Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2015

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International Session (Oral)

Symbol P (Space and Planetary Sciences) » P-EM Solar-Terrestrial Sciences, Space Electromagnetism & Space Environment

[P-EM06] Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Earth's Atmosphere

Wed. May 27, 2015 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM A01 (APA HOTEL&RESORT TOKYO BAY MAKUHARI)

Convener:*Huixin Liu(Earth and Planetary Science Division, Kyushu University SERC, Kyushu University), Yuichi Otsuka(Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University), Libo Liu(Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Atsuki Shinbori(Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University), Chair:Atsuki Shinbori(Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University)

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

★ [PEM06-12] Deep ionospheric hole created by sudden stratospheric warming in the post-midnight ionosphere

*Larisa GONCHARENKO1, Anthea COSTER1, Shunrong ZHANG1, Phillip ERICKSON1, Nestor APONTE2 (1.Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Haystack Observatory, 2.Arecibo Observatory, SRI International)

Keywords:sudden stratospheric warming, atmospheric coupling, ionosphere

Multiple observational studies have demonstrated large ionospheric variations associated with sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events during the daytime, but only limited evidence of ionospheric disturbances during the night-time was reported up to now. We use observations by GPS TEC receivers and Arecibo and Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radars to investigate large-scale disturbances in the nighttime ionosphere for several SSW events. We report a deep decrease in TEC that reaches ~70% of the background level and is observed between the local midnight and local sunrise (6-12UT). This decrease is observed for several consecutive days in the range of latitudes from ~60oS to ~45oN. It is accompanied by a strong downward plasma motion and significant decrease in ion temperature, as observed by both Arecibo and Millstone Hill radars. We discuss variations in electric field and F-region dynamics as possible drivers of this behavior.