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Abstract The development of an intense total electron content (TEC) depletion band over the United States during the 8 September 2017 geomagnetic storm was understood as the extension of an equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) to midlatitudes in previous studies. However, this study reports non‐EPB aspects within this phenomenon. First, the simultaneous emergence of the TEC depletion band at midlatitudes and EPBs in the equatorial region indicates that the midlatitude TEC depletion band is not initiated by an EPB. Second, the intensification of TEC depletion at midlatitudes during the decay of TEC depletion at intermediate latitudes is anomalous. Third, the location of the TEC depletion band at midlatitudes is inconsistent with the EPB location estimated from zonal plasma motion. Given ionospheric perturbations in North America from the beginning of the storm, it is plausible that the TEC depletion band was locally generated in association with these perturbations.
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The Origin of Midlatitude Plasma Depletions Detected During the 12 February 2000 and 29 October 2003 Geomagnetic Storms
Abstract Large amplitude plasma density irregularities have occasionally been detected at night in the midlatitudeFregion during geomagnetic storms. They are often interpreted in terms of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) because midlatitude irregularities have the morphology of EPBs. This study assesses whether morphology can be a determining factor in ascribing the origin of such midlatitude ionospheric irregularities. We address this question by analyzing the observations of the First Republic of China satellite (ROCSAT‐1) and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)‐F14 and ‐F15 satellites during the geomagnetic storms on 12 February 2000 and 29 October 2003. On both days, ROCSAT‐1 detects plasma depletions at midlatitudes in broad longitude regions and DMSP satellites detect isolated severe plasma depletions whose widths and depths are much wider and deeper than those of typical EPBs. The distinguishing characteristics during the storms are the detection of midlatitude depletions only in the Southern Hemisphere and the occurrence of some of these depletions before 19 hr local time and at the longitudes where EPBs are absent in the equatorial region. These characteristics are not explained satisfactorily by the characteristics of EPBs. Considering the detection of some of the midlatitude depletions at the equatorward edge of ionospheric perturbations in midlatitudes, midlatitude depletions are likely ionospheric perturbations that originated from higher latitudes. Because midlatitude depletions can originate from different sources, the morphology alone is not a determining factor of their origin.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2029840
- PAR ID:
- 10446087
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
- Volume:
- 127
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2169-9380
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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