foF2 seismo-ionospheric effect analysis: actual data and numerical simulations

Abstract

On the background of seasonal and helio-geomagnetic disturbances, disturbances of the ionization density near noon connected to earthquakes are investigated. The study is performed for some tens of earthquakes with magnitudes <i>M</i>>5 and depths <i>h</i><70 km, which occur at distances from the vertical sounding stations "Tokyo", "Akita", and "Yamagawa" not larger than <i>R</i>=exp(<i>M</i>)+150 km. The analysis is performed using data registered by the three sounding stations every hour during 30 years. Especially methods of the statistical analysis are applied to search for regularities in the lithospheric-ionospheric links before and after earthquakes. The growth of the mean ionization density <i>N</i> at the F-layer electron density maximum Fof2 five-three days before earthquakes, and the decrease of <i>N</i> approaching the eruption and during a few days after the earthquake is investigated in dependence on both the magnitude of the earthquake <i>M</i> and the ionization density <i>N</i> near the F-layer maximum. It is found that some days before earthquakes the decrease of the ionization density &Delta;<i>N</i> is proportional to the values of <i>M</i> and <i>N</i>. After the earthquakes, &Delta;<i>N</i> depends much weaker on the magnitude <i>M</i>, and it is not influenced by the ionization density <i>N</i>. The variations of the ionization density three days before earthquakes do not depend on <i>N</i> and <i>M</i> (within the same order of approximation).