Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China

An equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) is characterized by ionospheric irregularities which disturb radio waves by causing phase and amplitude scintillations or even signal loss. It is becoming increasingly important in space weather to assure the reliability of radio systems in both space and on the gro...

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Main Authors: Guanyi Ma, Jinghua Li, Jiangtao Fan, Qingtao Wan, Takashi Maruyama, Liang Dong, Yang Gao, Le Zhang, Dong Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/18/3521
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author Guanyi Ma
Jinghua Li
Jiangtao Fan
Qingtao Wan
Takashi Maruyama
Liang Dong
Yang Gao
Le Zhang
Dong Wang
author_facet Guanyi Ma
Jinghua Li
Jiangtao Fan
Qingtao Wan
Takashi Maruyama
Liang Dong
Yang Gao
Le Zhang
Dong Wang
author_sort Guanyi Ma
collection DOAJ
description An equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) is characterized by ionospheric irregularities which disturb radio waves by causing phase and amplitude scintillations or even signal loss. It is becoming increasingly important in space weather to assure the reliability of radio systems in both space and on the ground. This paper presents a newly established GNSS ionospheric observation network (GION) around the north equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest in south China, which has a longitudinal coverage of ∼30° from 94°E to 124°E. The measurement with signals from geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites of the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) is capable of separating the temporal and spatial variations of the ionosphere. A temporal fluctuation of TEC (TFT) parameter is proposed to characterize EPBs. The longitude of the EPBs’ generation can be located with TFT variations in the time–longitude dimension. It is found that the post-sunset EPBs have a high degree of longitudinal variability. They generally show a quasiperiodic feature, indicating their association with atmospheric gravity wave activities. Wave-like structures with different scale sizes can co-exist in the same night.
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institution OA Journals
issn 2072-4292
language English
publishDate 2024-09-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj-art-c4a36ca5109c4fc0a63465a46d2b1c602025-08-20T01:55:49ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-09-011618352110.3390/rs16183521Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South ChinaGuanyi Ma0Jinghua Li1Jiangtao Fan2Qingtao Wan3Takashi Maruyama4Liang Dong5Yang Gao6Le Zhang7Dong Wang8National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaYunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011, ChinaSchool of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, ChinaSchool of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, ChinaShenzhen Astronomical Observatory, Shenzhen 518121, ChinaAn equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) is characterized by ionospheric irregularities which disturb radio waves by causing phase and amplitude scintillations or even signal loss. It is becoming increasingly important in space weather to assure the reliability of radio systems in both space and on the ground. This paper presents a newly established GNSS ionospheric observation network (GION) around the north equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest in south China, which has a longitudinal coverage of ∼30° from 94°E to 124°E. The measurement with signals from geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites of the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) is capable of separating the temporal and spatial variations of the ionosphere. A temporal fluctuation of TEC (TFT) parameter is proposed to characterize EPBs. The longitude of the EPBs’ generation can be located with TFT variations in the time–longitude dimension. It is found that the post-sunset EPBs have a high degree of longitudinal variability. They generally show a quasiperiodic feature, indicating their association with atmospheric gravity wave activities. Wave-like structures with different scale sizes can co-exist in the same night.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/18/3521equatorial plasma bubble (EPB)temporal fluctuation of TEC (TFT)longitudinal variabilitywave-like structure
spellingShingle Guanyi Ma
Jinghua Li
Jiangtao Fan
Qingtao Wan
Takashi Maruyama
Liang Dong
Yang Gao
Le Zhang
Dong Wang
Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China
Remote Sensing
equatorial plasma bubble (EPB)
temporal fluctuation of TEC (TFT)
longitudinal variability
wave-like structure
title Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China
title_full Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China
title_fullStr Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China
title_full_unstemmed Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China
title_short Observation of Post-Sunset Equatorial Plasma Bubbles with BDS Geostationary Satellites over South China
title_sort observation of post sunset equatorial plasma bubbles with bds geostationary satellites over south china
topic equatorial plasma bubble (EPB)
temporal fluctuation of TEC (TFT)
longitudinal variability
wave-like structure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/18/3521
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