Research Article

Climatology of large-scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances above Europe during the 2014–2023 period

Observatori de l’Ebre, CSIC – Universitat Ramon Llull, C.\ Observatori 3-A, 43520, Roquetes, Spain

^* Corresponding author: asegarra@gencat.cat

Received: 31 October 2024
Accepted: 26 May 2025

Abstract

This study analyzes the climatology of Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (LSTIDs) over Europe from 2014 to 2023 using the HF-Interferometry method (HF-INT), which provides LSTIDs’ activity detected in near-real-time by a network of European ionosondes. For this purpose, this LSTID activity has been analyzed in depth, and a Catalogue of observed LSTID events has been obtained, providing, among others, the onset time, duration, dominant period, and propagation velocity vector of each LSTID event. The results, derived from this Catalogue of LSTIDs, reveal that LSTID occurrence is significantly dependent on local time, seasonal variations, and geomagnetic conditions, with activity peaks observed during equinoxes, particularly at night and in the early morning hours. Key propagation characteristics include velocities ranging from 500 m/s to 700 m/s and azimuths in a southward direction, suggesting a close association with auroral activity. Additionally, a distinct westward propagation in the morning hours is attributed to the solar terminator effect.