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Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances Detected by the Scintillation Observations and Response of The Ionosphere to Electrodynamics (SORTIE) CubeSat at 420 km Altitude
  • +13
  • Irfan Azeem,
  • Geoff Crowely,
  • Wanli Wu,
  • Cora E Randall,
  • V. Lynn Harvey,
  • Sharon L. Sharon,
  • M. Joan Alexander,
  • Karthik Venkatarmani,
  • Russell Alan Stoneback,
  • Michael Perdue,
  • Matthew Depew,
  • Erik Stromberg,
  • Chad Fish,
  • Adam Reynolds,
  • Anthony Swenson,
  • Ted Tash
Irfan Azeem
ASTRA LLC., ASTRA LLC.

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Geoff Crowely
ASTRA, ASTRA
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Wanli Wu
ASTRA LLC, ASTRA LLC
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Cora E Randall
University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Boulder
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V. Lynn Harvey
University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Boulder
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Sharon L. Sharon
NorthWest Research Associates, NorthWest Research Associates
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M. Joan Alexander
NorthWest Research Associates, CoRA Office, NorthWest Research Associates, CoRA Office
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Karthik Venkatarmani
ASTRA LLC, ASTRA LLC
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Russell Alan Stoneback
Stoneris LLC, Stoneris LLC
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Michael Perdue
University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at Dallas
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Matthew Depew
University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at Dallas
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Erik Stromberg
ASTRA LLC., ASTRA LLC.
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Chad Fish
ASTRA LLC, ASTRA LLC
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Adam Reynolds
ASTRA, ASTRA
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Anthony Swenson
ASTRA LLC, ASTRA LLC
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Ted Tash
ASTRA LLC, ASTRA LLC
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Abstract

The Scintillation Observations and Response of The Ionosphere to Electrodynamics (SORTIE) mission is a 6U CubeSat that has been making ionospheric measurements at 420 km altitude since February 19, 2020. The SORTIE sensor suite includes an Ion Velocity Meter (IVM), which is used in the present study to detect and characterize Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs). On July 11, 2020 the SORTIE orbit passed over near-concentric TIDs that were seen in the Total Electron Content (TEC) data from ground-based Global Positioning System receivers distributed across the COntiguous United States (CONUS). The TID wave characteristics estimated from the IVM data agree well with those determined from the ground-based TEC data. The wave periods derived from the SORTIE data are shorter than the TID periods in the TEC data but are anticipated and explained in terms of the classical Doppler effect. A numerical simulation was performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model that shows excitation of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) from a deep convective storm over Texas preceding TID observations by SORTIE. We show that these AGWs were observed at stratospheric heights in close proximity to the convective storm by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder onboard the NASA Aqua satellite, and in the lowermost mesosphere by the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size instrument onboard the NASA Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere satellite. These storm-generated AGWs, or the associated higher-order AGWs, are the likely sources of the TIDs observed in the ground-based TEC and SORTIE IVM data.