Case Studies of Ionospheric Plasma Irregularities Over Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

Abstract

We use the first data set from the ground-based TEC and scintillation receiver located at the Norwegian Research Station Troll in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica to analyze in detail the ionospheric response during geomagnetic disturbances on February 26-27 and March 18-19, 2018. By combining the Troll data with complementary measurements (scintillation receivers, magnetometers, SuperDARN, DMSP satellites), we demonstrate that plasma irregularities above this part of Queen Maud Land can be associated with the expansion of the auroral oval, related structuring on its edges, as well as with strong flow shears in the evening and at nighttime, which are further modulated by the energetic particle precipitation. Phase scintillation indices correlate well with the magnetometer data.