Browsing by Author "Wang, Wenbin"
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Item Restricted A numerical study of nighttime ionospheric variations in the American sector during 28–29 October 2003(American Geophysical Union, 2016-08-17) Chen, Xuetao; Lei, Jiuhou; Wang, Wenbin; Burns, Alan G.; Luan, Xiaoli; Dou, XiankangVariations of nighttime F2 peak height (hmF2) over the American sector during the 28–29 October 2003 storm period were investigated using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere‐Ionosphere Electrodynamics Global Circulation Model. The model was generally able to reproduce the ionospheric variations on 28–29 October 2003 observed by the ionosondes. A series of controlled model simulations were subsequently undertaken to examine the effects of electric fields and neutral winds on the ionosphere. The numerical experiments suggest that the dramatic nighttime increase of hmF2 on the storm day 29 October is mainly caused by traveling atmospheric disturbances (TADs) from the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the electric field plays an important role in causing the elevation of hmF2 in the equatorial region. The prompt penetration electric field (PPEF) associated with the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field (Bz) is westward on the nightside, whereas when Bz reverses and becomes northward, the PPEF is westward in the premidnight and turns to eastward in the postmidnight. These PPEFs greatly affect the low‐latitude ionosphere during storm time. On 28 October, even though the Bz disturbance was weak with a short duration of southward Bz, the TADs from the Southern Hemisphere can propagate to the Northern Hemisphere and result in the corresponding oscillations in the nightside hmF2.Item Restricted A simulation study on the impact of altitudinal dependent vertical plasma drift on the equatorial ionosphere in the evening(American Geophysical Union, 2015-02-28) Qian, Cheng; Lei, Jiuhou; Wang, WenbinWe carry out a simulation study on the impact of altitudinal dependent plasma drift on the equatorial ionosphere in the evening, under geomagnetically quiet conditions. Our study used the vertical plasma drift velocity data measured by an incoherent scatter radar at Jicamarca (11.95°S, 76.87°W). The data covered the local sunset period on 15 and 16 November 2004. The plasma drift had significant altitudinal variations in the vertical component, which is perpendicular to the magnetic field. We employed SAMI2 (SAMI2 is another model of the ionosphere) to evaluate the effect of the altitude‐dependent ion drift on the equatorial ionosphere. Three types of plasma drift velocity inputs were used in our simulations. The first input is calculated from an empirical model, the second is a height‐averaged drift obtained from the observed drift velocity, and the third one corresponds to the observed altitudinal dependent drift data. A strong equatorial ionization anomaly occurred in the results of all numerical experiments. Additional layers (F3 layers) in electron densities over the equatorial F region and “arch” latitudinal structures extending to lower middle latitudes were seen in the simulations driven by the observed altitudinal dependent drift. We further show that neutral winds do not have a significant effect on the simulated F3 layers. The results of our numerical experiments suggest that the simulated additional ionospheric layers and arch structures are associated with the altitudinal gradients in the vertical plasma drift velocity.Item Restricted Response of the topside and bottomside ionosphere at low and middle latitudes to the October 2003 superstorms(American Geophysical Union, 2015-07-14) Lei, Jiuhou; Zhu, Qingyu; Wang, Wenbin; Burns, Alan G.; Zhao, Biqiang; Luan, Xiaoli; Zhong, Jiahao; Dou, XiankangIonospheric observations from the ground‐based GPS receiver network, CHAMP and GRACE satellites and ionosondes were used to examine topside and bottomside ionospheric variations at low and middle latitudes over the Pacific and American sectors during the October 2003 superstorms. The latitudinal variation and the storm time response of the ground‐based GPS total electron content (TEC) were generally consistent with those of the CHAMP and GRACE up‐looking TEC. The TECs at heights below the satellite altitudes during the main phases were comparable to, or even less than, the quiet time values. However, the storm time CHAMP and GRACE up‐looking TECs showed profound increases at low and middle latitudes. The ground‐based TEC and ionosonde data were also combined to study the TEC variations below and above the F2 peak height (hmF2). The topside TECs above hmF2 at low and middle latitudes showed significant increases during storm time; however, the bottomside TEC below hmF2 did not show so obvious changes. Consequently, the bottomside ionosphere made only a minor contribution to the ionospheric positive phase seen in the total TEC at low and middle latitudes. Moreover, at middle latitudes F2 peak electron densities during storm time did not have the obvious enhancements that were seen in both the ground‐based and topside TECs, although they were accompanied by increases of hmF2. Therefore, storm time TEC changes are not necessarily related to changes in ionospheric peak densities. Our results suggest that TEC increases at low and middle latitudes are also associated with effective plasma scale height variations during storms.Item Restricted Unusually long lasting multiple penetration of interplanetary electric field to equatorial ionosphere under oscillating IMF Bz(American Geophysical Union, 2008-01-17) Wei, Yong; Hong, Minghua; Wan, Weixing; Du, Aimin; Lei, Jiuhou; Zhao, Biqiang; Wang, Wenbin; Ren, Zhipeng; Yue, XinanDuring November 11–16, 2003, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz oscillated between northward and southward directions, which suggests discontinuous magnetic reconnection associated with the multiple pulses‐like reconnection electric field. The Jicamarca incoherent scatter radar (ISR) measurements of ionospheric zonal electric field showed similar fluctuations during this period. The high correlation coefficient of 0.71 between the reconnection electric field and equatorial zonal electric field during 125 hours suggests that the interplanetary electric field (IEF) pulsively penetrated into the equatorial ionosphere due to the discontinuous magnetic reconnection. It is implied that the short lifetime (<3 hours) dawn‐dusk IEF pulses can penetrate into ionosphere without shielding, in other words, they may exhibit the “shielding immunity”. The averaged penetration efficiency is about 0.136 and highly local time‐dependent. Furthermore, the intense AU and AL indices imply that the multiple electric field penetration is associated with a “High‐Intensity Long‐Duration Continuous AE Activity (HILDCAA).