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        <title>Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences | Space Physics section | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/astronomy-and-space-sciences/sections/space-physics</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Space Physics section in the Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences journal | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
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        <pubDate>2026-05-13T22:03:42.529+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
        <item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1797886</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1797886</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Characterizing solar cycle influence on long-term orbital deterioration of low-earth orbiting space debris]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ayisha M. Ashruf</author><author>Ankush Bhaskar</author><author>C. Vineeth</author><author>Tarun Kumar Pant</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The rapid increase in space debris poses a major threat to sustainable space operations and underscores the importance of understanding long-term drivers of orbital decay. Because debris objects do not perform station-keeping maneuvers, their orbital evolution directly reflects variations in thermospheric density, unlike that of operational satellites. This makes space debris an effective natural testbed for examining the long-term influence of solar activity on atmospheric drag. This study analyzes the impact of solar activity on the decay of 17 LEO debris objects across solar cycles 22, 23, and 24 using Two-Line Element (TLE) data. TLE-derived decay profiles, combined with sunspot numbers (SSN) and the F10.7 index, reveal a threshold: decay rates rise sharply when SSN exceeds ∼67%–75% of its cycle peak, corresponding to increased Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) fluxes, thermospheric density and atmospheric drag. Peak decay rates declined progressively from cycle 22 to 24, reflecting reduced solar activity. Decay profiles for cycle 24 - predicted using ballistic coefficients from earlier cycles and MSIS 2.0 atmospheric densities - match observations well after applying a scaling factor. However, two high-inclination objects showed significant deviations, suggesting possible MSIS limitations at high latitudes, while lower-inclination objects aligned closely. Moreover, geomagnetic activity indices such as AE and Dst show little correlation with long-term orbital decay rates, suggesting a comparatively weaker role at the timescales examined, for Joule heating and particle precipitation than for solar EUV forcing in driving sustained orbital decay. Overall, the findings support solar EUV-driven thermospheric variability as a primary factor influencing long-term orbital decay and emphasize the need to refine atmospheric models, particularly for polar regions, to improve reentry predictions and satellite mission planning.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1816412</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1816412</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Fast acquisition of weak eLoran signals via a uniform partitioned overlap-save algorithm exploiting temporal sparsity]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Qian Liu</author><author>Jianfeng Wu</author><author>Yan Xing</author><author>Ying Wang</author><author>Junliang Liu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Enhanced Loran (eLoran) provides resilient, wide-area positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services in the low-frequency band. However, receiver acquisition remains computationally demanding because of the long group repetition intervals (GRIs) and high sampling rates required for signal processing. Although the uniform partitioned overlap-save (UPOLS) algorithm has potential for matched filtering, its application to eLoran acquisition has not yet been explored. In this study, we propose the first UPOLS-based acquisition scheme tailored for eLoran signals. To address the computational bottleneck, we exploit the inherent temporal sparsity of eLoran pulses and develop a sparsity-aware acquisition method, termed the sparsity partitioned overlap-save (SPOLS) algorithm. Extensive simulations were conducted under additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and mixed noise-interference conditions, and performance was evaluated in terms of peak detection probability, root-mean-square error (RMSE), runtime, and memory footprint. Under AWGN conditions, SPOLS consistently detected the correlation peak at or near the true time of arrival (TOA) over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), whereas the envelope delay correlation (EDC) method degraded rapidly as noise increased, showing peak shifts and spurious detections. At a fixed SNR with decreasing signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) from 10 to -25 dB, SPOLS maintained reliable detection with minimal bias, while EDC exhibited progressively distorted results. RMSE analysis showed that SPOLS achieved accuracy comparable to UPOLS and substantially outperformed EDC under moderate-to-low SNR and interference conditions. In addition, SPOLS reduced normalized runtime by approximately 45% relative to UPOLS and required less memory. These results demonstrate that SPOLS provides an effective balance among estimation accuracy, robustness, and computational complexity, making it well suited for TOA-based positioning and ranging in low-SNR and interference-prone environments, particularly in resource-constrained embedded systems.