Wave processes in the ionosphere over Europe that accompanied the solar eclipse of March 20, 2015

Abstract

Ionospheric disturbances at an altitude of 300 km that accompanied the solar eclipse of March 20, 2015, have been analyzed based on the ionosondes located in Europe. It has been confirmed that the eclipse was accompanied by the generation of gravity waves in the neutral atmosphere and traveling ionospheric disturbances. The period of the latter was 30–100 min, and the amplitude of relative electron density disturbances was 4–19%. The disturbances continued for not less than 2 h. During the eclipse, the disturbance amplitude more frequently increased. It decreased in one case, since the wave process observed previously was suppressed by the process generated by the eclipse.