Faculty Profiles - OTSUKA, Yuichi

Monitoring of Ionospheric Variability Using the Low lAtitude Long Range Ionospheric raDar (LARID): Capabilities, Advantages and Limitations Open Access

Wenjie Sun, Guozhu Li, Baiqi Ning, Lianhuan Hu, Yuichi Otsuka, Guofeng Dai, Haiyong Xie, Xiukuan Zhao, Yi Li, Atsuki Shinbori, Michi Nishioka, Septi Perwitasari, Chi Wang

Space Weather Vol. 22 ( 11 ) 2024.11

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

A Low lAtitude long Range Ionospheric raDar (LARID), which was built recently at Dongfang (19.2°N, 108.8°E, magnetic latitude 13.9°), Hainan Is., China, is employed to study the ionospheric variability over a large region. The LARID consists of two high frequency (HF) coherent backscatter radars, looking toward east and west, respectively, with a field-of-view covering a wide longitude from Africa to Pacific. Here we report some results by the LARID, with main focus on its capabilities, advantages and limitations in monitoring ionospheric variability. The results show that the LARID can detect various ionospheric variations at low latitudes, including (a) sequentially generated equatorial plasma bubbles over a longitude span of ∼80°, (b) near-range E region irregularities drifting across more than 1,000 km, (c) ionospheric background information retrieved from ground scatters, (d) traveling ionospheric disturbances, and (e) sporadic E structures reflecting HF radio waves at low elevation angles. It is demonstrated that the LARID provides an important tool for investigating different types of ionospheric variability over a broad region, especially over the Indian Ocean and west Pacific, and will contribute significantly to the regional ionospheric weather forecasting.

DOI： 10.1029/2024SW004134

Midlatitude Plasma Blob-like Structures Along With Super Equatorial Plasma Bubbles During the May 2024 Great Geomagnetic Storm Open Access

Wenjie Sun, Guozhu Li, Biqiang Zhao, Shun Rong Zhang, Yuichi Otsuka, Lianhuan Hu, Guofeng Dai, Xiukuan Zhao, Haiyong Xie, Yi Li, Jianfei Liu, Yu Li, Baiqi Ning, Libo Liu, Atsuki Shinbori, Michi Nishioka, Septi Perwitasari

Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 51 ( 21 ) 2024.10

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

Plasma blob is generally a low-latitude phenomenon occurring at the poleward edge of equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) during post-sunset periods. Here we report a case of midlatitude ionospheric plasma blob-like structures occurring along with super EPBs over East Asia around sunrise during the May 2024 great geomagnetic storm. Interestingly, the blob-like structures appeared at both the poleward and westward edges of EPBs, reached up to 40°N magnetic latitudes, and migrated westward several thousand kilometers together with the bubble. The total electron content (TEC) inside the blob-like structures was enhanced by ∼50 TEC units relative to the ambient ionosphere. The blob-like structure at the EPB poleward edge could be partly linked with field-aligned plasma accumulation due to poleward development of bubble. For the blob-like structure at the EPB west side, one possible mechanism is that it was formed and enhanced accompanying the bubble evolution and westward drift.

DOI： 10.1029/2024GL111638

X-Raying Neutral Density Disturbances in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Induced by the 2022 Hunga-Tonga Volcano Eruption-Explosion Open Access

Satoru Katsuda, Hiroyuki Shinagawa, Hitoshi Fujiwara, Hidekatsu Jin, Yasunobu Miyoshi, Yoshizumi Miyoshi, Yuko Motizuki, Motoki Nakajima, Kazuhiro Nakazawa, Kumiko K. Nobukawa, Yuichi Otsuka, Atsushi Shinbori, Takuya Sori, Chihiro Tao, Makoto S. Tashiro, Yuuki Wada, Takaya Yamawaki

Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 51 ( 20 ) 2024.10

Longitudinal Range of the Eastward‐Traveling Equatorial Plasma Bubble Inducing Ionospheric Scintillation Reviewed Open Access

