Atmosphere (Jul 2024)

Properties of Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Observed over Mexico during Quiet Solar Activity

  • Esmeralda Romero-Hernandez,
  • Federico Salinas-Samaniego,
  • Olusegun F. Jonah,
  • Ernesto Aguilar-Rodriguez,
  • Mario Rodriguez-Martinez,
  • Giorgio Arlan da Silva Picanço,
  • Clezio M. Denardini,
  • Carlos Alberto Guerrero-Peña,
  • Rogelio Aguirre-Gutierrez,
  • Flor Araceli Garcia-Castillo,
  • Sandra Ayala,
  • Eduardo Perez-Tijerina,
  • Maria A. Sergeeva,
  • Juan Americo Gonzalez-Esparza

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15080894
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 8
p. 894

Abstract

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We present a statistical study of some physical properties of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) registered over the Mexican territory during 2018 and 2019 (solar minimum). The analysis is based on total electron content (TEC) approximations using data from the ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers at different locations, divided into three regions according to geographic longitudes: west, center, and east. The MSTIDs were classified into day and night events, and only geomagnetically quiet days were considered to reduce the solar influence. We explored fundamental aspects of the MSTIDs, such as differences between day and night events, occurrence patterns, and geographical differences. Our results show some similarities with the occurrence periods of gravity waves, exhibiting high activity during summer and winter. For this period, however, most events occurred between 20:00 and 04:00 AM UT. The most energetic events, i.e., large amplitudes and power, occurred around the sunset terminator. This suggests that the density gradient generated when the sunlight falls benefits MSTID formation.

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