Hercules A

Hercules A
Radio-Optical View of the Galaxy Hercules A - Many thanks to: NASA, ESA, S. Baum and C. O'Dea (RIT), R. Perley and W. Cotton (NRAO/AUI/NSF), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Total Ionospheric Electron Content during solar eclipse 170821

With many thanks,  I refer to Iurii Cherniak and Irina Zakharenkova  2018,

 "Ionospheric Total Electron Content response to the great American solar eclipse of 21 August 2017"

doi:10.1002/2017GL075989 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL075989/abstract

Abstract

Using a comprehensive database of ~4,000 ground-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems stations, we investigate the ionosphere's response to the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse. The high-resolution, two-dimensional maps of the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) were constructed using combined GPS and GLONASS measurements. Solar eclipse resulted in a continent-size TEC decrease with stronger effects up to 50% over the U.S. eastern coast. Along the totality path within an area of 75% obscuration TEC decreased by ~30–40%. We reveal a latitudinal dependence of the TEC response with equatorward expansion of TEC depletion. Recovery signature in the form of large-scale TEC enhancement up to 20–30% occurred in posteclipse period. Swarm and DMSP satellites encountered the eclipse-induced plasma density depletion and posteclipse increase at 450 km height and above. These effects were associated with downward plasma fluxes from topside ionosphere/plasmasphere and thermospheric changes.

Below adapted from Figure 1 :