P. Abadi, Y. Otsuka, S. Saito, M. Yamamoto, S. Perwitasari, I. N. Muafiry, A. Y. Putra, A. Faturahman

Space Weather Vol. 22 ( 8 ) 2024.8

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Abstract

Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) can generate ionospheric scintillation at GHz frequencies used in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Emerging at any longitude following sunset and typically moving eastward, monitoring the EPBs is essential for space weather services. Using three GNSS receivers positioned at the same latitude (∼0°N) but separated in longitudes (∼9°, ∼16°, and ∼25°) and the 47 MHz Equatorial Atmosphere Radar (EAR) in Indonesia, our study delineates the zonal extent of eastward‐traveling post‐sunset EPB inducing ionospheric GNSS scintillation. Typically, the scintillation occurrences detected by a ground receiver concentrate between 19 and 01 local time (LT), with a peak incidence observed at 21 LT. Furthermore, an experiment combining EAR observations with GNSS receiver data allowed for the determination of the linear change in the speed of eastward‐traveling EPB inducing scintillation during this time period. Interestingly, the longitudinal range of eastward‐traveling EPBs increased with higher solar flux (F10.7) levels. Our findings suggest that EPB can induce scintillation up to a longitudinal distance of approximately 25° from the onset location at sunset to the eastern midnight region, particularly in F10.7 ranging from 90 to 150 solar flux units. Moreover, experiments using longitudinally separated GNSS receivers indicated that scintillations during 19–01 LT originate from post‐sunset EPBs within a longitudinal range extending 25° to the west. In conclusion, our research provides valuable insight into the ability of eastward‐traveling EPB to induce GNSS scintillation within a longitudinal range of 25°, thereby enhancing EPB and scintillation monitoring and prediction in regional space weather services.

DOI： 10.1029/2024SW003908

Solar activity dependence for the relationship between nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance and sporadic E (Es) layer activities in summer during 1998–2019 over Japan Reviewed International coauthorship Open Access

Veera Kumar Maheswaran, Yuichi Otsuka, James A. Baskaradas, Venkata Ratnam Devanaboyina, Sriram Subramanian, Atsuki Shinbori, Takuya Sori, Michi Nishioka, Septi Perwitasari

Earth, Planets and Space Vol. 76 ( 1 ) 2024.6

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

To investigate solar activity dependence of the coupling between medium-scale traveling ionosphere disturbance (MSTID) and sporadic E (Es) layer, we analyzed the total electron content (TEC) obtained from a Japanese global positioning system (GPS) receivers and ionosonde at Kokubunji (35.7° N, 139.5° E) in Japan during the summer period of May–August from 1998 to 2019. To obtain perturbation TEC caused by MSTIDs, the detrended TEC is calculated by subtracting 1-h moving averages from the measured TEC for each pair of GPS satellite and receiver. The detrended TEC data are mapped on to the geographical coordinates to make detrended 2-D maps with spatial resolution of 0.15° × 0.15° in longitude and latitude. The MSTID activity is defined as a ratio of the standard deviation to the background TEC over Kokubunji in Japan. Day-to-day variations of the MSTID activity during summer nights was compared to Es layer parameters [critical frequency (foEs) and Δfo-b≡foEs-fbE, where fbEs is blanketing frequency] derived from ionosonde station at Kokubunji. We have found that the correlation coefficient between the MSTID activity and foEs(Δfo-b) between 1998 and 2019 is 0.5 3 (0.46) on average, suggesting that there is an electrodynamical coupling between the Es layer and F region could generate nighttime MSTIDs. We also have found that the correlation coefficient positively correlates with solar activity. This finding indicates that in the high solar activity conditions, when the growth rate of Perkins instability is relatively low, generation of the polarization electric fields in the Es layer could play a more important role to grow MSTIDs than in the low solar activity conditions. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)

DOI： 10.1186/s40623-024-02023-6

Regional Ionospheric Super Bubble Induced by Significant Upward Plasma Drift During the 1 December 2023 Geomagnetic Storm Reviewed International coauthorship Open Access

Wenjie Sun, Guozhu Li, Shun Rong Zhang, Lianhuan Hu, Guofeng Dai, Biqiang Zhao, Yuichi Otsuka, Xiukuan Zhao, Haiyong Xie, Yi Li, Baiqi Ning, Libo Liu, Atsuki Shinbori, Michi Nishioka, Septi Perwitasari

Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Vol. 129 ( 6 ) 2024.6

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

An unseasonal equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) event occurred in the East/Southeast Asian sector during the geomagnetic storm on 1 December 2023, causing strong amplitude scintillations from equatorial to middle latitudes. Based on the observations from multiple instruments over a large latitudinal and longitudinal region, the spatial features of the super EPB were investigated. The EPB developed vertically at a fast rising speed ∼470 m/s over the magnetic equator and extended to a very high middle latitude more than 40°N, despite that the storm intensity was not very strong with the minimum SYM-H index −132 nT. In the zonal direction, the super EPB covered over a specific region ∼95–140°E, where the local sunset roughly coincided with southward turning of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component. Before the onset of the super EPB, significant upward plasma drift up to ∼110 m/s was observed over the magnetic equator, which could amplify the growth rate of Rayleigh-Taylor instability and lead to the generation of the super EPB. The significant drift was likely caused by eastward penetration electric field (PEF) due to sharp southward turning of IMF Bz. The local time of storm onset and duration of IMF Bz southward turning during the storm main phase may partly determine the onset region and zonal coverage of the EPB.

