Variation in Total Electron Content During a Severe Geomagnetic Storm, 23–24 April 2023

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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

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en

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19

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Atmosphere, Volume 16, issue 6

Abstract

In this paper, we study the geomagnetic storm that occurred on 23–24 April 2023. We present variations in the values of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF-Bz), solar wind parameters (Vsw, Nsw, Tsw, and Psw), geomagnetic index (SYM-H), and vertical total electron content (VTEC) obtained from 18 GPS-TEC stations situated in equatorial, mid-latitude, and high-latitude regions. We analyze the variations in total electron content (TEC) before, during, and after the storm using VTEC plots, dTEC% plots, and global ionospheric maps for each GNSS receiver station, all referenced to universal time (UT). Our results indicate that GNSS receiver stations located at high latitudes detected an increase in ionospheric density during the main phase and a decrease during the recovery phase. In contrast, stations in equatorial and mid-latitude regions detected a decrease in ionospheric density during the main phase and an increase during the recovery phase. Large dTEC% values ranging from −80 to 190 TECU were observed a few hours before and during the storm period (23–24 April 2023); these can be compared to values ranging from −10 to 20 TECU on the day before (22 April 2023) and the day after (25 April 2023). Notably, higher dTEC% values were observed at stations in high and middle latitudes compared to those in the equatorial region. As the storm progressed, the TEC intensification observed on global ionospheric maps appeared to shift from east to west. A detailed analysis of these maps showed that equatorial and low-latitude regions experienced larger spatial and temporal TEC variations during the storm period compared to higher-latitude regions.

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Tilahun, A M, Uluma, E & Ejigu, Y G 2025, 'Variation in Total Electron Content During a Severe Geomagnetic Storm, 23–24 April 2023', Atmosphere, vol. 16, no. 6, 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16060676