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Abstract The effect of storms driven by solar wind high‐speed streams (HSSs) on the high‐latitude ionosphere is inadequately understood. We study the ionosphericF‐region during a moderate magnetic storm on 14 March 2016 using the EISCAT Tromsø and Svalbard radar latitude scans. AMPERE field‐aligned current (FAC) measurements are also utilized. Long‐duration 5‐day electron density depletions (20%–80%) are the dominant feature outside of precipitation‐dominated midnight and morning sectors. Depletions are found in two major regions. In the afternoon to evening sector (12–21 magnetic local time, MLT) the depleted region is 10–18 magnetic latitude (MLAT) in width, with the largest latitudinal extent 62–80 MLAT in the afternoon. The second region is in the morning to pre‐noon sector (04–10 MLT), where the depletion region occurs at 72–80 MLAT within the auroral oval and extends to the polar cap. Using EISCAT ion temperature and ion velocity data, we show that local ion‐frictional heating is observed roughly in 50% of the depleted regions with ion temperature increase by 200 K or more. For the rest of the depletions, we suggest that the mechanism is composition changes due to ion‐neutral frictional heating transported by neutral winds. Even though depletedF‐regions may occur within any of the large‐scale FAC regions or outside of them, the downward FAC regions (R2 in the afternoon and evening, R0 in the afternoon, and R1 in the morning) are favored, suggesting that downward currents carried by upward moving ionospheric electrons may provide a small additional effect for depletion.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025
Total Electron Content Variations During an HSS/SIR‐Driven Geomagnetic Storm at High and Mid Latitudes
Abstract Two interacting high‐speed solar wind streams (HSSs) and associated stream interaction regions (SIR) caused a moderate geomagnetic storm during 14–20 March 2016. The spatio‐temporal evolution of the total electron content (TEC) during the storm is studied by using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. The moderate storm caused significant and long‐lasting changes on TEC within the polar cap (70–90 MLAT), at auroral and sub‐auroral latitudes (60–70 MLAT), and at mid‐latitudes (40–60 MLAT). A 25%–50% depletion in TEC was observed for six days in the day, dusk and dawn sectors in the polar cap region and in the day and dusk sectors at the auroral and sub‐auroral latitudes. Sub‐auroral polarization streams observed by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite contributed to the sub‐auroral dusk TEC decreases. At mid‐latitudes, TEC depletion was observed in all local time sectors 21 hr after the storm onset. It is suggested that ion‐neutral frictional heating causes the TEC depletions, which is further supported by the observed spatial correlation between TEC depletions and O/N2decreases at mid‐latitudes observed by TIMED/GUVI. The storm induced a prolonged positive phase at mid‐latitudes lasting 9 hr. In the polar cap, enhancements of TEC up to 200% were caused by polar cap patches. TEC increases were the dominant feature in the night and morning sectors within the auroral oval because of particle precipitation and resulted up to regionally averaged 6 TECU (200%) increases.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2002574
- PAR ID:
- 10610490
- Publisher / Repository:
- J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
- Volume:
- 129
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 2169-9380
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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