CEDAR
Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions Program
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Observations of irregularities with scales from 3 meters to several hundreds of kilometers during the May 2024 Superstorm

Mahith
Madhanakumar
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Abstract text

During extreme geomagnetic storms, the high latitude ionosphere can be dramatically perturbed resulting in increased plasma convection, turbulence and instabilities. This can lead to the generation of electron density irregularities with scale lengths ranging from a few meters up to several hundreds of kilometers. These irregularities are capable of affecting radio signals with frequencies in the megahertz to gigahertz range. Since modern society is heavily dependent on technologies and services that use radio waves such as communication, positioning, and navigation systems, the presence of irregularities with different scale sizes can disrupt the operation of such systems during extreme space weather events.

In this study we investigated plasma structuring in the auroral ionosphere during the extreme geomagnetic storm of May 2024 using a coherent scatter radar and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers in the North American sector. The Ionospheric Continuous-wave E-region Bistatic Experimental Auroral Radar (ICEBEAR) located in Saskatchewan, Canada, provided measurements of field-aligned three meter (3 m) scale irregularities in the E-region whereas the scintillation indices and Total Electron Content (TEC) maps from the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN) and Madrigal database, respectively, were used to identity the presence of irregularities from tens of meters to several hundreds of kilometers. The multi-instrument analysis revealed the co-existence of intense irregularities with scales ranging from 3 m to several hundreds of kilometers during the storm’s expansion phase on 10 May. We show how the different scale sizes evolved and decayed at different magnetic latitudes and local times with the progress of the storm. By placing the observations within the context of global plasma
dynamics, we aim to provide a concise picture of the occurrence and strength of irregularities with different scale sizes and the pertaining ionospheric conditions before, during and after the main expansion phase of the storm.

Authors
1) Mahith Madhanakumar, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

2) Andres Spicher, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

3) Devin Ray Huyghebaert, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

4) Anton Kashcheyev, Department of Physics, University of New Brunswick, Canada

5) Luca Spogli, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy and SpacEarth Technology, Rome, Italy

6) Kjellmar Oksavik, Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Norway and Arctic Geophysics, University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway

7) Magnus F. Ivarsen, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

8) Juha Vierinen, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

9) Glenn C. Hussey, Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Student in poster competition
Poster category
IRRI - Irregularities of Ionosphere or Atmosphere
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