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1756599</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1756599</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Evolution of density structures in the inner magnetosphere using coordinated Van Allen probe observations]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Tyler Bishop</author><author>Lauren Blum</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The plasmasphere contains rich small-scale structure that plays a key role in regulating wave propagation and mass transport in the inner magnetosphere, yet the evolution of plasmaspheric density ducts remains poorly understood. We use joint observations from the Van Allen Probes to investigate how density structures change over time by identifying matched structures observed by both spacecraft during the years 2013 and 2014. For each structure, we quantify changes in density, width, and location, and assess whether the structure satisfies theoretical criteria for whistler-mode ducting. We identify 167 density structures and find that structures are usually largest and most dynamic near the plasmapause and are associated with slightly increased levels of geomagnetic activity. Although some structures exhibit minimal evolution over the spacecraft separation interval, many undergo substantial changes in both density and width, with no clear systematic trends, suggesting largely stochastic evolution. The motion of these density structures includes both outward and inward radial shifts. The vast majority of structures remain capable of ducting whistler-mode waves throughout the observation period. These results provide new insights on plasmaspheric substructure evolution and highlight the importance of multi-point measurements for understanding ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1791135</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1791135</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Multi-scale GNSS-TEC and GIM investigation of ionospheric perturbations triggered by the 28 March 2025 Myanmar earthquake preceded by geomagnetic storm]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-30T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Paul Obasanjo</author><author>Daniel Okoh</author><author>Adero Awuor</author><author>Paul Baki</author><author>George Ochieng</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study investigates variability in ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) associated with the 28 March 2025 moment magnitude (Mw) 7.7 Sagaing (Myanmar) earthquake within the low-latitude environment of Southeast Asia. A primary challenge in this region is identifying seismogenic perturbations during the residual recovery phase of two successive geomagnetic storms (25–26 March), which produced large-scale TEC fluctuations of ±35 TEC units (TECU). To isolate potential seismic signatures, we implemented a multi-scale “Filter-to-Focus” framework. This approach uses regional Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) as a spatial filter to separate broad storm-driven trends from localized lithospheric forcing. Subsequently, localized Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) TEC time series from station CMUM (located 390 km from the epicenter) were analyzed to provide high-resolution spectral focus. Statistical rigor was established using a non-parametric 1.5× interquartile range (IQR) threshold combined with control-day validation, confirming that differential TEC (dTEC) remained within stable limits prior to the seismic event. Despite the dominant storm-time background, distinct localized perturbations were detected. These included an observed pre-event enhancement of +3.2 TECU 8–12 h prior to the mainshock—though definitively isolating this from late-stage storm dynamics remains complex—and significant coseismic enhancements of 15–25 TECU occurring approximately 18 min after rupture. Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) analysis confirmed that these coseismic perturbations exhibited wave-like oscillations within the 10–25 min period range (∼0.7–1.7 mHz), consistent with the internal gravity wave component of the acoustic-gravity wave (AGW) spectrum. Importantly, the CWT distinguished these specific seismogenic signatures from the broader, lower-frequency fluctuations typical of the geomagnetic recovery phase. These results demonstrate that seismogenic signals can be retrieved from geophysically noisy environments using combined spatial and frequency-domain filtering. This study provides a robust methodology for investigating lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere (LAI) coupling, offering a significant refinement for anomaly detection within the highly dynamic crest of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA).]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1821037</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1821037</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Refining relative tropospheric delay modeling of GPT3 for large-height-difference RTK positioning]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Peida Wu</author><author>Weixing Zhang</author><author>Yidong Lou</author><author>Mengjie Liu</author><author>Wanke Liu</author><author>Hong Chen</author><author>Zhizhao Liu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning technique, with centimeter-level accuracy, is widely used in landslide deformation and building structural health monitoring. However, in large-height-difference scenarios where the height difference between the base and rover station is generally over 100 m, RTK positioning performance experiences a significant decline, mainly due to the deficiency in tropospheric delay modeling. In this study, we proposed a new method to refine the modeling of relative tropospheric delay corrections for the widely-used GPT3 by using ERA5 reanalysis data. The refined model, referred to as GPT3-e, shows an improvement of ∼33% for relative tropospheric modeling on a global scale compared to GPT3. Large-height-difference RTK positioning experiments further show that the vertical errors were reduced by 2.9 cm in January and 2.4 cm in July, with corresponding accuracy improvements of 64% and 57%, respectively, and slightly improves the ambiguity-fixing rate. As the refined model does not rely on external real-time products, it is compatible with the current RTK devices which makes the model easy to implement and will not significantly increase the cost.