Open Access

Atmosphere, volume 16, issue 2, pages 161

Investigation of the Ionospheric Effects of the Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024 Using Multi-Instrument Measurements

Aritra Sanyal ¹

Bhuvnesh Brawar ²

Sovan Kumar Maity ^{1, 3, 4}

Shreyam Jana ¹

Jean Marie Polard ⁵

Peter Newton ⁶

George S. Williams ⁷

Stelios M. Potirakis ^{8, 9, 10}

Haris Haralambous ⁹

G. Balasis ¹⁰

James Brundell ¹¹

Pradipta Panchadhyayee ^{1, 12}

Abhirup Datta ²

Ajeet K Maurya ¹³

Saibal Ray ¹⁴

S. Sasmal ^{1, 8}

Show full list: 16 authors

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Institute of Astronomy Space and Earth Science, P 177, CIT Road, Scheme 7m, Kolkata 700054, India |

Department of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552, India |

Uttar Amtalia Gita Rani Vidyabhawan (H.S), Uttar Amtalia, Contai 721427, India

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Uttar Amtalia Gita Rani Vidyabhawan (H.S.), Uttar Amtalia, Contai 721427, India

⁵

Independent Researcher, 115 Napier Road, Glenrothes, Fife KY6 1DU, Scotland, UK |

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Independent Researcher, 1 lieudit Boutil, F-22540 Louargat, France

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Independent Researcher, 1119 Terrapin Swamp Rd, Wakefield, VA 23888-3103, USA |

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Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Ancient Olive Grove Campus, University of West Attica, 12244 Egaleo-Athens, Greece |

⁹

Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics, School of Engineering, Frederick University, Nicosia 1036, Cyprus

¹⁰

Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens, Metaxa and Vasileos Pavlou, Penteli, 15236 Athens, Greece |

¹¹

Department of Physics, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand |

¹²

Department of Physics, Prabhat Kumar College, Karkuli, Contai 721404, India

¹³

Department of Physics, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, India |

¹⁴

Centre for Cosmology, Astrophysics and Space Science (CCASS), GLA University, Mathura 281406, India |

Publication type: Journal Article

Publication date: 2025-01-31

MDPI

Journal: Atmosphere

scimago Q2

SJR: 0.627

CiteScore: 4.6

Impact factor: 0.9

ISSN: 20734433, 15983560, 00046973

DOI: 10.3390/atmos16020161

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Abstract

Solar eclipses present a valuable opportunity for controlled in situ ionosphere studies. This work explores the response of the upper atmosphere’s F-layer during the total eclipse of April 8, 2024, which was primarily visible across North and South America. Employing a multi-instrument approach, we analyze the impact on the ionosphere’s Total Electron Content (TEC) and Very Low Frequency (VLF) signals over a three-day period encompassing the eclipse (April 7 to 9, 2024). Ground-based observations leverage data from ten International GNSS Service (IGS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) stations and four VLF stations situated along the eclipse path. We compute vertical TEC (VTEC) alongside temporal variations in the VLF signal amplitude and phase to elucidate the ionosphere’s response. Notably, the IGS station data reveal a decrease in VTEC during the partial and total solar eclipse phases, signifying a reduction in ionization. While VLF data also exhibit a general decrease, they display more prominent fluctuations. Space-based observations incorporate data from Swarm and COSMIC-2 satellites as they traverse the eclipse path. Additionally, a spatiotemporal analysis utilizes data from the Global Ionospheric Map (GIM) database and the DLR’s (The German Aerospace Center’s) database. All space-based observations consistently demonstrate a significant depletion in VTEC during the eclipse. We further investigate the correlation between the percentage change in VTEC and the degree of solar obscuration, revealing a positive relationship. The consistent findings obtained from this comprehensive observational campaign bolster our understanding of the physical mechanisms governing ionospheric variability during solar eclipses. The observed depletion in VTEC aligns with the established principle that reduced solar radiation leads to decreased ionization within the ionosphere. Finally, geomagnetic data analysis confirms that external disturbances do not significantly influence our observations.