image: The northern and southern hemispheric ionospheric total electron content (TEC) variations in the American and Asian sectors during the May 2024 superstorm. The left (right) column is the American (Asian) sector, and the red (blue) line is the regional average TEC for the northern (southern) hemisphere. The yellow, purple, and black lines in the top row show the differences between the northern and southern hemispheres at the low (10–30° MLAT), middle (30–50° MLAT), and overall latitudes (10–50° MLAT), respectively.
Credit: Beijing Zhongke Journal Publising Co. Ltd.
The Earth and Planetary Physics published an online article on research led by postdoctoral researcher Wenbo Li and researcher Libo Liu (Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), recently. They used multiple ground-based and satellite observation instruments to analyze the distinct variability and underlying physical mechanisms in Earth upper atmosphere across different longitudinal sectors and hemispheres during the superstorm in May 2024.
The thermosphere (the neutral part of the upper atmosphere) acts as a background to the ionosphere (the partially ionized part of the upper atmosphere). The findings indicate that the state and variations of the thermosphere significantly impact ionospheric behavior during the superstorm. Under the combined influences of thermospheric composition, density, temperature, and dynamic processes, markedly different features occurred in the ionosphere between the northern and southern hemispheres across the American and Asian sectors.
Although understanding the state and variability of the thermosphere is important for us to fully understand the response features of the upper atmosphere, the absence of sufficient thermospheric observations makes this task difficult. Compared to sufficient ionospheric observations, a more active integration of multi-source thermospheric observations is necessary for research. Achieving a global-scale understanding of the thermosphere response process and their effects on the ionosphere will significantly advance our knowledge of how space environment variations impact the Earth's environment. This will propel space science forward and strengthen support for human spaceflight safety.
For more details, please refer to the original article:
Interhemispheric and longitudinal differences in the ionosphere–thermosphere coupling process during the May 2024 superstorm. http://doi.org/10.26464/epp2024073
Journal
Earth and Planetary Physics
Article Title
Interhemispheric and longitudinal differences in the ionosphere–thermosphere coupling process during the May 2024 superstorm
Article Publication Date
7-Nov-2024