Effect of auroral substorms on the ionospheric range spread-F enhancements at high southern midlatitudes using real time vertical-sounding ionograms

摘要

A comprehensive study has been undertaken on the effect of magnetic substorm onsets (as deduced from the auroral hourly electrojet AE-index) on the occurrence of high midlatitude (or sub-auroral latitude) ionospheric range spread-F (Sr). Unlike the previous reports real-time ionograms were used in this analysis thus eliminating ambiguities stemming from the correlating secondary evidence of spread-F with auroral substorms. The Australian southernmost ionosonde station Hobart (51.6 degrees S geom.) proved to be uniquely suitable for the task as being sufficiently close to the southern auroral zone. Sr was assigned in km to each hourly nighttime ionogram at two sounding frequencies: Sr1 (at 2 MHz) and Sr2 (at 6 MHz) for four months in 2002: January and June (representing southern summer and winter solstices), and March and September (representing autumn and vernal equinoxes). It is evident that the southern winter solstitial period (June) is associated with high endemic midlatitude spread-F activity. All other seasons are closely linked with temporal sequences of enhanced spread-F activity following substorm onsets.