Dora Pancheva

ABSTRACT This paper presents the global spatial (latitude and altitude) structure and temporal variability of the ∼23-day ionospheric zonally symmetric (s = 0) planetary wave (PW) seen in the Northern winter of 2008/2009 (October 2008–March 2009). It is shown that these ∼23-day ionospheric oscillations are forced from PWs propagating from below. The COSMIC ionospheric parameters foF2 and hmF2 and electron density at fixed altitudes and the SABER temperatures were utilized in order to define the waves which are present simultaneously in the atmosphere and ionosphere. The long-period PWs from the two data sets have been extracted through the same data analysis method. The similarity between the lower thermospheric ∼23-day (s = 0) temperature PW and its ionospheric electron density response provides valuable and strong experimental evidence for confirming the paradigm of atmosphere–ionosphere coupling.

During the PSMOS Global-scale tidal variability experiment campaign of June 1–August 31, 1999, a network of radars made measurements of winds, waves and tides in the mesosphere/lower-thermosphere region over a wide range of latitudes. Clear evidence was found that fluctuations in tidal amplitudes occur on a global scale in both hemispheres, and that at least some of these fluctuations are periodic in nature. Modulation of the amplitude of the 12 h tide was particularly evident at periods of 10 and 16 days, suggesting a non- ...

Observations of mean winds and semidiurnal and diurnal tides in the mesosphere/lower-thermosphere (MLT) region were made during the 3-month Planetary-Scale Mesopause Observing System Summer 1999 campaign. Data from 22 ground-based radars (and from two other instruments with measurements for the same period but in 1998) allow us to investigate the ability of the GSWM-00 to simulate the solar tides in the mesopause region (90–95 km). Here we have found that the GSWM-00 provides an increasingly reasonable ...

... r Physics and Maths Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia. s INPE Aeronomy Division, CP 515, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP 12200, Brazil. t Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, Republic of SouthAfrica. ...

Dora Pancheva Department of Physics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK Received 17 July 2001; revised 24 September 2001; accepted 28 September 2001; published 19 June 2002. [1] A large-amplitude, 7-day period westward propagating S = 1 planetary wave ...

A band-pass filter is used to study two aspects of a wave response in the lower ionosphere with a period close to that of the solar rotation period. This response was brought about by both short-period (about 27 d) oscillations of solar activity and waves generated inside the atmosphere itself. In the first instance, the fluctuations generated in the D-region ionosphere (80-95 km) are synchronous with the 27-day oscillations, and in the lower D-region (from the base of the ionosphere to about 75 km) there is no noticeable reaction. A strong wave reaction is observed in the wintertime upper and lower D-region of the ionosphere when the 27-day oscillations are close to nonexistent. The wave reaction has a period of 24-28 days and consists of waves generated inside the atmosphere itself and propagating vertically upward. On average, the fluctuation amplitude in the field of the ionospheric absorption increases with height. The average period also changes with height; for the lower D-region it consists of 24-25 days, while for the upper region it is 26-27 days.

ABSTRACT We compare results from a whole atmosphere-ionosphere coupled model, GAIA, and from the COSMIC and TIMED/SABER observations during 2008/2009 northern winter season. The GAIA model has assimilated meteorological reanalysis data by a nudging method. The comparison shows excellent agreements in the major features from the stratosphere to the ionosphere including the growth and decay of the major stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) event in 2009. During the major SSW period, a pronounced semidiurnal variation in the F-region electron density and its local-time phase shift similar to the previous observations are reproduced by the model and COSMIC observation. The model suggests that the TEC variation is caused by an enhanced semidiurnal variation in the EXB drift, which is probably related to an amplified semidiurnal migrating tide (SW2) in the lower thermosphere. The model and TIMED/SABER observation show that the SW2 tide amplifies at low latitudes from the stratosphere to the thermosphere as well as the phase variation. Possible mechanisms will be discussed in the presentation.

A large-amplitude, 7-day period westward propagating S = 1 planetary wave has been reported from ground radar and satellite wind measurements in the mesosphere lower thermosphere (MLT) during the second half of August and well into September 1993. Following recent suggestions that planetary waves might play a role in the formation of midlatitude sporadic E layers (Es), we have obtained

The short-term regional responses of the mesosphere–lower thermosphere (MLT) dynamics over Scandinavia to the exceptionally strong solar storms with their accompanying solar proton fluxes on the Earth in late October 2003 have been investigated using radar measurements at Andenes (69°N, 16°E) and Esrange (68°N, 21°E). Several solar activity storms resulted in solar proton events (SPEs) at this time, but a particularly active period of high proton fluxes occurred between 28 and 31 October 2003. The significant temperature drop (∼25K), detected by the meteor radar at Andenes at altitude ∼90km, was in line with the enhancement of the proton fluxes and was caused by the dramatic reduction of the ozone in the high-latitude middle atmosphere monitored by satellite measurements. This exceptionally strong phenomenon in late October 2003 was composed of three geomagnetic storms, with the first one occurring in the daytime of 29 October and the other two storms in the nighttime of 29 and 30 October, respectively. The responses of the prevailing wind and the main tides (24- and 12-h tides) were studied in detail. It was found that the response of the MLT dynamics to the first geomagnetic storm occurring in the daytime and accompanied by solar proton fluxes is very different from those to the second and third geomagnetic storms with onsets during the nighttime. Some physical mechanisms have been suggested in order to explain the observed short-term variability of the MLT dynamics. This case study revealed the impact of the SPEs observed in late October 2003 and the timing of the geomagnetic storms on the MLT neutral wind responses observed over Scandinavia.