EPP

Previous studies have proposed that both the thermospheric neutral wind and the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) near sunset play important roles in the pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) mechanism. In this study, we have used observations made in the equatorial region of Southeast Asia during March–April and September–October in 2010–2013 to investigate influences of the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ on the PRE’s strength. Our analysis employs data collected by the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite to determine the zonal (east-west direction) neutral wind at an altitude of ~250 km (bottomside F region) at longitudes of 90°–130°E in the dusk sector. Three ionosondes, at Chumphon (dip lat.: 3.0°N) in Thailand, at Bac Lieu (dip lat.: 1.7°N) in Vietnam, and at Cebu (dip lat.: 3.0°N) in Philippines, provided the data we have used to derive the PRE strength. Data from two magnetometers — at Phuket (dip lat.: 0.1°S) in Thailand and at Kototabang (dip lat.: 10.3°S) in Indonesia — were used to estimate the EEJ strength. Our study is focused particularly on days with magnetically quiet conditions. We have found that the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ are both closely correlated with the PRE; their cross-correlation coefficients with it are, respectively, 0.42 and 0.47. Their relationship with each other is weaker: the cross-correlation coefficient between the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ is just 0.26. Our findings suggest that both the eastward neutral wind and the EEJ near sunset are involved in the PRE mechanism. Based on the weak relationship between these two parameters, however, they appear to be significantly independent of each other. Thus, the wind and the EEJ are likely to be influencing the PRE magnitude independently, their effects balancing each other.

Large Scale Wave Structures (LSWS) in the equatorial ionospheric F-region were observed by measuring spatial and temporal variations within detrended total electron content (dTEC) data obtained by ground-based GNSS receivers over the South American continent. By using dTEC-maps, we have been able to produce, for the first-time, two-dimensional representations of LSWS. During the period from September to December, the LSWS frequently occurred starting a few hours prior to Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB) development. From 17 events of LSWS observed in 2014 and 2015, wave characteristics were obtained: the observed wavelengths, periods, and the phase speeds are respectively, ~900 km, ~41 min and ~399 m/s; the waves propagated from the northeast to southeast. In some cases the front of the oscillation was meridionally aligned, extending to more than 1600 km, the first time such large extension of the wavefront has been reported. From F-layer bottom height oscillation data, measured by ionosonde, LSWS exhibit two different vertical phase propagation modes, in-phase and downward phase. The former mode indicates the presence of a polarization electric field in the F-layer bottom side; the latter suggests propagation of atmospheric gravity waves. The presence of LSWS near the solar terminator, followed by the development of EPBs, suggests that the upwelling of the F-layer bottom height produces a condition favorable to the development of Rayleigh–Taylor instability.