Could we find any signal of the stratosphere-ionosphere coupling in Antarctica?

• Published in: Annals of Geophysics
• Main Authors: Pietrella, M., Kazimirovsky, E. S., De Franceschi, G., Grigioni, P., Scotto, C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV 2002
• Subjects: ionosphere-stratosphere interaction; temperature profiles; 01.01.06. Thermodynamics; Antarctic; Terra Nova Bay; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/view/3484; https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-3484

An investigation searching for a possible coupling between the lower ionosphere and the middle atmosphere in Antarctica is here performed on the basis of stratospheric vertical temperature profiles and ionospheric absorption data observed at the Antarctic Italian Base of Terra Nova Bay (74.69S, 164.12E) during local summer time. The result obtained by applying a multi-regression analysis and a Superimposed Epoch Analysis (SEA) shows a statistically significant ionosphere-stratosphere interaction. In particular, by selecting stratospheric temperature maxima occurring at different heights as the referring epoch for the SEA approach, the ionospheric absorption is found to show a positive and/or negative trend (several days) around it. The tendency for an increasing/decreasing absorption is obtained for temperature maxima occurring below/above the stratospheric level of about 17-19 km, respectively.