EGU22-2309
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2309
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Comprehensive analysis of the response of the ionospheric F2-layer to the largest geomagnetic storms from solar cycle #24 over Europe

Kitti Alexandra Berényi1,2, Árpád Kis1, Balázs Heilig3, Jaroslav Urbář4,5, and Veronika Barta1
Kitti Alexandra Berényi et al.
  • 1Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, Sopron, Hungary (berenyi.kitti@epss.hu)
  • 2Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
  • 3Space Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
  • 4Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143, Italy
  • 5Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Bocni II, Prague, Czech Republic

The complex analysis of the largest geomagnetic storms of solar cycle #24 maximum is our main aim in this study. Our focus is on the ionosphere, more precisely on the ionospheric F2-layer. The selected storm intervals are: 11-17 November 2012 (Kpmax=6.33, Dstmin=-108 nT ), 16-23 March 2013 (Kpmax= 6.67, Dstmin=-132 nT ),  and 16-25 March 2015 (Kpmax=7.67, Dstmin=-228 nT). Data from 6 digisonde (DPS4D) stations, ground GNSS TEC and Swarm satellite constellation have been used for the investigation.

This study is the next step to validate our previous results discussed in Berényi et al. (2018). We analyse the meridional behaviour of the geomagnetic disturbance caused ionospheric storms to understand and interpret the evolution of the caused effects.

The storm from 2012 is a no-positive phase (NPP) storm, but the 2013 and 2015 storms show the pattern of the regular positive phase (RPP) storm type (after the categorization by Mendillo and Narvaez, 2010). In all three cases a significant increase in electron density of the F2-layer can be observed at dawn/early morning (around 6:00 UT, 07:00 LT).  We compared also the digisonde foF2 parameter with the GNSS TEC data. Besides, we observed the fade-out of the ionospheric layers at night during the geomagnetically disturbed time periods of storm 2012 and 2015. In order to determine whether this fade-out is connected to the L-shell location of the plasmapause we analysed the Swarm observations (for the storm 2015), too.

Berényi, K. A., Barta, V., & Kis. (2018). Midlatitude ionospheric F2-layer response to eruptive solar events-caused geomagnetic disturbances over Hungary during the maximum of the solar cycle 24: A case study. Advances in Space Research, 61(5), 1230–1243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2017.12.021

Mendillo, M., & Narvaez, C. (2010). Ionospheric storms at geophysically-equivalent sites - Part 2: Local time storm patterns for sub-auroral ionospheres. Annales Geophysicae, 28(7), 1449–1462. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-28-1449-2010

How to cite: Berényi, K. A., Kis, Á., Heilig, B., Urbář, J., and Barta, V.: Comprehensive analysis of the response of the ionospheric F2-layer to the largest geomagnetic storms from solar cycle #24 over Europe, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-2309, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2309, 2022.