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Longitudinal variability of the equatorial counter electrojet during the solar cycle 24

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Abstract

Ground and space-based geomagnetic data were used in the investigation of the longitudinal, seasonal and lunar phase dependence of the equatorial counter electrojet (CEJ) occurrence in the Peruvian, Brazilian, African, Indian and Philippine sectors during geomagnetically quiet days from the solar cycle 24 (2008 to 2018). We found that CEJ events occur more frequently during the morning (MCEJ) than in the afternoon (ACEJ). The highest MCEJ and ACEJ occurrence rates were observed for the Brazilian sector. Distinct seasonal dependence was found for each longitudinal sector under investigation. The lunar phase dependence was determined for the first time for the Philippine sector (longitude 125°E), and it was shown to be less pronounced than in the Peruvian, Brazilian and African sectors. We demonstrate that differences in CEJ rates derived from ground-based and satellite data can arise from the longitudinal separation between low-latitude and equatorial stations that are used to determine the signal and its consequent time delay in their sunrise/sunset times at ionospheric heights.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Observatório Nacional, Rua General José Cristino, 77, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, 20921-400, Brazil

    Gabriel Soares & Katia Pinheiro

  2. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany

    Yosuke Yamazaki, Jürgen Matzka & Claudia Stolle

  3. Faculty of Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Claudia Stolle

  4. Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Patrick Alken

  5. National Center for Environmental Information, NOAA, Boulder, CO, USA

    Patrick Alken

  6. International Center for Space Weather Science and Education ICSWSE, Kyushu University, 744, Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Akimasa Yoshikawa & Teiji Uozumi

  7. Kyushu Institute of Technology, 680-4, Kawazu, Iizuka, Fukuoka, 820-8502, Japan

    Akiko Fujimoto

  8. Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Navi Mumbai, India

    Atul Kulkarni

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  1. Gabriel Soares
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  2. Yosuke Yamazaki
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  7. Akimasa Yoshikawa
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  10. Atul Kulkarni
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Correspondence to Gabriel Soares.

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Soares, G., Yamazaki, Y., Matzka, J. et al. Longitudinal variability of the equatorial counter electrojet during the solar cycle 24. Stud Geophys Geod 63, 304–319 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11200-018-0286-0

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