The altitude extension of the mid-latitude trough and its correlation with 
plasmapause position

Endawoke Yizengaw and Mark B. Moldwin


Tomographic imaging provides a powerful technique for obtaining images of the
spatial distribution of ionospheric electron density in an altitude versus
geographic latitude grid at a specified longitudinal sector. The method, which
involves monitoring the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere using
signals transmitted from the global positioning system (GPS), has the ability to
reveal the detailed structure of the ionosphere including the mid-latitude
trough. The tomographic reconstruction of ionospheric electron density
structures are performed at different specific longitudinal sectors both in the
northern and southern hemisphere. At the same time the plasmapause position is
estimated from IMAGE EUV images and mapped onto tomographic images. The
simultaneous location of the altitude extension of the mid-latitude trough and
the plasmapause position are essentially colocated.

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Geophysical Research Letters, 32, L09105, doi:10.1029/2005GL022854, 2005.