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Simultaneous detection of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances and ionospheric plasma irregularities over Srinagar, J&K, India

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Abstract

We report some ionospheric phenomena that occurred on September 23, 2019 observed by an airglow imager installed at University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India (34.08°N, 74.79°E, and 25.91°N magnetic latitude). The various phenomena observed on this night are as follows: (1) The wave-like structures near the dusk time having phase fronts aligned along Northwest to Southeast direction and moving southwestward, classified as nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance. (2) Simultaneous observation of northwestward-moving nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances and eastward-drifting plasma irregularity and (3) The westward reversal of field-aligned plasma irregularity and K-shaped depletion structure formation post-midnight. We analyze their characteristics and evolution processes in detail. The plasma irregularity seems to be the signature of locally generated plasma irregularities at low-mid-latitude transition region as the radar observations from a geomagnetic low-latitude station (Gadanki, India; 13.5°N, 79.2°E, Magnetic latitude ~ 6.5°N) do not show any signatures of equatorial plasma bubbles during this night. It is interesting to note that the westward reversal of plasma irregularity occurred even when the geomagnetic conditions were at quiet levels (Kp ~ 0 to 1+). Though the observed nighttime MSTIDs and plasma irregularity bands are two different events, yet the structures appear to interact with each other, the apparent mechanism leading to the quiet time westward reversal of plasma irregularity structures at midnight and the development of complex K-shaped depletion structure. Interaction between these phenomena and their observed characteristic features is also discussed.

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Acknowledgement

Aashiq Hussain Bhat (AHB) is grateful to DST for financial support under INSPIRE Fellowship scheme. Bilal Ahmad Ganaie (BAG) thanks UGC for financial support under UGC-JRF scheme. We are thankful to NARL for allowing the use of their facilities and installation of Airglow Imager at Kashmir University, Srinagar. Manzoor A Malik, AHB, and BAG are grateful to the Director NARL, Dr. A. K. Patra for permitting the visit of BAG and AHB to NARL on two occasions and provision of local hospitality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India

    Aashiq Hussain Bhat, Bilal Ahmad Ganaie & Manzoor A. Malik

  2. National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Department of Space, Government of India, Gadanki, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, 517112, India

    T. K. Ramkumar & P. Pavan Chaitanya

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  1. Aashiq Hussain Bhat
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  2. Bilal Ahmad Ganaie
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  3. T. K. Ramkumar
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  4. P. Pavan Chaitanya
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  5. Manzoor A. Malik
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Correspondence to Manzoor A. Malik.

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Communicated by Theodore Karacostas, Prof. (CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF)/Andrzej Krankowski (ASSOCIATE EDITOR).

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Bhat, A.H., Ganaie, B.A., Ramkumar, T.K. et al. Simultaneous detection of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances and ionospheric plasma irregularities over Srinagar, J&K, India. Acta Geophys. 69, 931–945 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-021-00590-w

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