Simultaneous observations of D-, E- and F-regions of the ionosphere during the solar eclipse of 22 July 2009 over South Korea: First results

Abstract

A Solar eclipse event occurred on 22 July 2009 over South Korean Peninsula with a maximum obscuration of ~84% has been investigated to discuss the variations in the mid-latitude ionosphere. Study of solar eclipse effect on the different ionospheric regions (espcially D-region) has been limited till today, although there is a few studies concentrated on the electron density variations and GPS TEC measurements in ionosphere. Present study aims to investigate the effect of solar eclipse on all ionospheric regions including D-, E-, and F-regions simultaneously by conducting a campaign in South Korea. The observations reported here therefore should shed some light on the solar eclipse induced mid-latitude ionospheric dynamics which leads to the changes in D-, E-and also F-regions of the ionosphere.