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1788081</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1788081</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Turbulence properties and kinetic signatures of electrons in Kelvin-Helmholtz waves during a geomagnetic storm]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Harsha Gurram</author><author>Jason R. Shuster</author><author>Li-Jen Chen</author><author>Richard E. Denton</author><author>Matthew R. Argall</author><author>Subash Adhikari</author><author>Rachel C. Rice</author><author>Brandon L. Burkholder</author><author>Daniel J. Gershman</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI), in its nonlinear phase, plays a significant role in transporting solar-wind plasma into Earth’s magnetosphere. This study investigates the turbulence properties and reconnection signatures observed at the edges of Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices during a geomagnetic storm. Temporal spectra of the magnetic field, electric field, and bulk ion velocity exhibit power-law behavior with slope changes near the ion gyrofrequency, as well as a distinct spectral knee near 0.14 Hz in the inertial range. The nonlinear KH vortices exhibit an alignment between the magnetic field and plasma velocity at large scales, which progressively weakens toward kinetic scales, consistent with trend in the magnetosheath. These inertial-scale properties indicate that KH vortices host strong turbulence and coherent structures even during their early nonlinear phase. In addition, MMS observes a reconnecting current sheet characterized by intense electron jets and signatures consistent with strong guide-field asymmetric reconnection at the magnetopause. Significant agyrotropy in the electron velocity distribution functions is detected both within the reconnecting current sheet and along the edges of the KH vortices. Together, these observations provide a multi-scale view of KH-driven turbulence and reconnection under strongly driven storm-time conditions.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1810495</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1810495</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Radial evolution of the solar wind electron heat flux in the inner heliosphere]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Bofeng Tang</author><author>Laxman Adhikari</author><author>Gary P. Zank</author><author>Fang Shen</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The electron heat flux plays a important role in the expansion of the solar corona and solar wind. The electron heat flux of the solar wind is fully described by the electron velocity distribution function as it evolves with heliocentric distance. We investigate the characteristics of the radial evolution of the electron heat flux in the inner heliosphere from 0.2 to 2.2 au. The electron Fokker-Planck form of the kinetic transport equation is solved numerically in the presence of the magnetic field, the ambipolar electric field, and appropriate scattering mechanisms. The electron heat flux is calculated from the numerical solutions of the electron velocity distribution function. Our numerical simulations reveal that the radial evolution of the heat flux can be approximated by multiple power laws, with the rate of decrease gradually slowing with increasing heliocentric distance. However, introducing suprathermal electrons, ambipolar electric field, and scattering mechanisms mitigate this property and allow for a single power-law approximation for the radial evolution of the electron heat flux. Suprathermal electrons cause the heat flux to decrease more slowly with heliocentric distance, i.e., a larger power law index, and this results in fewer variations of the index of the radial evolution of electron heat flux. The ambipolar electric fields accelerate the decrease of the electron heat flux. In contrast, suprathermal electrons and scattering mechanisms slow down the decrease of the heat flux with heliocentric distance. The stronger the scattering experienced by electrons, the slower the radial evolution of electron heat flux and the larger the index of the radial evolution of the electron heat flux.