A Review on Electrodynamic Influence of Atmospheric Processes to the Ionosphere

Abstract

This work is an attempt to critically analyze the existing theoretical models of the impact of earthquake preparation processes on the state of the earth's atmosphere and ionosphere in the zone of growing seismic activity, as well as the mechanisms of formation and transfer of disturbances in various media over the earthquake center. The determining factor (criterion) of the analysis is the degree of compliance of the simulation results with experimental data obtained at various phases of earthquake development by direct and remote diagnostic methods using ground and aerospace technologies. The key role is played by the model's compliance with the results of measuring electric fields and currents in the near-ground atmosphere and ionosphere, small-scale io-nospheric inhomogeneities and correlated field-aligned currents and electromagnetic ULF/ELF emissions. A full-fledged model should also explain the origin of such seismic related phenomena as the generation in the tropos-phere and over-horizon propagation of pulsed VHF radiation, thermal effects and associated IR emissions as well as the modification of plasma distribution in the D, E and F layers of the ionosphere. The use of this criterion in the analysis allowed us to identify a theoretical model that most fully describes the totality of the above-mentioned experimental data within a single physical mechanism. This is an electrodynamic model based on the perturbation of the conductivity current in the global atmosphere-ionosphere electric circuit due to the injection of charged aerosols into the atmosphere during the preparation and development of an earthquake. The present paper describes this model and the formation mechanisms of related phenomena in the atmosphere and ionosphere, which can be considered as short-term precursors to earthquakes. How to cite this paper: Sorokin, V.M., Chmyrev, V.M. and Hayakawa, M. (2020) A Review on Electrodynamic Influence of Atmospheric Processes to the Ionosphere. Open Journal of Earthquake Research, 9, 113-141. https://doi.