EPP

This study presents signatures of seismo-ionospheric perturbations possibly related to the 14 July 2019 $ {M}_{w} $7.2 Laiwui earthquake, detected by a cross-validation analysis of total electron content (TEC) data of the global ionospheric map (GIM) from GPS and plasma parameter data recorded by the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES). After separating pre-seismic ionospheric phenomena from the ionospheric disturbances due to the magnetospheric and solar activities, we have identified three positive temporal anomalies, around the epicenter, at 1 day, 3 days and 8 days before the earthquake (14 July 2019), along with a negative anomaly 6 days after the earthquake. These results agree well with the TEC spatial variations in latitude–longitude–time (LLT) maps. To confirm these anomalies further, we employed the moving mean method (MMM) to analyze ionospheric plasma parameters (electron, $ {\mathrm{O}}^{+} $and $ {\mathrm{H}\mathrm{e}}^{+} $densities) recorded by the Langmuir probe (LAP) and Plasma Analyzer Package (PAP) onboard the CSES. The analysis detected on, on Day Two, Day Four, and Day Seven before the earthquake, remarkable enhancements along the orbits around when in proximity to the epicenter. To make the investigations still more convincing, we compared the orbits on which anomalous readings were recorded to their corresponding four nearest revisiting orbits; the comparison did indeed indicate the existence of plasma parameter anomalies that appear to be associated with the Laiwui earthquake. All these results illustrate that the unusual ionospheric perturbations detected through GPS and CSES data are possibly associated with the $ {M}_{w}7.2 $ Laiwui earthquake, which suggests that at least some earthquakes may be predicted by alertness to pre-seismic ionospheric anomalies over regions known to be at seismic risk. This case study also contributes additional information of value to our understanding of lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling.

Four levels of the data from the search coil magnetometer (SCM) onboard the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) are defined and described. The data in different levels all contain three components of the waveform and/or spectrum of the induced magnetic field around the orbit in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 20 kHz; these are divided into an ultra-low-frequency band (ULF, 10–200 Hz), an extremely low frequency band (ELF, 200–2200 Hz), and a very low frequency band (VLF, 1.8–20 kHz). Examples of data products for Level-2, Level-3, and Level-4 are presented. The initial results obtained in the commission test phase demonstrated that the SCM was in a normal operational status and that the data are of high enough quality to reliably capture most space weather events related to low-frequency geomagnetic disturbances.

A three-dimensional four species multi-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model was constructed to simulate the solar wind global interaction with Mars. The model was augmented to consider production and loss of the significant ion species in the Martian ionosphere, i.e., H⁺, O₂⁺, O⁺, CO₂⁺, associated with chemical reactions among all species. An ideal dipole-like local crustal field model was used to simplify the empirically measured Martian crustal field. Results of this simulation suggest that the magnetic pile-up region (MPR) and the velocity profile in the meridian plane are asymmetric, which is due to the nature of the multi-fluid model to decouple individual ion velocity resulting in occurrence of plume flow in the northern Martian magnetotail. In the presence of dipole magnetic field model, boundary layers, such as bow shock (BS) and magnetic pile-up boundary (MPB), become protuberant. Moreover, the crustal field has an inhibiting effect on the flux of ions escaping from Mars, an effect that occurs primarily in the region between the terminator (SZA 90°) and the Sun–Mars line of the magnetotail (SZA 180°), partially around the terminator region. In contrast, near the tailward central line the crustal field has no significant impact on the escaping flux.

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are widely believed to play an important role in influencing the radiation belt and ring current dynamics. Most studies have investigated the effects or characteristics of EMIC waves by assuming their left-handed polarization. However, recent studies have found that the reversal of polarization, which occurs at higher latitudes along the wave propagation path, can change the wave-induced pitch angle diffusion coefficients. Whether such a polarization reversal can influence the global ring current dynamics remains unknown. In this study, we investigate the ring current dynamics and proton precipitation loss in association with polarization-reversed EMIC waves by using the ring current–atmosphere interactions model (RAM). The results indicate that the polarization reversal of H-band EMIC waves can truly decrease the scattering rates of protons of 10 to 50 keV or >100 keV in comparison with the scenario in which the EMIC waves are considered purely left-handed polarized. Additionally, the global ring current intensity and proton precipitation may be slightly affected by the polarization reversal, especially during prestorm time and the recovery phase, but the effects are not large during the main phase. This is probably because the H-band EMIC waves contribute to the proton scattering loss primarily at E < 10 keV, an energy range that is not strongly affected by the polarization reversal.

