Analysis of pre-seismic ionospheric disturbances prior to 2020 2 Croatian earthquakes

Abstract: We study the sub-ionospheric VLF transmitter signals recorded by the Austrian Graz station in the year 2020. Those radio signals are known to propagate in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide between the ground and lower ionosphere. The Austrian Graz facility (geographic coordinates: 15.46◦E, 47.03◦N) can receive such sub-ionospheric transmitter signals, particularly those propagating above earthquake (EQ) regions in the southern part of Europe. We consider in this work the transmitter amplitude variations recorded a few weeks before the occurrence of two EQs in Croatia at a distance less than 200 km from Graz VLF facility. The selected EQs happened on 22 March 2020 and 29 December 2020, with magnitudes of Mw5.4 and Mw6.4, respectively, epicenters localized close to Zagreb (16.02◦E, 45.87◦N; 16.21◦E, 45.42◦N), and with focuses of depth smaller than 10 km. In our study we emphasize the anomaly fluctuations before/after the sunrise times, sunset times, and the cross-correlation of transmitter signals. We attempt to evaluate and to estimate the latitudinal and the longitudinal expansions of the ionospheric disturbances related to the seismic preparation areas

Statistical analysis of Solar Type III radio bursts observed by RPWS experiment in 2004-2017 during the Solar cycles 23-24

International audienceWe report on Solar Type III radio bursts observed by the radio and plasma wave experiment (RPWS) onboard Cassini spacecraft. RPWS instrument measures electric field over a frequency range from few Hz and up to 16 MHz (Rucker et al., 2008). A statistical survey of almost 1000 solar bursts recorded in the time interval from January 2004 to September 2017 is considered in this study. Those solar bursts occurred in the end of the 23 solar cycle (2004-2008) and during the 24 solar cycle (2008-2017). Type III observational parameters are taken into consideration like the emission frequency, the time occurrence, the intensity level, and the heliospheric location (i.e. distance, longitude and latitude) of the spacecraft when the solar burst has been detected. This leads to insist on three main aspects: (a) the occurrence rate of the solar burst, (b) the corresponding electron density derived from heliocentric empirical models and (c) the most plausible source regions at the origin of the Type III bursts. Those characteristics allow us to discuss how Type III bursts are linked to the ecliptic spatial expansion of the Archimedean spiral emerging from the Sun, crossing the Earth’s orbit and reaching the Saturn’s orbits

Effects of solar and geomagnetic activities on the sub-ionospheric very low frequency transmitter signals received by the DEMETER micro-satellite

<p>In the framework of seismic precursor electromagnetic investigations, we analyzed the very low frequency (VLF) amplitude signals recorded by the Instrument Champ Electrique (ICE) experiment on board the DEMETER micro-satellite. The sun-synchronous orbits of the micro-satellite allowed us to cover an invariant latitude of between –65° and +65° in a time interval of about 40 min. We considered four transmitter signals emitted by stations in Europe (France, FTU, 18.3 kHz; Germany, DFY, 16.58 kHz), Asia (Japan, JP, 17.8 kHz) and Australia (Australia, NWC, 19.8 kHz). We studied the variations of these VLF signals, taking into consideration: the signal-to-noise ratio, sunspots, and the geomagnetic activity. We show that the degree of correlation in periods of high geomagnetic and solar activities is, on average, about 40%. Such effects can be fully neglected in the period of weak activity. We also find that the solar activity can have a more important effect on the VLF transmitter signal than the geomagnetic activity. Our data are combined with models where the coupling between the lithosphere, atmosphere and ionosphere is essential to explain how ionospheric disturbances scatter the VLF transmitter signal.</p><p><em><br /></em></p&gt

VLF transmitter signal variations as detected by Graz facility prior to Croatian earthquakes

International audienceWe report on two earthquakes (EQs) that occurred in Croatia at a distance less than 200 km from the Austrian Graz facility (15.46°E, 47.03°N). Those EQs happened on March 22 and December 29, 2020, with magnitudes of Mw5.4 and Mw6.4, respectively. The epicenters were at geographical coordinates (16.02°E, 45.87°N; 16.21°E, 45.42°N) with focuses smaller than 10 km. Austrian Graz facility leads to detect more than fifteen VLF and LF transmitter signals (Schwingenschuh et al., 2011, Biagi et al., 2019). Transmitter ray paths cross over the EQs epicenters in particular those localised in ICV and ITS (Italy) and TBB (Turkey). We emphasize in our study on the signal fluctuations before/after the sunrise- and sunset-times, or terminator times (TTs). Transmitter amplitude signals exhibit precursor anomalies that related to EQs disturbances occurring particularly at the falling off or the growth of the ionospheric D-layer. Ground-based stations (e.g. Rozhnoi et al., 2009) and satellite observations (e.g. Zhang et al., 2020) have reported such EQs ionospheric disturbances at several occasions