DOI： 10.1029/2024JA032430

Statistical Analysis of Low-Latitude Boundary of Polar-Type Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Observed by a 630-nm Airglow Imager at Nyrölä, Finland Reviewed International coauthorship Open Access

Masaki Sato, Kazuo Shiokawa, Shin ichiro Oyama, Yuichi Otsuka, Atsuki Shinbori, Arto Oksanen

Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Vol. 129 ( 4 ) 2024.4

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

Medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) are one of the ionospheric plasma density structures and are observable through 630-nm airglow images. Previous studies using airglow images at Tromsø (69.6°N, 19.2°E; magnetic latitude: 66.7°N), Norway, reported high-latitude MSTIDs (here we call them as polar-type MSTIDs) whose propagation direction changes associated with auroral brightening and magnetic field disturbances. However, there has been little statistical analysis on the connection of MSTIDs occurring at high and middle latitudes. In this study, we statistically analyzed the MSTIDs observed by an airglow imager at Nyrölä (62.3°N, 25.5°E; magnetic latitude: 59.4°N), Finland, which is located ∼7° south of Tromsø, corresponding to subauroral latitudes. The period analyzed was from 23 January 2017, to 30 September 2021. We found 11 cases of MSTIDs during this period. Eight cases were found to be the polar-type MSTIDs whose motion changes associated with auroral brightening and magnetic field disturbances. We found that 9 cases of MSTID show the low-latitude boundary at 61° ± 2°N for geographic latitude and 58° ± 2°N for magnetic latitude, indicating disconnection between high- and mid-latitude MSTIDs. We also derived occurrence probability, velocity, wavelength, period, wave front direction, and propagation direction of these MSTIDs. The occurrence probability of MSTIDs at Nyrölä is 1.9%, which is much lower than those at high (Tromsoe, more than 50%) and middle (Japan, ∼30%) latitudes. We discuss these MSTID characteristics at subauroral latitudes based on possible difference of generation mechanisms of nighttime MSTIDs at high and middle latitudes.

DOI： 10.1029/2023JA032077

Performance of the double-thin-shell approach for studying nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances using two dense GNSS observation networks in Japan Reviewed Open Access

Weizheng Fu, Yuichi Otsuka, Atsuki Shinbori, Michi Nishioka, Septi Perwitasari

Earth, Planets and Space Vol. 76 ( 1 ) 2024.1

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)

Electrodynamic coupling between the ionospheric E and F regions is widely recognized as the underlying mechanism for generating medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) during nighttime at midlatitudes. Recently, the double-thin-shell approach has proven to be a useful tool for studying the E–F coupling. By using total electron content (TEC) measurements, this approach enables the simultaneous reconstruction of electron density perturbations in both the E and F regions with broad and continuous coverage. However, the current reconstruction performance is limited when using only GPS-TEC measurements from GEONET, a dense network of ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers over Japan. The expansion of available data sources and the integration of multi-GNSS observation data are considered important to enhance the double-thin-shell model. Fortunately, SoftBank Corp., a Japanese telecommunications provider, has recently developed a dense independent GNSS observation network to improve positioning services. In this paper, we analyze the potential of the improved double-thin-shell approach and emphasize the importance of incorporating multi-GNSS observation data from both GEONET and SoftBank networks. The solvability analysis, simulation, and observation results collectively indicate a substantial improvement in the spatiotemporal resolution. Specifically, the longitudinal and latitudinal resolution is improved from 0.15° to 0.1° in the E region, and from 0.5° to 0.3° in the F region. The temporal resolution is also improved from 2 to 1 min. In addition, significant improvements have been achieved in the reconstruction performance, particularly for the E region under complex background conditions. Based on these assessments, we conclude that the incorporation of GEONET and SoftBank GNSS observation data holds significant potential for improving the double-thin-shell model and advancing our understanding of MSTIDs. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

DOI： 10.1186/s40623-023-01956-8