loading page

Peculiar nighttime ionospheric enhancements over the Asian sector during the May 2024 Superstorm
  • +7
  • Fuqing Huang,
  • Jiuhou Lei,
  • Shun-Rong Zhang,
  • Yihan Wang,
  • Zhongli Li,
  • Jiahao Zhong,
  • Rui Yan,
  • Ercha Aa,
  • Zeren Zhima,
  • Xiaoli Luan
Fuqing Huang
University of Science and Technology of China
Author Profile
Jiuhou Lei
University of Science and Technology of China

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Shun-Rong Zhang
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory
Author Profile
Yihan Wang
University of Science and Technology of China
Author Profile
Zhongli Li
University of Science and Technology of China
Author Profile
Jiahao Zhong
Sun Yat-Sen University
Author Profile
Rui Yan
National Insitute of Natural Hazards, the Ministry of Emergency Management of China
Author Profile
Ercha Aa
MIT Haystack Observatory
Author Profile
Zeren Zhima
National Institute of Natural Hazards, Ministry of Emergency Management of China
Author Profile
Xiaoli Luan
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
Author Profile

Abstract

This study reports a peculiar nighttime ionospheric enhancement in the total electron content (TEC) from the geostationary (GEO) satellites in response to the geomagnetic superstorm of May 2024. The enhancements occurred at low to mid-latitudes during the storm’s recovery phase on 11-12 May, with the TEC values almost twice as high as the quiet ones. Surprisingly, the nighttime ionospheric enhancements sub-rotated westward with a speed of ~130.5 m/s. The nighttime TEC enhancements lasted ~5-7 hours for a given location; however, they persisted over half a day over wide longitude ranges. Meanwhile, ionosonde data from two equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) stations showed a higher peak height of the F2 layer, and a significant double-crest EIA structure was observed by both GEO TECs and in situ electron densities from China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite during this period of interest, indicating a possible contribution from disturbance electric fields producing nighttime eastward equatorial electric fields. Nevertheless, it remains a mystery whether the nighttime TEC enhancement and its movement were associated with the wind disturbance dynamo.
27 Sep 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
28 Sep 2024Published in ESS Open Archive