Open AccessStatistical study of nighttime medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances using midlatitude airglow images
Author(s) -
Shiokawa K.,
Ihara C.,
Otsuka Y.,
Ogawa T.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2002ja009491
Subject(s) - airglow , ionosphere , ionosonde , middle latitudes , thermosphere , f region , amplitude , geology , latitude , atmospheric sciences , solar maximum , geodesy , local time , physics , solar cycle , geophysics , electron density , solar wind , mathematics , optics , plasma , statistics , quantum mechanics
We have investigated statistical characteristics of the nighttime medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) observed in 630‐nm airglow images at two stations, Rikubetsu (43.5°N, 34.8°MLAT) and Shigaraki (34.9°N, 25.4°MLAT), in Japan for 1998–2000 near the solar maximum period. Most of the observed MSTIDs propagate southwestward in the images. The typical wavelength, velocity, period, and amplitude are 100–300 km, 50–100 m/s, 0.5–1.5 h, and 5–15%, respectively. Seasonal variations in these parameters are not clear. The occurrence rate has a major peak (50–60%) in summer that appears ∼2 months earlier at lower latitudes and a minor peak in winter. Similar occurrence characteristics are obtained from midlatitude spread‐ F signatures using multipoint ionosonde data in Japan, though the coincidence of the spread‐ F and the MSTIDs in airglow images is only 10–15%.