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1817245</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1817245</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Oxygen torus and warm plasma cloak: a review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-09T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Masahito Nosé</author><author>Naomi Maruyama</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This paper reviews past observational studies of low-energy ion populations in the Earth’s magnetosphere, known as the oxygen torus and the warm plasma cloak. These populations have been investigated since the early 1980s and have recently regained attention. The oxygen torus is characterized by enhanced O+ ions at energies below several tens of eV near the plasmapause (L = 3–5), with a magnetic local time distribution skewed toward the dawn sector, whereas the warm plasma cloak consists primarily of field-aligned H+ and O+ ions with energies from ∼10 eV to ∼3 keV, extending from the nightside through dawn to the dayside at L = 4–12. Several formation mechanisms have been proposed for the oxygen torus, including ionospheric heating due to ring current–plasmasphere interactions, the geomagnetic mass spectrometer effect, and direct supply of low-energy O+ ions from the nightside ionosphere followed by eastward drift. Recent observations favor the latter mechanism, although the relative importance of each process remains uncertain. The formation of the warm plasma cloak is generally attributed to ionospheric outflow transported through the magnetotail and subsequently convected earthward. Considering their energy and spatial distributions as well as plausible generation mechanisms, the oxygen torus and the warm plasma cloak appear to be distinct plasma populations. Their mutual relationship and the dominant formation process of the oxygen torus remain open questions, motivating future observations with improved ion composition measurements across a wide energy range.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1786771</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1786771</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Explainable machine learning of the MCP dark count observed by Earth-orbiting space telescope]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ryoichi Koga</author><author>Satoshi Oyama</author><author>Masahito Nosé</author><author>Kazuo Yoshioka</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Radiation in low Earth orbit (LEO) poses a critical risk to satellite electronics and optics, and clarifying the causes of sudden variations in Earth’s inner radiation belt is therefore essential. Using the dark count rates on the micro-channel plate (MCP) detector of the Hisaki space telescope collected over the period 2013–2018, we identified several enhancement events with amplitudes of a factor of 2–5. A two-stage regression analysis with model training on 2013–2016 and detailed event analysis in 2017–2018, combining satellite orbital parameters with Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) measurements (X-rays, magnetic fields, protons, and electrons) and the Symmetric-H component (SYM-H) index, detected events in August 2018 and September 2017, as well as precursor variations occurring about 2 days earlier. While such events are expected to be attributed to coronal mass ejections, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis revealed an unexpected contribution from non-delayed X-ray variations, suggesting that solar flares may directly affect detectors within minutes. This finding indicates that non-delayed X-ray variations can act as a distinct, event-specific driver of transient dark count enhancements, highlighting the event-to-event variability of radiation-induced detector responses in LEO.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1643505</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1643505</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Comparisons of observed and forward modeled Balmer-α intensities from WACCM-X and MSIS-00]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Brief Research Report</category>
        <author>Lauren T. Ashworth</author><author>Edwin J. Mierkiewicz</author><author>Susan M. Nossal</author><author>Liying Qian</author><author>Joseph M. McInerney</author><author>L. Matthew Haffner</author><author>R. Carey Woodward</author><author>Brandon J. Myers</author>
        <description><![CDATA[From 2000 to 2001, ground-based geocoronal hydrogen Balmer-α (Hα) observations were obtained from Pine Bluff Observatory (PBO) in Wisconsin (43.07°N, 270.33°E) using a high spectral resolution (R ≈ 80,000) Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). In previous work, the PBO March 2000 observations have been compared to forward modeled MSISE-90 Hα intensities using the radiative transport code, lyao_rt (Bishop, Journal of Qunatitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 1999, 61, 473–491). Results indicate that hydrogen column abundances exceed those predicted by MSISE-90 (Bishop et al., Journal of Geophysical Research, 2004, 109, 473–491). Furthermore, the PBO 2000–2001 observations have been compared to NRLMSISE-00 (MSIS-00) Hα intensities generated by lyao_rt. It was found that the observed dusk-to-dawn intensity variation and MSIS-00 show good agreement near the equinoxes and summer solstice, however, MSIS-00 underestimates the dusk-to-dawn asymmetry near the winter solstice (Gallant et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2019, 124, 4525–4538). More recent work has focused on forward modeling Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model-eXtended (WACCM-X) simulations for three separate observatory locations, including PBO. Here, we investigate variations in upper thermospheric hydrogen by comparing WACCM-X and MSIS-00 forward modeled Hα intensities for the March equinox with the PBO March 2000 evening observations used in Bishop et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research, 2004, 109, 473–491). WACCM-X underestimates the March 2000 observations by less than a factor of 2.0 rayleighs whereas MSIS-00 underestimates the observations by 2.6 rayleighs. A further analysis suggests that WACCM-X is better at simulating the underlying hydrogen density distribution than MSIS-00. Model-model-data comparisons between the 2000–2001 PBO observations, MSIS-00, and WACCM-X simulations that are representative of the observational conditions are currently underway.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1792501</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1792501</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The non-negligible effect of magnetic holes on the magnitude-of-B magnetic power spectral density of the fast Alfvenic coronal-hole-origin solar wind at 1 AU ]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Brief Research Report</category>
