Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characteristics of ionospheric north-south asymmetry and their relationship with irregularity

  • Physics and Chemistry
  • Published:
Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences

Abstract

Using the empirical ionospheric model, the flux-tube integrated electron density and the ratio between the F-region Pedersen conductivity and the total E- and F-region Pedersen conductivity are calculated to investigate the characteristics of the ionospheric asymmetry after sunset during a solar cycle. Furthermore, two indices representing the asymmetric strength of the parameters respectively are defined to study its relationship with the occurrences of the irregularities during different seasons and with different solar activities. The results indicate that the electron density and the Pedersen conductivity ratio show north-south remarkable hemispheric asymmetry at different solar energy levels. The asymmetric strengths represent the dependence on seasons and solar activities, and their variation depending on seasons and solar activities show a negative correlation with the occurrences of the equatorial irregularities and also have a negative relation with the linear growth rate of the generalized Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kelley M C. The Earth’s Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics [M]. San Diego: Academic Press, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Aarons J. The longitudinal morphology of equatorial F-layer irregularities relevant to their occurrence [J]. Space Sci Rev, 1993, 63: 209–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Beghin C, Pandey R, Roux D. North-south asymmetry in quasi-monochromatic plasma density irregularities observed in night-time equatorial F-region [J]. Adv Space Res, 1985, 5(4): 209–212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Shimazaki T. A statistical study of world-wide occurrence probability of spread F, 1, average state [J]. J Radio Res Lab, 1959, 6: 669–687.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Luo W H, Xu J S, Tian M. Investigation of hemispheric asymmetry and longitudinal variation of flux-tube integrated Rayleigh-Taylor instability [J]. Chinese J Geophys, 2012, 55(2): 112–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kil H, DeMajistre R, Paxton L J. F-region plasma distribution seen from TIMED/GUVI and its relation to the equatorial spread F activity [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2003GL018703/full .

  7. Balan N, Bailey G J, Moffett R J, et al. Modeling studies of the conjugate-hemisphere differences in ionospheric ionization at equatorial anomaly latitudes [J]. J Atmos Terr Phys, 1995, 57(3): 279–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Su Y Z, Bailey G J, Oyama K I, et al. A modeling study of the longitudinal variations in the north-south asymmetries of the ionospheric equatorial anomaly [J]. J Atmos Terr Phys, 1997, 59(11): 1299–1310.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Balan N, Rajesh P K, Sripathi S, et al. Modeling and observations of the north-south ionospheric asymmetry at low latitudes at long deep solar minimum [J]. Adv Space Res, 2013, 52: 375–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Xiong C, Luhr H. Nonmigrating tidal signatures in the magnitude and the inter-hemispheric asymmetry of the equatorial ionization anomaly [J]. Ann Geophys, 2013, 31: 1115–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Aydogdu M. North-south asymmetry in the ionospheric equatorial anomaly in the African and the West Asian regions produced by asymmetrical thermospheric winds [J]. J Atmos Terr Phys, 1988, 50(7): 623–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Sridharan R, Raju D P, Raghavarao R, et al. Precursor to equatorial spread-F in OI 630.0 nm dayglow [J]. Geophys Res Lett, 1994, 21(25): 2797–2800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Raghavarao R, Nageswararao M, Sastri J H, et al. Role of equatorial ionization anomaly in the initiation of equatorial spread F [J]. J Geophys Res, 1988, 93(A6): 5959–5964.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lee C C, Liu J Y, Reinisch B W, et al. The effects of the pre-reversal drift, the EIA asymmetry, and magnetic activity on the equatorial spread F during solar maximum [J]. Ann Geophys, 2005, 23(3): 745–751.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Thampi S V, Ravindran S, Pant T K, et al. Deterministic prediction of post-sunset ESF based on the strength and asymmetry of EIA from ground based TEC measurements: Preliminary results [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2006GL026376/full .

  16. Maruyama T, Matuura N. Longitudinal variability of annual changes in activity of equatorial spread F and plasma bubbles [J]. J Geophys Res, 1984, 89(A12): 10903–10912.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Mendillo M, Meriwether J, Biondi M. Testing the thermospheric neutral wind suppression mechanism for day-to-day variability of equatorial spread F [J]. J Geophys Res, 2001, 106(A3): 3655–3663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Basu B. On the linear theory of equatorial plasma instability: Comparison of different descriptions [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2001JA000317/full .

  19. Sultan P J. Linear theory and modeling of Rayleigh-Taylor instability leading to the occurrence of equatorial spread F [J]. J Geophys Res, 1996, 101(A12): 26875–26891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Bilitza D, Reinisch B W. International reference ionosphere 2007: Improvements and new parameters [J]. Adv Space Res, 2008, 42: 599–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Picone J M, Hedin A W, Drob D P, et al. NRLMSISE-00 empirical model of the atmosphere: Statistical comparisons and scientific issues [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2002JA009430/full .

  22. Su S Y, Chao C K, Liu C H. On monthly/seasonal/ longitudinal variations of equatorial irregularity occurrences and their relationship with the postsunset vertical drift velocities [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2007JA012809/full .

  23. Liu Y H, Liu C H, Su S Y. Global and seasonal scintillation morphology in the equatorial region derived from ROCSAT-1 in-situ data [J]. Terr Atmos Ocean Sci, 2012, 23(1): 95–106.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Coffey H E, Erwin E H. Online solar databases at NGDC-RSTNcsolar radio databases[EB/OL]. [2014-03-23]. ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/SOLAR_DATA/ .

  25. Huang C Y, Burke W J, Machuzak J S, et al. Equatorial plasma bubbles observed by DMSP satellite during a full solar cycle: Toward a global climatology [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2002JA009452/full .

  26. Retterer J M. Physical-based forecasts of equatorial radio scintillation for the communication and navigation outage forecasting system (C/NOFS) [EB/OL]. [2014-06-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2005SW000146/full .

  27. Luo W H, Xu J S, Zhu Z P. Theoretical modeling the occurrence of equatorial and low-latitude ionospheric irregularity and scintillation [J]. Chinese J Geophys, 2013, 56(9): 2892–2905(Ch).

    Google Scholar 

  28. McDonald S E, Dymond K F, Summers M E. Hemispheric asymmetries in the longitudinal structure of the low-latitude nighttime ionosphere [EB/OL]. [2014-07-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2007JA012876/full .

  29. Krall J, Huba J D, Joyce G, et al. Three-dimensional simulation of equatorial spread-F with meridional wind effects [J]. Ann Geophys, 2009, 27: 1821–1830.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Emmert J T, Faivre M L, Hernandez G, et al. Climatologies of nighttime upper thermospheric winds measured by ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometers during geomagnetically quiet conditions:1. local time, latitudinal, seasonal, and solar cycle dependence [EB/OL]. [2014-07-30]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ 10.1029/2006JA011948/full .

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of the Electronic Information and Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China

    Weihua Luo, Zhengping Zhu & Jiaping Lan

  2. Electronic Information School, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China

    Xuejing Li

Authors
  1. Weihua Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhengping Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jiaping Lan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xuejing Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Weihua Luo.

Additional information

Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41474134, 41474135, 41127003) and the Hubei Key Laboratory of Intelligent Wireless Communications

Biography: LUO Weihua, male, Ph.D., Lecturer, research direction: ionospheric physics and radio wave propagation.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Luo, W., Zhu, Z., Lan, J. et al. Characteristics of ionospheric north-south asymmetry and their relationship with irregularity. Wuhan Univ. J. Nat. Sci. 20, 240–246 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11859-015-1088-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11859-015-1088-7

Key words

CLC number

Search

Navigation