Impact of the 2024 total solar eclipse​ on SuperDARN

The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 was the last one to be observed over the continental United States until 2045. A unique feature of this eclipse was that the path of totality traverses the fields-of-view of three SuperDARN radars – Fort Hays East, Blackstone, and Wallops Island. In addition, several other North American SuperDARN radars are favorably located to provide observations at different levels of obscuration. This unique and rare scenario provides an excellent opportunity to understand the response of the ionosphere to the changes in solar radiation and the consequential impact on high-frequency radio wave propagation.

In this study, we present the first observations made by the Blackstone, Fort Hays, Kapuskasing, and Goose Bay SuperDARN radars during the 2024 total solar eclipse, covering different levels of obscurity. These observations present a unique opportunity to remotely sense the changes in the ionosphere-thermosphere system to the sudden changes in solar radiation during the total solar eclipse. In particular, we will examine changes in features such as backscatter power, Doppler line-of-sight velocities, and skip distance focusing to determine the response of the ionosphere to the total solar eclipse and how the observational characteristics correspond to our theoretical understanding.