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Propagation of medium-scale gravity waves (GWs) in the thermosphere/ionosphere is observed remotely, using multi-frequency and multi-point continuous Doppler sounding system located in the western part of Czechia. Reflection heights of the sounding radio waves are determined from a nearby ionosonde. Phase velocity vectors of GWs are calculated from time/phase delays between signals corresponding to different transmitter–receiver pairs that reflect in the ionosphere at different locations. As various frequencies reflect at different heights, reflection points of radio signals are separated both horizontally and vertically, and the investigation of GW propagation in the ionosphere is performed in three dimensions. Results obtained for two 1-year periods representing the solar maximum (July 2014–June 2015) and current solar minimum (September 2018–August 2019) are presented. It is shown that GWs in the ionosphere usually propagated with wave vectors directed obliquely downward. A statistical distribution of wave vector elevation angles is presented. A model of neutral winds is used to estimate the wave characteristics in the wind-rest frame. It is found that the distribution of elevation angles is narrower in the wind-rest frame than in the Earth frame. Seasonal and diurnal changes of propagation directions and attenuations of GWs are discussed. The wind-rest frame wavelengths of the analyzed GWs were usually from ~ 80 to 300 km, and the propagation velocities were mostly between ~ 100 and ~ 220 m/s.

Horizontals drifts of equatorial Spread F (ESF) at post-sunset and post-midnight are investigated by analyzing six ESF events observed during the period of November 2022–March 2023. Horizontal drift velocities of ESFs are calculated from the time lags between signals recorded by different transmitter–receiver pairs of a new Continuous Doppler Sounding (CDS) system operating at 6.80 MHz in a low latitude station, Tucumán, Argentina (26° 49’ S, 65° 13' W, mag. latitude ~ 13°) and by the older CDS system working at 4.63 MHz. A new method of time lags determination for spread structures is presented. In addition, the occurrence of airglow depletions associated with ESF events is verified using images of airglow emissions of atomic O red line, 630 nm. We found that the typical speeds of the ESF drift in the post-sunset hours (around 130 m/s) are about two times greater than the speeds of ESF occurring around midnight or in post-midnight hours (around 80 m/s). The drift speeds obtained using 4.63 and 6.80 MHz systems were practically the same with the exception of one event, which might have been due to wind shear. Azimuths obtained by 4.63 and 6.80 MHz systems are almost similar. No systematic dependence of the azimuth on the local time and sounding frequency was found. All ESF events drift roughly eastward with an average azimuth of about 105 ∘ with respect to the geographic north. Graphical Abstract

Prompt penetration electric fields were detected during the intense geomagnetic storm on 22 June, 2015 by the HF Doppler sounders at middle and low latitudes; Prague (Czech Republic), Iitate, Oarai, Onna (Japan), and Zhongli (Republic of China). The storm was initiated by the storm sudden commencement (SC) at 1833 UT, immediately followed by the main phase with the minimum SYM-H of − 139 nT at 2017 UT. The convection electric field was found to be up to 5.1 mV/m at low latitudes, which is enough to cause ionospheric disturbances such as the enhancement of the total electron content, equatorial ionization anomaly and so on. The electric fields of the SC and main phase are westward in the night (0330 MLT), while eastward in the evening (1930 MLT). The main phase electric field intensified the eastward equatorial electrojets (EEJ) at Huancayo in South America on the dayside (1330 MLT) and the westward EEJ on the nightside at Guam in the western Pacific (0330 MLT) and Tirunelveli in India (00 MLT). The eastward direction of the evening-time electric field agrees with a feature of the evening anomaly of the penetration electric field, while the intensity is suppressed because of the sunlit condition in the evening in the summer solstice. The sudden northward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) caused a transition from the main phase to the recovery phase, when the EEJ turned into the counterelectrojet (CEJ). It was found that the HF Doppler sounders detected an impulsive eastward overshielding electric field at 2005 UT on the nightside during the northward IMF-driven CEJ with the duration of 17 min and intensity of 8.0 mV/m at Iitate (0500 MLT) and 11.8 mV/m at Prague (2130 MLT). The impulsive overshielding electric field was accompanied by the anti-sunward plasma flows at middle latitude (50°–60° GML) equatorward of the dusk sunward convection as observed with SuperDARN, which signifies intensification of the Region-2 field-aligned currents at the flow reversal. Substorm signatures are identified with intensified westward auroral electrojet and magnetic dipolarization as detected by the geosynchronous orbit satellite, ETS-VIII. Consequently, the stormtime substorm may provide strong overshielding electric fields to the middle latitude ionosphere on the nightside.

