Two different properties of ionospheric perturbations detected in the
vicinity of the Korean Peninsula after the Hunga-Tonga volcanic eruption
on 15 January 2022
Abstract
This study reports two different properties of ionospheric perturbations
detected to the west and south of the Korean Peninsula after the
Hunga-Tonga volcanic eruption on 15 January 2022. Transient wave-like
total electron content (TEC) modulations and intense irregular TEC
perturbations are detected in the west and south of the Korean
Peninsula, respectively, about eight hours after the eruption. The TEC
modulations in the west propagate away from the epicenter with a speed
of 302 m/s. Their occurrence time, propagation direction and velocity,
and alignment with the surface air pressure perturbations indicate the
generation of the TEC modulations by Lamb waves generated by the
eruption. The strong TEC perturbations and L band scintillations in the
south are interpreted in terms of the poleward extension of equatorial
plasma bubbles (EPBs). We demonstrate the association of the EPBs with
volcanic eruption using the EPB occurrence climatology derived from
Swarm satellite data.