The wavenumber spectral components WN₄ at the mesosphere and low thermosphere (MLT) altitudes (70–10 km) and in the latitude range between ±45° are obtained from temperature data (T) observed by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instruments on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) spacecraft during the 11-year solar period from 2002 to 2012. We analyze in detail these spectral components WN_k and obtain the main properties of their vertical profiles and global structures. We report that all of the wavenumber spectral components WN_k occur mainly around 100 km altitude, and that the most prominent component is the wavenumber spectral component WN₄ structure. Comparing these long duration temperature data with results of previous investigations, we have found that the yearly variation of spectral component WN₄ is similar to that of the eastward propagating non-migrating diurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 3 (DE3) at the low latitudes, and to that of the semi-diurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 2 (SE2) at the mid-latitudes: the amplitudes of the A₄ are larger during boreal summer and autumn at the low-latitudes; at the mid-latitudes the amplitudes have a weak peak in March. In addition, the amplitudes of component WN₄ undergo a remarkable short period variation: significant day-to-day variation of the spectral amplitudes A₄ occurs primarily in July and September at the low-latitudes. In summary, we conclude that the non-migrating tides DE3 and SE2 are likely to be the origins, at the low-latitudes and the mid-latitudes in the MLT region, respectively, of the observed wavenumber spectral component WN₄.

With the method of Hough mode decomposition (HMD), the tidal sources of the three main tidal components, namely, the migrating components DW1 (diurnal westward propagating wavenumber 1) and SW2 (semidiurnal westward propagating wavenumber 2) and the non-migrating component DE3 (diurnal eastward propagating wavenumber 3), at the tropospheric altitudes (1–12 km) and in the latitude range of ±60°, were obtained from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) data during the interval from 1988 to 2011. We analyzed these sources in detail at 6 km and obtained the main properties of their yearly variations. The DW1 source was found to present a weak seasonal variation in the lower latitudes (about ±10°–15°). That is, the amplitudes of the DW1 sources were larger in the summer months than in the winter months, and DW1 presented semi-annual variation near the equator (±10°) such that the DW1 source was larger at the equinoxes than at the solstices. In addition, the SW2 source was symmetric and was stronger in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere. The SW2 source presented remarkable annual and semi-annual variation such that the amplitudes were largest during the March equinox months and larger during the June solstice months. In contrast, DE3 appeared mainly around the equatorial latitudes within about ±30°. The DE3 source presented remarkable semi-annual variation that was larger around the solstices than the equinoxes in the southern hemisphere, and it was opposite in the northern hemisphere. By HMD, we found that the tropospheric tides were primarily dominated by some leading propagating Hough modes, specifically, the (1, 1), (2, 3), and (3, 3) modes; the influences of the other Hough modes were negligible. The consequences of an El Niño–Southern Oscillation modulation of tidal amplitudes for the energy and momentum budgets of the troposphere may now be expected to attract attention. In summary, the above yearly variations of the main tidal sources and the Hough coefficients demonstrate that an HMD analysis can be used to investigate the tropospheric tides.

A particle-in-cell simulation of symmetric reconnection with zero guide field is carried out to understand the dynamics of ions along the separatrices. Through the investigation of ion velocity distributions at different moments and locations along the separatrices, a typical distribution is found: two counter-streaming populations in the perpendicular direction, with another two populations accelerated into distinct energy levels in the parallel direction. Backward tracing of ions reveals that the counter-streaming cores are mostly composed of ions initially located at the same side of the separatrix, while the other two accelerated populations in the parallel direction are composed of ions crossing through the neutral sheet. Through analysis of energy conversion of these populations, it is found that the ion energization along the separatrix is attributable primarily to the Hall electric field, while that in the region between the two separatrices is caused primarily by the induced reconnection electric field. For the counter-streaming population, the low-energy ions that cross the separatrix twice are affected by both Hall and reconnection electric fields, while the high-energy ions that directly enter the separatrix from the unperturbed plasma are energized mainly by the Hall electric field. For the two energized populations in the parallel direction, the ions with lower-energy are accelerated mainly by the in-plane electric field and the Hall electric field on the opposite side of the separatrix, whereas the ions with higher-energy not only experience the same energization process but also are constantly accelerated by the reconnection electric field.