Changes in plasma bubble occurrences during geomagnetic storms

During geomagnetic storms, prompt-penetration electric fields (PPEF) reach the low-latitude ionosphere and a disturbance dynamo (DD) may follow. PPEF and DD favors and suppresses the development of plasma bubbles respectively through enhancement of the plasma vertical velocities and hence the Pre-Reversal Enhancement (PRE) peak. This poster shows that bubble occurrences, depths, widths and velocities increase during the main phase and decrease during the recovery phase. Plasma density and vertical drift velocity measurements from the C/NOFS satellite and Sym-H index and Bz measurements from the ACE satellite were analyzed to detect bubble occurrences, depths, widths and velocities during the 10 most intense storms throughout the lifetime of the C/NOFS satellite. Statistical analysis shows 1.5 to 1.7 times increase in depths, widths and velocities of the plasma bubbles during the main phase of the storms compared the bubble occurrences during quiet times before and the recovery phase.