A statistical study on the correlation between sporadic Ca+ layer and Es in Beijing (40.5°N, 116°E)

Recently the journal Earth and Planetary Physics published online the research results of Dr. Xun Yuchang from Taiyuan University of Technology, the research team conducted a statistical study on the correlation between the sporadic calcium ion layers and the sporadic E layers over Beijing (40.5°N, 116°E). They found that the correlation between the sporadic calcium layers over Beijing (40.5°N, 116°E) and the sporadic E layers was 61.89%.By excluding the influence of ionosonde sensitivity, we focus only on calcium ions that have a density exceeding 140 cm⁻³ , which exhibit a correlation of 82.25%.

The researchers found that the correlation was 76.84% when the sporadic Ca⁺ layer was in a decreasing trend, which may stem from tidal. Above 100 km, the correlation significantly increases, reaching approximately 90%. Furthermore, the correlation between the sporadic Ca⁺ layer and the sporadic E layer is particularly noticeable during the summer season, reaching around 90%. This phenomenon can be attributed to the variations in metal ions that occur during different seasons.

The high detection sensitivity of lidar observes more calcium ion layers evolution processes, which will provide a more accurate detection for studying the coupling of the middle and upper atmosphere to the ionosphere.