Onset location of scintillation-producing spread-F plume over Sanya  

作　　者：ZHENG JianChang HUANG ZhaoGuo WU Zhi HAO XiQing JI JiaLun NING BaiQi HU LianHuan ZHAO XiuKuan LI GuoZhu 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences [2]Beijing National Observatory of Space Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

出　　处：《Science China Earth Sciences》2016年第8期1692-1699,共8页中国科学（地球科学英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41422404, 41374163,41374164 and 41074113)

摘　　要：Equatorial spread-F (ESF) backscatter plumes are often observed in radar range-time-intensity (RTI) maps at low latitude. Except case studies, few statistical investigations on the onset locations of scintillation-producing ESF plumes at given sites have been conducted. In this study, a statistical analysis is carried out on onset locations of ESF backscatter plumes observed at a low-latitude location Sanya (18.4°N, 109.6°E; dip lat 12.8°N) during equinoctial months of 2013. By employing a tracing method to locate backscatter plumes, we estimate the onset longitudes of periodic plumes obtained from the Sanya VHF radar five-beam steering measurements. The results show that the inter-plume distances (in longitude) are mostly confined within 200–600 km, and the ESF plumes producing ionospheric scintillations over Sanya are almost exclusively generated at the longitudes of 94°–110°E. The results indicate the necessity to monitor ESF plume initial generation in the longitude region of 94°–110°E to better understand the day-to-day variability in the occurrence of ionospheric scintillations over Sanya.Equatorial spread-F （ESF） backscatter plumes are often observed in radar range-time-intensity （RTI） maps at low latitude. Except case studies, few statistical investigations on the onset locations of scintillation-producing ESF plumes at given sites have been conducted. In this study, a statistical analysis is carried out on onset locations of ESF backscatter plumes observed at a low-latitude location Sanya （18.4°N, 109.6°E; dip lat 12.8°N） during equinoctial months of 2013. By employing a tracing method to locate backscatter plumes, we estimate the onset longitudes of periodic plumes obtained from the Sanya VHF radar five-beam steering measurements. The results show that the inter-plume distances （in longitude） are mostly confined within 200–600 km, and the ESF plumes producing ionospheric scintillations over Sanya are almost exclusively generated at the longitudes of 94°–110°E. The results indicate the necessity to monitor ESF plume initial generation in the longitude region of 94°–110°E to better understand the day-to-day variability in the occurrence of ionospheric scintillations over Sanya.

关 键 词：Equatorial spread-F Backscatter plume Onset location VHF radar Zonal drift 

分 类 号：P352[天文地球—空间物理学]