        <author>Joseph E. Borovsky</author><author>Charles W. Smith</author>
        <description><![CDATA[To estimate the effects of magnetic holes on the magnitude of B magnetic power spectral density, a 2-day interval of fast coronal-hole-origin plasma at 1 AU is examined. The magnetic holes are identified and removed from the magnetic time series, and the power spectral density of the hole-free time series is compared with the power spectral density of the original time series. The magnetic holes were found to contribute about a factor of two to the amplitude of the power spectral density.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1808584</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1808584</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Multi-point observation of interplanetary shock–driven asymmetry of dayside inner-magnetospheric keV particles under geomagnetically quiet conditions]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-31T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Megha Pandya</author><author>Philemon J. Kuo</author><author>Guan Le</author><author>Mei-Ching Fok</author><author>Sang-Yun Lee</author><author>Denny M. Oliveira</author><author>Geoffrey D. Reeves</author>
        <description><![CDATA[We present simultaneous multi-point observation of local-time asymmetry in keV ion and electron fluxes during the interplanetary (IP) shock impact on 19 April 2014 under geomagnetically quiet conditions. During this event, Van Allen Probe-A and Probe-B were simultaneously located in the afternoon and morning sectors, respectively, for ∼20 min (18:38-18:58 UT), while sampling nearly identical radial distances (L* = 3.7 ± 0.2). This unique conjunction provides an exceptional opportunity to investigate the local-time–dependent response of inner magnetospheric particle populations to shock-driven compression. Distinct asymmetries in the ion and electron flux responses are identified during the IP shock interval. In the afternoon sector, H+, He+, and O+ ions exhibit pronounced multiple nose structures at energies above 5 keV that extend deeper in radial distance. In contrast, the morning sector shows fewer nose structures—particularly for O+ ions and the corresponding features for all ion species are considerably less deep compared to those observed in the afternoon sector. In contrast, keV electrons show an enhancement of an order of magnitude or more in the morning sector following the IP shock, whereas no significant electron response is observed in the afternoon sector during the same interval. Our results indicate that the observed dayside local-time asymmetry of keV ions is primarily governed by shock-induced asymmetric magnetospheric compression combined with the temporal variability of the convection electric field. These findings demonstrate that even weak IP shocks under quiet geomagnetic conditions can produce significant and highly asymmetric particle responses in the inner magnetosphere.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1795391</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1795391</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The frequency spectrum of the solar-wind magnetic-field fluctuations that reside outside the strong current sheets: fast and slow solar wind]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-27T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Joseph E. Borovsky</author><author>Charles W. Smith</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Motivated by knowledge that directional discontinuities (strong current sheets) in the solar-wind magnetic time series have dominating effects on the magnetic power spectral density of the solar wind, the question is raised as to what are the effects of the magnetic fluctuations that reside in between those discontinuities. A methodology is developed to remove the effects of discontinuities in the magnetic time series and the resulting modified time series is Fourier examined. At 1 AU, an interval of fast Alfvénic coronal-hole-origin wind and an interval of slow non-Alfvénic streamer-belt-origin wind are analyzed. For both types of solar wind, the amplitude of the trace-B power spectral density in the inertial range is about an order of magnitude smaller for the time series of fluctuations between the discontinuities than it is for the raw (with discontinuities) time series, and the spectral index is shallower when the discontinuities are removed. For future global MHD computer simulations of the “upstream turbulence effect” on the solar-wind-driven Earth’s magnetosphere, we have a methodology to determine the effects of discontinuities on the Earth’s magnetosphere versus the effects of between-the-discontinuity magnetic fluctuations.