Publication Date:
2023-11-21
Description:
Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) can cause rapid fluctuations in amplitude and phase of
radio signals traversing the ionosphere and in turn produce serious ionospheric scintillations
and disrupt satellite-based communication links. Whereas numerous studies on the
generation and evolution of EPBs have been performed, the prediction of EPB and ionospheric
scintillation occurrences still remains unresolved. The generalized Rayleigh–Taylor
(R–T) instability has been widely accepted as the physical mechanism responsible for the
generation of EPBs. But how the factors, which seed the development of R–T instability
and control the dynamics of EPBs and resultant ionospheric scintillations, change on a
short-term basis are not clear. In the East and Southeast Asia, there exist significant differences
in the generation rates of EPBs at closely located stations, for example, Kototabang
(0.2°S, 100.3°E) and Sanya (18.3°N, 109.6°E), indicating that the decorrelation distance of
EPB generation is small (hundreds of kilometers) in longitude. In contrast, after the initial
generation of EPBs at one longitude, they can drift zonally more than 2000 km and extend
from the magnetic equator to middle latitudes of 40° or higher under some conditions.
These features make it difficult to identify the possible seeding sources for the EPBs and
to accurately predict their occurrence, especially when the onset locations of EPBs are far
outside the observation sector. This paper presents a review on the current knowledge of
EPBs and ionospheric scintillations in the East and Southeast Asia, including their generation
mechanism and occurrence morphology, and discusses some unresolved issues related
to their short-term forecasting, including (1) what factors control the generation of EPBs,
its day-to-day variability and storm-time behavior, (2) what factors control the evolution
and lifetime of EPBs, and (3) how to accurately determine ionospheric scintillation from
EPB measurements. Special focus is given to the whole process of the EPB generation,
development and disruption. The current observing capabilities, future new facilities and
campaign observations in the East and Southeast Asia in helping to better understand the
short-term variability of EPBs and ionospheric scintillations are outlined.
Description:
Published
Description:
201–238
Description:
2A. Fisica dell'alta atmosfera
Description:
JCR Journal
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
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