Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves
Abstract The weakly ionized plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is controlled by a complex interplay between solar and magnetospheric inputs from above, atmospheric processes from below, and plasma electrodynamics from within. This interaction results in ionosphere structuring and variability that...
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Wiley
2024-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001302 |
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| author | Yangyang Shen Olga P. Verkhoglyadova Anton Artemyev Michael D. Hartinger Vassilis Angelopoulos Xueling Shi Ying Zou |
| author_facet | Yangyang Shen Olga P. Verkhoglyadova Anton Artemyev Michael D. Hartinger Vassilis Angelopoulos Xueling Shi Ying Zou |
| author_sort | Yangyang Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The weakly ionized plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is controlled by a complex interplay between solar and magnetospheric inputs from above, atmospheric processes from below, and plasma electrodynamics from within. This interaction results in ionosphere structuring and variability that pose major challenges for accurate ionosphere prediction for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) related applications and space weather research. The ionospheric structuring and variability are often probed using the total electron content (TEC) and its relative perturbations (dTEC). Among dTEC variations observed at high latitudes, a unique modulation pattern has been linked to magnetospheric ultra‐low‐frequency (ULF) waves, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here using magnetically conjugate observations from the THEMIS spacecraft and a ground‐based GPS receiver at Fairbanks, Alaska, we provide direct evidence that these dTEC modulations are driven by magnetospheric electron precipitation induced by ULF‐modulated whistler‐mode waves. We observed peak‐to‐peak dTEC amplitudes reaching ∼ 0.5 TECU (1 TECU is equal to 106 electrons/m2) with modulations spanning scales of ∼ 5–100 km. The cross‐correlation between our modeled and observed dTEC reached ∼ 0.8 during the conjugacy period but decreased outside of it. The spectra of whistler‐mode waves and dTEC also matched closely at ULF frequencies during the conjugacy period but diverged outside of it. Our findings elucidate the high‐latitude dTEC generation from magnetospheric wave‐induced precipitation, addressing a significant gap in current physics‐based dTEC modeling. Theses results thus improve ionospheric dTEC prediction and enhance our understanding of magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling via ULF waves. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54b8b7b68d524b15abb67e6b59355fa2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2576-604X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AGU Advances |
| spelling | doaj-art-54b8b7b68d524b15abb67e6b59355fa22024-12-24T08:34:27ZengWileyAGU Advances2576-604X2024-12-0156n/an/a10.1029/2024AV001302Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF WavesYangyang Shen0Olga P. Verkhoglyadova1Anton Artemyev2Michael D. Hartinger3Vassilis Angelopoulos4Xueling Shi5Ying Zou6Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USAJet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USADepartment of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USADepartment of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USADepartment of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USADepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA USAJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USAAbstract The weakly ionized plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is controlled by a complex interplay between solar and magnetospheric inputs from above, atmospheric processes from below, and plasma electrodynamics from within. This interaction results in ionosphere structuring and variability that pose major challenges for accurate ionosphere prediction for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) related applications and space weather research. The ionospheric structuring and variability are often probed using the total electron content (TEC) and its relative perturbations (dTEC). Among dTEC variations observed at high latitudes, a unique modulation pattern has been linked to magnetospheric ultra‐low‐frequency (ULF) waves, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here using magnetically conjugate observations from the THEMIS spacecraft and a ground‐based GPS receiver at Fairbanks, Alaska, we provide direct evidence that these dTEC modulations are driven by magnetospheric electron precipitation induced by ULF‐modulated whistler‐mode waves. We observed peak‐to‐peak dTEC amplitudes reaching ∼ 0.5 TECU (1 TECU is equal to 106 electrons/m2) with modulations spanning scales of ∼ 5–100 km. The cross‐correlation between our modeled and observed dTEC reached ∼ 0.8 during the conjugacy period but decreased outside of it. The spectra of whistler‐mode waves and dTEC also matched closely at ULF frequencies during the conjugacy period but diverged outside of it. Our findings elucidate the high‐latitude dTEC generation from magnetospheric wave‐induced precipitation, addressing a significant gap in current physics‐based dTEC modeling. Theses results thus improve ionospheric dTEC prediction and enhance our understanding of magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling via ULF waves.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001302total electron contentwhistler‐mode wavesmagnetosphere ionosphere couplingparticle precipitationionosphere irregularitiesionosphere scintillation |
| spellingShingle | Yangyang Shen Olga P. Verkhoglyadova Anton Artemyev Michael D. Hartinger Vassilis Angelopoulos Xueling Shi Ying Zou Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves AGU Advances total electron content whistler‐mode waves magnetosphere ionosphere coupling particle precipitation ionosphere irregularities ionosphere scintillation |
| title | Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves |
| title_full | Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves |
| title_fullStr | Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves |
| title_full_unstemmed | Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves |
| title_short | Magnetospheric Control of Ionospheric TEC Perturbations via Whistler‐Mode and ULF Waves |
| title_sort | magnetospheric control of ionospheric tec perturbations via whistler mode and ulf waves |
| topic | total electron content whistler‐mode waves magnetosphere ionosphere coupling particle precipitation ionosphere irregularities ionosphere scintillation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001302 |
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