Earth  Sun  ID: 4929

Comparing Atomic Oxygen Emission Observed by GOLD with Ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC)

Visualizations by Tom Bridgman Released on August 30, 2021
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At 23:00UTC on November 19, 2018, we see the maxima of TEC values (red dots) closely aligned with the maxima of OI 135.6nm emission (black dots)
Here we compare the enhanced ionospheric emission by atomic oxygen (OI at 135.6nm) observed by the GOLD instrument (right panel) with measured total electron content (TEC, Wikipedia) measured through the NAVSTAR GPS system (left panel).

The oxygen emission and TEC are both enhanced in two bands known as the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) or Appleton anomaly, that straddle Earth's geomagnetic equator. The Appleton anomaly is formed by a process known as the Equatorial Fountain.

This visualization illustrates the motion of these bands on a global scale over a time scale of a few hours, a capability not available until the GOLD mission.
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At 23:150UTC we see the maxima of TEC values (red dots) and OI 135.6nm emission (black dots) have shifted slightly southward, but still closely aligned.
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By 23:25UTC we see the maxima of TEC values (red dots) have shifted northward, while the maxima of OI 135.6nm emission (black dots) has moved southward. They are no longer well aligned.
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Closeup view of TEC and GOLD data for the evening of November 19, 2018.
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Full-disk view of TEC and GOLD data for the evening of November 19, 2018.
 

Related

Observing Earth's Ionosphere with GOLD
Interface to Space: The Equatorial Fountain
Exploring Earth's Ionosphere: Limb view

For More Information

NASA.gov

Visualization Credits

Tom Bridgman (GST): Lead Visualizer
Xuguang Cai (National Center for Atmospheric Research): Scientist
Sarah Frazier (SGT): Lead Producer
Joy Ng (KBRwyle): Producer
Laurence Schuler (ADNET): Technical Support
Ian Jones (ADNET): Technical Support
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Science Paper:
OBSERVATION OF POSTSUNSET OI 135.6NM RADIANCE ENHANCEMENT OVER SOUTH AMERICA BY THE GOLD MISSION

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4929

Mission:
Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD)

Data Used:
NAVSTAR/World-wide GPS Receiver Network/Total Electron Content (TEC)
2018-11-19T20:10UT to 2018-11-19T23:25UT
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SES 14/GOLD
Observed Data - 2018-11-19T20:10UT to 2018-11-19T23:25UT
Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) is an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph to measure temperatures and densities in the Earth's thermosphere & ionosphere.
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Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Radiation >> Airglow
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Sun-earth Interactions >> Ionosphere/Magnetosphere Particles >> Total Electron Content
GCMD >> Location >> Ionosphere
NASA Science >> Earth
NASA Science >> Sun
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Sun-earth Interactions >> Ionosphere/Magnetosphere Dynamics
SVS >> Appleton anomaly

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0