Analysis of VLF and LF signal fluctuations recorded by Graz facility prior to earthquakes occurrences

International audienceWe report in our study on earthquakes that occurred in Croatia and Slovenia in the period from 1 Jan. 2020 to 31 Dec. 2021. Those seismic events happened in a localized region confined between 13.46°E and 17.46°E in longitude and 45.03°N and 49.03°N in latitude. Maximum magnitudes Mw6.4 and Mw5.4 occurred, respectively, on 29 Dec. 2020, at 11:19 UT, and 22 March 2020, at 05:24 UT. We use two-radio system, INFREP (Biagi et al., 2019) and UltraMSK (Schwingenschuh et al., 2011) to investigate the reception conditions of LF-VLF transmitter signals. The selected earthquakes occurred at distances less than 300km from the Graz station (47.03°N, 15.46°E) in Austria. First, we emphasize on the time evolutions of earthquakes that occurred along a same meridian, i.e. at a geographical longitude of 16°E. Second, we study the daily VLF-LF transmitter signals that exhibit a minimum around local sunrises and sunsets. This daily variations are specifically considered two/three weeks before the occurrence of the two intense events with magnitudes Mw6.4 and Mw5.4. We discuss the unusual terminator time motions of VLF-LF signals linked to earthquakes occurrences, and their appearances at sunrise- or sunset-times. Such observational features are interpreted as disturbances of the transmitter signal propagations in the ionospheric D- and E-layers above the earthquakes preparation zone (Hayakawa, 2015)

Study of VLF phase and amplitude variations before the Turkey Syria Mw 7.8 EQs

International audienceWe investigate the recent earthquakes (EQs) that occurred on 06 February 2023 principally in the central southern part of Turkey and north western of Syria. The tectonic plate movements between Anatolian, Arabian and African plates are well known to be subject to EQs. The coordinate of the epicenter was 37.08°E and 37.17°N with depth in the order of 10 km and a magnitude Mw7.8. Beside aftershocks, a few hours later a strong Mw7.7 earthquake occurred in the same region . We consider in this analysis the Bafa VLF transmitter (TBB) signal emitting at frequency of 26.7 kHz and localized in the Anatolia region (Turkey) at longitude of 27.31°E and latitude of 37.40°N. TBB transmitter signal is daily monitored by the VLF Graz facility (Biagi et al., 2019; Galopeau et al., 2023) with a sufficient signal to noise ratio principally during night observations. We study the variations of the phase and amplitude of TBB signals, as detected by Graz facility (15.43°E, 47.06°N) few weeks before the earthquakes occurrence. It is essential to note that the geographical latitudes of the epicenter and the TBB transmitter are about 37°N, and the distance, in the order of 850 km, is found smaller than the radius of the earthquake preparation zone, as derived from Dobrovolsky et al. (1979), when considering the magnitude of the seismic event, i.e. Mw7.8. We have applied the terminator time (TT) method to make evident the presence of sunrise and sunset time shifts at terminators one week to ten days before EQs. We discuss essentially the anomalies, in the phase and the amplitude of TBB transmitter, which are probably linked to the electron density variations at the formation and the destruction of the ionospheric D-E-layers

Analysis of Pre-Seismic Ionospheric Disturbances Prior to 2020 Croatian Earthquakes

International audienceWe study the sub-ionospheric VLF transmitter signals recorded by the Austrian Graz station in the year 2020. Those radio signals are known to propagate in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide between the ground and lower ionosphere. The Austrian Graz facility (geographic coordinates: 15.46 • E, 47.03 • N) can receive such sub-ionospheric transmitter signals, particularly those propagating above earthquake (EQ) regions in the southern part of Europe. We consider in this work the transmitter amplitude variations recorded a few weeks before the occurrence of two EQs in Croatia at a distance less than 200 km from Graz VLF facility. The selected EQs happened on 22 March 2020 and 29 December 2020, with magnitudes of M w 5.4 and M w 6.4, respectively, epicenters localized close to Zagreb (16.02 • E, 45.87 • N; 16.21 • E, 45.42 • N), and with focuses of depth smaller than 10 km. In our study we emphasize the anomaly fluctuations before/after the sunrise times, sunset times, and the cross-correlation of transmitter signals. We attempt to evaluate and to estimate the latitudinal and the longitudinal expansions of the ionospheric disturbances related to the seismic preparation areas