Multistation digisonde observations of equatorial spread F in South America

B. W. Reinisch (1) , M. Abdu (2) , I. Batista (2) , G. S. Sales (1) , G. Khmyrov (1) , T. A. Bullett (3) , J. Chau (4) , V. Rios (5)

1 UMass Amherst - University of Massachusetts [Amherst]
2 INPE - Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais
3 AFRL - Air Force Research Laboratory
4 Jicamarca Radio Observatory
5 University of Tucuman

Directional ionogram and F-region drift observations were conducted at seven digisonde stations in South America during the COPEX campaign from October to December 2002. Five stations in Brazil, one in Argentina, and one in Peru, monitored the ionosphere across the continent to study the onset and development of F-region density depletions that cause equatorial spread F (ESF). New ionosonde techniques quantitatively describe the prereversal uplifting of the F layer at the magnetic equator and the eastward motion of the depletions over the stations. Three of the Brazilian stations were located along a field line with a 350-km apex over the equator to investigate the relation of the occurrence of ESF and the presence of sporadic E-layers at the two E-region intersections of the field line. No simple correlation was found.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère; Sciences de la Terre

B. W. Reinisch, M. Abdu, I. Batista, G. S. Sales, G. Khmyrov, et al.. Multistation digisonde observations of equatorial spread F in South America. Annales Geophysicae, 2004, 22 (9), pp.3145-3153. ⟨hal-00317631⟩