Exploration of occurrence and energetics of EPBs

Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) are one of the most severe space weather phenomena that occur in the ionosphere causing high levels of radio scintillation, which can degrade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. Due to the increasing use of satellite communication and navigation technology, it is essential to understand the characteristics and space weather impact of EPBs. We present an EPB detection algorithm using SWARM plasma density data with which we explore the statistical energetic properties of EPBs and the solar wind conditions under which they occur. Additionally, we present an event analysis exploring the mutual evolution of the density and temperature of an EPB group using SWARM, GOLD, and DMSP data. We found that the plasma temperature increases inside of the depletion region when the EPB rotates to the sunlit region at dawn. Specifically, the electron temperature is lower at the bubble density dip than the surrounding bubble edges on the nightside; however, the dip temperature increases significantly at dawn before leveling off on the day side.