Multi-Instrument and SAMI3-TIDAS Data Assimilation Analysis of Three-Dimensional Ionospheric Electron Density Variations During the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Abstract

This paper conducts a multi-instrument and data assimilation analysis of the three-dimensional ionospheric electron density responses to the total solar eclipse on 08 April 2024. The altitude-resolved electron density variations over the continental US and adjacent regions are analyzed using the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar data, ionosonde observations, Swarm in situ measurements, and a novel TEC-based ionospheric data assimilation system (TIDAS) with SAMI3 model as the background. The principal findings are summarized as follows: (a) The ionospheric hmF2 exhibited a slight enhancement in the initial phase of the eclipse, followed by a distinct reduction of 20–30 km in the recovery phase of the eclipse. The hmF2 in the umbra region showed a post-eclipse fluctuation, characterized by wavelike perturbations of 10–25 km in magnitude and a period of ~ 30 min. (b) There was a substantial reduction in ionospheric electron density of 20%–50% during the eclipse, with the maximum depletion observed in the F-region around 200–250 km. The ionospheric electron density variation exhibited a significant altitude-dependent feature, wherein the response time gradually delayed with increasing altitude. (c) The bottomside ionospheric electron density displayed an immediate reduction after local eclipse began, reaching maximum depletion 5–10 min after the maximum obscuration. In contrast, the topside ionospheric electron density showed a significantly delayed response, with maximum depletion occurring 1–2.5 hr after the peak obscuration.