Using the HF Doppler sounders at middle and low latitudes (Prague, Czech Republic; Tucuman, Argentina; Zhongli, Republic of China, and Sugadaira, Japan), we observed the electric fields of the geomagnetic sudden commencement (SC) propagating near-instantaneously (within 10 s) over the globe. We found that the electric fields of the preliminary impulse (PI) and main impulse (MI) of the SC are in opposite direction to each other and that the PI and MI electric fields are directed from the dusk to dawn and dawn to dusk, respectively, manifesting the nature of the curl-free potential electric field. We further found that the onset and peak of the PI electric field are simultaneous on the day and nightsides (0545, 1250, 1345 MLT) within the resolution of 10 s. With the magnetometer data, we confirmed the near-instantaneous development of the ionospheric currents from high latitudes to the equator and estimated the location of the field-aligned currents that supply the ionospheric currents. The global simultaneity of the electric and magnetic fields does not require the contribution of the magnetohydrodynamic waves in the magnetosphere nor in the F-region ionosphere. The global simultaneity and day–night asymmetry of the electric fields are explained with the ionospheric electric potentials transmitted at the speed of light by the TM0 mode waves in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide.

We analyzed horizontal velocities of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances using HF Doppler sounding over Taiwan from January 2014 to January 2016. Meridional components of the observed horizontal velocities are in most cases larger than zonal components. In summer, poleward propagation prevails, whereas in winter, disturbances primarily propagate southward. Zonal components of the analyzed events are mostly eastward. Seasonal behaviors of the observed propagation directions are similar at other locations with HF Doppler sounding at middle and low latitudes. Horizontal velocities of the observed events are in the 50–400-ms −1 range. The upper limit is determined using the spacing between reflection points, making the uncertainty in velocity very large for events with velocities larger than this limit. The mean horizontal velocity is 210 ms −1 . The range between the 20th and 80th percentile of horizontal velocities is 144–281 ms −1 . Graphical abstract .

High-Frequency Doppler (HFD) sounders at low-latitudes often detect characteristic oblique spreading Doppler traces in the spectrogram, known as Oblique Spread Structure (OSS). OSS has been expected to be generated by the dispersion of radio wave reflection due to equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs). However, it has not yet been confirmed whether OSS is surely a manifestation of EPB by conducting simultaneous observations of EPB and OSS with different observational techniques. Additionally, it remains unclear what kinds of properties of EPB are reflected in the fine structure of OSS. In this study, we investigated three cases of OSSs and EPBs simultaneously observed by a HFD sounding system and an all-sky airglow imager in Taiwan. For the three cases presented here, the timing of OSS occurrence in the HFD data well coincided with that of the EPB appearance in the airglow data. The frequency shift of OSS is quantitatively explained assuming a radio wave reflection at 250–300 km altitudes. These results strongly indicate that OSS is formed by electron density variations at F-region altitudes accompanying EPB; thus, OSS is a manifestation of EPB in the HFD observations. Furthermore, it was suggested that the fine structure of OSS reflected the branching structure of EPB when the multiple branches of EPB reached the intermediate reflection point of the HFD observation. The detection of EPB occurrence and its fine structure using HFD observation enables monitoring of EPB regardless of weather conditions, which will contribute to monitoring the space weather impact of EPBs, for example, on GNSS navigation, in a wide area.

