Ionospheric Variability during the 2020–2021 SSW: COSMIC-2 Observations and WACCM-X Simulations

Abstract

Variability in the ionosphere during the 2020–2021 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) is investigated using a combination of Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2) observations and the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere–ionosphere eXtension (WACCM-X) simulations. The unprecedented spatial–temporal sampling of the low latitude ionosphere afforded by COSMIC-2 enables investigating the short-term (<5 days) variability in the ionosphere during the SSW event. The COSMIC-2 observations reveal a reduction in the diurnal and zonal mean ionosphere total electron content (ITEC) and reduced amplitude of the diurnal variation in the ionosphere during the SSW. Enhanced ITEC amplitudes of the semidiurnal solar and lunar migrating tides and the westward propagating semidiurnal tide with zonal wavenumber 3 are also observed. The WACCM-X simulations demonstrate that these variations are driven by variability in the stratosphere–mesosphere during the 2020–2021 SSW event. The results show the impact of the 2020–2021 SSW on the mean state, diurnal, and semidiurnal variations in the ionosphere, as well as the capabilities of the COSMIC-2 mission to observe short-term variability in the ionosphere that is driven by meteorological variability in the lower atmosphere.