Night-time Ionospheric Localized Enhancements (NILE) Observed in North
America Following Geomagnetic Disturbances
Abstract
The Ionospheric Data Assimilation Four-Dimensional (IDA4D) technique has
been coupled to Sami3 is Another Model of the Ionosphere (SAMI3). In
this application, ground- and space-based GPS Total Electron Content
(TEC) data have been assimilated into SAMI3, while in situ
electron densities, autoscaled ionosonde NmF2 and reference GPS stations
have been used for validation. IDA4D/SAMI3 shows that Night-time
Ionospheric Localized Enhancements (NILE) are formed following
geomagnetic storms in November 2003 and August 2018. The NILE phenomenon
appears as a moderate, longitudinally extended enhancement of NmF2 at
30-40o N MLAT, occurring in the late evening (20-24
LT) following much larger enhancements of the equatorial anomaly crests
in the main phase of the storms. The NILE appears to be caused by upward
and northward plasma transport around the dusk terminator, which is
consistent with eastward polarization electric fields. Independent
validation confirms the presence of the NILE, and indicates that IDA4D
is effective in correcting random errors and systematic biases in SAMI3.
In all cases, biases and root-mean-square errors are reduced by the data
assimilation, typically by a factor of 2 or more. During the most severe
part of the November 2003 storm, the uncorrected ionospheric error on a
GPS 3D position at 1LSU (Louisiana) is estimated to exceed 34 m. The
IDA4D/SAMI3 specification is effective in correcting this down to 10-m.