Different methods are used to research and monitor the ionospheric dynamics using ground measurements: Digisonde Drift Measurements (DDM) and Continuous Doppler Sounding (CDS). For the first time, we present comparison between both methods on specific examples. Both methods provide information about the vertical drift velocity component. The DDM provides more information about the drift velocity vector and detected reflection points. However, the method is limited by the relatively low time resolution. In contrast, the strength of CDS is its high time resolution. The discussed methods can be used for real-time monitoring of medium scale travelling ionospheric disturbances. We conclude that it is advantageous to use both methods simultaneously if possible. The CDS is then applied for the disturbance detection and analysis, and the DDM is applied for the reflection height control.

Solar flares cause a rapid increase in ionization in the ionosphere owing to significant enhancement of ionizing solar radiation in the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral ranges. The change of electron densities in the ionosphere influences the propagation of radio waves. The ionospheric response to solar flares is investigated for three selected examples recorded during the maximum and decreasing phase of the solar cycle 24 with time resolution of several seconds by continuous Doppler sounding systems installed in the Czech Republic (50N, 14E), Taiwan (24N, 121E) and Northern Argentina (27S, 65W). The reflection heights of sounding signals are derived from nearby ionospheric sounders. The measured Doppler shifts are compared with EUV and X-ray data from the GOES-15 satellite. It is shown that the largest Doppler shifts are observed at times when the time derivatives of EUV fluxes are maximal, while the Doppler shifts are around zero at times when the EUV fluxes reach maxima. This means that loss processes balance the ionization when the EUV fluxes maximize. The attenuation of Doppler signal caused by enhanced electron density in the D and E layer was well correlated with the cosmic noise absorption measured by riometer. For large ionizing fluxes, the attenuation leads to very low signal-to-noise ratio, loss of the received signal, and inability to process both Doppler shift spectrograms and ionograms.

Mesoscale convective systems are effective sources of atmospheric disturbances that can reach ionospheric heights and significantly alter atmospheric and ionospheric conditions. Convective systems can affect the Earth’s atmosphere on a continental scale and up to F-layer heights. Extratropical cyclone “Zyprian” occurred at the beginning of July, 2021 and dominated weather over the whole of Europe. An extensive cold front associated with “Zyprian” moved from the western part to the eastern part of Europe, followed by ground-level convergence and the formation of organized convective thunderstorm systems. Torrential rains in the Czech Republic have caused a great deal of damage and casualties. Storm-related signatures were developed in ground microbarograph measurements of infrasound and gravity waves. Within the stratosphere, a shift of the polar jet stream and increase in specific humidity related to the storm system were observed. At the ionospheric heights, irregular stratification and radio wave reflection plane undulation were observed. An increase in wave-like activity was detected based on ionograms and narrowband very-low-frequency (VLF) data. On directograms and SKYmaps (both products of digisonde measurements), strong and rapid changes in the horizontal plasma motion were recorded. However, no prevailing plasma motion direction was identified within the F-layer. Increased variability within the ionosphere is attributed mainly to the “Zyprian” cyclone as it developed during low geomagnetic activity and stable solar forcing.

The main objective of the TechTIDE project (warning and mitigation technologies for travelling ionospheric disturbances effects) is the development of an identification and tracking system for travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) which will issue warnings of electron density perturbations over large world regions. The TechTIDE project has put in operation a real-time warning system that provides the results of complementary TID detection methodologies and many potential drivers to help users assess the risks and develop mitigation techniques tailored to their applications. The TechTIDE methodologies are able to detect in real time activity caused by both large-scale and medium-scale TIDs and characterize background conditions and external drivers, as an additional information required by the users to assess the criticality of the ongoing disturbances in real time. TechTIDE methodologies are based on the exploitation of data collected in real time from Digisondes, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and Continuous Doppler Sounding System (CDSS) networks. The results are obtained and provided to users in real time. The paper presents the achievements of the project and discusses the challenges faced in the development of the final TechTIDE warning system.