Atmosphere–ionosphere response to solar eclipse over Kharkiv on March 20, 2015

Abstract

The results of the observations of aperiodic and quasi-periodic disturbances in E and F1 ionospheric layers and air temperature variations in the surface atmosphere on the day of the solar eclipse and control days are presented. The ionospheric processes were monitored by vertical sounding Doppler radar. The measurements showed that, near the time of the maximum coverage of the solar disk, the greatest decrease in the density of electrons in the layers E and F1 was ∼27%, which is close to the calculated value (25%). The solar eclipse was accompanied by the generation of traveling ionospheric disturbances with a period of 8–12 min and a relative amplitude of electron density variations of ∼0.6–1.5%. Because of the haze in the surface atmosphere, its temperature, which was monitored at observation points at a distance of 50–60 km from each other did not exceed 1°C near the time of the maximum eclipse magnitude.