Excitation Mechanism of Ionospheric 6‐Day Oscillation During the 2019 September Sudden Stratospheric Warming Event

• Published in: Journal of geophysical research. Space physics Vol. 125; no. 9
• Main Authors: Miyoshi, Yasunobu, Yamazaki, Yosuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Equatorial Electrojet; Planetary wave; sudden stratospheric warming; thermosphere‐ionosphere coupling; vertical coupling
• ISSN: 2169-9380; 2169-9402
• DOI: 10.1029/2020JA028283

A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event in the Antarctic region occurred in September 2019. During the SSW event, the quasi 6‐day wave (Q6DW) was enhanced in the mesosphere, and strong 6‐day oscillations are observed in ionospheric parameters, such as the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) and electron density. The 6‐day variation in the EEJ has a westward moving structure with the zonal wave number 1, indicating the influence of the Q6DW. In this study, we investigate the excitation mechanism of the 6‐day variations in the EEJ and electron density using numerical simulations. The main results are as follows. The 6‐day variations in the ionosphere are not generated by the Q6DW but generated by the waves with periods from 10 to 14 hr. The amplitude of the 10–14 hr waves is modulated with a period of 6 days, due to the nonlinear interaction between the Q6DW and migrating semidiurnal tide. This leads to the 6‐day variations in the EEJ and electron density through the E region dynamo process. At a fixed local time, the secondary waves generated by the Q6DW‐tidal interaction produce westward moving ionospheric 6‐day variations with zonal wave number 1, which cannot be distinguished from the ionospheric variations by the Q6DW itself. The interference of secondary waves leads to a longitudinal asymmetry in the magnitude of the ionospheric 6‐day oscillation. Key Points We examine ionospheric 6‐day oscillation during the September 2019 SSW event using GAIA simulations The 6‐day oscillation is generated not by the 6‐day wave but by 10–14 hr waves The nonlinear interaction between the 6‐day wave and tides leads to a 6‐day modulation of the 10–14 hr waves