhanced absorption of radio waves in the ionosphere most notably in the lowest part of it, the D-region (ca. 60–100 km altitude range) which can weaken radio signals and can pose difficulties to radio communication at certain frequencies. There exist several methods to qualitatively or quantitatively assess the absorption in the layers of Earth’s...
Ionospheric indices play a crucial role in monitoring and understanding the dynamic behavior of the ionosphere. By examining the temporal and spatial variability of Total Electron Content (TEC) or electron density, we can detect and characterize ionospheric perturbations across various scales. Beyond their scientific value, these indices also help assess the potential impact of space weather...
Variations in the ionospheric currents can cause rapid disturbances in the magnetic field at the ground level, so called dB/dt spikes, and Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) that can harm human infrastructure. When investigating dB/dt spike occurrence and GIC risks, the focus has typically been on geomagnetic storms. However, recently it has been argued that it is the substorm phenomena...
The solar wind causes a continuous modulation of the high-latitude ionosphere, namely in the electric field, thermosphere heating, plasma transport, thermospheric composition and circulation. The main goal of this study is to investigate the mechanisms that play a role in the response of the ionosphere-thermosphere system to the variations in the solar wind and to quantify the response time...
The ionosphere, extending from approximately 60 to 1000 km altitude, is a dynamic plasma environment critical for radio wave propagation and the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Its variability is strongly influenced by solar activity, notably during coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and intense solar flares, which inject energetic particles and disturbances into the...
