Abstract:
An interesting piece of observation related to the equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) that is
triggered by a geomagnetic storm at dawn sector on 4–5 February 2011 is presented. The storm activity
was initiated at 17 UT when interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz turned southward and the Dst index
started decreasing (accompanied by AE intensifications) attaining its minimum at 70 nT. The IMF Bz
presented large fluctuations marked by southward/northward transitions at slow and rapid rates and
eventually returning to normal in the morning of 5 February. Observations from the very high frequency
radar located at Gadanki, an off-equatorial station; an all-sky imager located at Kolhapur, a low-latitude
station; and an ionosonde at Tirunelveli, an equatorial station, are analyzed to study the impact of this storm
on the postmidnight to presunrise equatorial spread F. The results demonstrate that EPB irregularities can be
generated by penetration electric field during what can be characterized as a moderate storm event. In
contrast to prevailing belief, the present results show that EPB/equatorial spread F can be generated by
undershielding electric field in the dawn sector, caused by an unusually delayed polarity reversal of the
penetration electric field. The results further reveal oscillatory behavior in the height of F layer topside
irregularities in association with IMF Bz oscillations. Observation of radar echoes from nighttime E layer
irregularity structures and their Doppler velocities representing the penetration electric field polarity and
intensity are also a notable finding of this paper.
