@Article{PimentaSahaBittRich:2007:IoPlBl,
author = "Pimenta, Alexandre Alvares and Sahai, Y. and Bittencourt,
Jos{\'e} Augusto and Rich, F. J.",
affiliation = "{Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)} and {Instituto
de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento. Universidade do Vale do
Para{\'{\i}}ba (UNIVAP)} and {Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas
Espaciais (INPE)} and Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force
Research Laboratory",
title = "Ionospheric plasma blobs observed by OI 630 nm all-sky imaging in
the Brazilian tropical sector during the major geomagnetic storm
of April 6-7, 2000",
journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",
year = "2007",
volume = "34",
number = "2",
pages = "L02820 (5pp)",
month = "Jan.",
keywords = "equatorial-spread-F, airglow.",
abstract = "This paper presents first observations of plasma blobs ( localized
plasma density enhancements) associated with large-scale plasma
density depletions ( plasma bubbles) in the nighttime low-latitude
F-region during a major geomagnetic disturbance. Ground-based
observations of the OI 630 nm all-sky images obtained at Cachoeira
Paulista (22.7 degrees S, 45.0 degrees W), Brazil, in the Appleton
anomaly region, showed the presence of plasma blobs during the
major geomagnetic storm of April 6 - 7, 2000 (Sigma Kp = 38 -/
40+; \Dst\(max) = 288 nT). The OI 630 nm emission images were
used to map the spatial and temporal locations of plasma blobs and
bubbles in the bottomside of the F-region. The F-region
parameters, presented in this work, were obtained from ionosondes
operating near the same site and also at Sao Luis (2.6 degrees S,
44.4 degrees W), Brazil. Ionospheric plasma blobs and bubbles
zonal drift velocities, measured by the all-sky imaging system,
showed that both the plasma blobs and the bubbles moved westward (
normally the plasma drift is eastward during nighttime) on this
magnetically disturbed night. Furthermore, the plasma blobs showed
typically east-west and north-south extensions in the range of 110
160 km and 200 - 450 km, respectively. It appears that the DMSP-15
satellite, orbiting at about 850 km altitude, passed through one
of the blobs detected by the ground-based observations on this
night while crossing the Brazilian sector. This indicates the
enormous altitude extent [ from about 275 km ( OI 630.0 nm
emission) to 850 km ( DMSP satellite) altitude] of the localized
plasma density enhanced regions. In this work, we present and
discuss several features related to the dynamics of the localized
plasma density enhancements and large-scale plasma density
depletions during this major geomagnetic disturbance.",
doi = "10.1029/2006GL028529",
url = "http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028529",
issn = "0094-8276",
language = "en",
targetfile = "grl22612.pdf",
urlaccessdate = "15 jun. 2024"
}