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1797555</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1797555</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Multi-instrument investigation of the longitudinal variability of ionospheric irregularities during the 23–24 April 2023 geomagnetic storm]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-24T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ipsita Katual</author><author>Gopi K. Seemala</author><author>Chinmaya Nayak</author><author>Jeff Klenzing</author><author>Jonathon Smith</author><author>Stephan Buchert</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study reports an event-specific longitudinal asymmetry of ionospheric irregularities during 23-24 April 2023 geomagnetic storm (SYM-H: −233 nT), utilizing multi-instrument observations (ground-based GNSS and magnetometer along with space-borne Swarm and GOLD satellites). The rate of change of total electron content index (ROTI) is used as a proxy for ionospheric irregularities. Irregularities were largely absent over most western longitudes, except over the Western African sector, where they persisted from 22 to 26 April. On 24 April, these were restricted to 90 °–70 °W during post-midnight hours. On the contrary, over eastern longitudes, irregularities were observed on all days except 24 April. Electron density depletions near ∼12 °W and ∼35 °W reached beyond ∼40 °N and 30 °S Glat on 23 April. Persistence of irregularities observed at GNSS stations YKRO, ACRG, and NKLG over the African longitude sector suggests a decoupling from storm-time magnetospheric electric fields, however suggests dominance of local-time control, background electrodynamics, or trans-equatorial winds, which is relatively a rare observation and strengthens the regional resilience of EPB generation mechanisms. By applying a moving average filter to the magnetic H-component, contributions of prompt penetration (DP2) and disturbance dynamo (Ddyn) currents are separated, with peak activity during southward IMF Bz. Simultaneous DP2 across different local time sectors and anti-Sq patterns illustrate the roles of storm time ionospheric currents. There is a clear sector-dependent phase reversal (main vs. recovery phase) within the storm, highlighting the roles of storm-time drivers, and storm phase alone cannot predict irregularities occurrence without longitude context.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1775567</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1775567</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Determination of the CME core parameters by the spectral characteristics of the fine structure of the associated Type IV burst]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-18T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Mykola Shevchuk</author><author>Valentin Melnik</author><author>Vladimir Dorovskyy</author><author>Alexander Konovalenko</author><author>Igor Bubnov</author><author>Serge Yerin</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The analysis of the Type IV burst and spikes observed on its background on 22 August 2015 in the meter–decameter wavelength range is presented. For the first time, spikes as a fine structure of the Type IV burst were used to determine the temperature (T) and magnetic field (B) of the coronal mass ejection (CME) core. Supposing a plasma emission mechanism, the density distribution n(r) within the CME core and, as a consequence, temperature T(r) and magnetic field B(r) distributions, where r is the distance from the core center, were obtained. The established density, temperature, and magnetic field within the CME core varied from nc≈6.6×107cm−3 to np≈3.2×106cm−3, Tc≈1.4 MK to Tp≈0.3 MK, Bc≈0.56−4.4 G to Bp≈6×10−2−1 G, respectively (subscripts c and p denote the center and the periphery of the core). The estimated mass of the CME was approximately 1015−1016 g.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1729075</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1729075</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Seasonal vertical coupling of gravity waves over the Southern Andes from 3D satellite and high-resolution lidar observations]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Wenjun Dong</author><author>Alan Z. Liu</author><author>Lars Hoffmann</author><author>David C. Fritts</author><author>Fan Yang</author><author>Jiahui Hu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In the mesosphere, vertical wind velocities can exceed tens of m/s, driven by gravity wave (GW) processes such as wave breaking and the generation of secondary GWs. These dynamic events play a crucial role in redistributing energy and momentum across atmospheric layers. In this study, we investigate the GW dynamics over the Southern Andes—a prominent hotspot for GW activity—using a combination of satellite and ground-based observations. In particular, we analyze nearly two decades of atmospheric infrared sounder (AIRS) data, along with approximately 5 years of sodium (Na) lidar observations from the Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO). Our analysis reveals a clear seasonal co-variation between lower-stratospheric GW activity and mesospheric perturbations, with both datasets exhibiting pronounced austral-winter enhancements. The mesospheric Na-lidar variance also exhibits secondary maxima during late summer and spring; a simple vertical-wavenumber spectral analysis indicates that these shoulder enhancements result from modest, broadband increases in short-vertical-wavelength power. This variability is consistent with vertical coupling mediated by seasonally varying background winds and mesospheric wave dissipation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1713968</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1713968</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Characterizing ionospheric variability through HF Doppler measurements: a statistical and numerical ray tracing analysis]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-11T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sabastian Fernandes</author><author>Gareth W. Perry</author><author>Tiago Trigo</author><author>Nathaniel A. Frissell</author><author>John Gibbons</author><author>Kristina Collins</author>
        <description><![CDATA[High-frequency (HF) skywave propagation relies on the ionosphere, making it susceptible to ionospheric variability. This study analyzes long-term Doppler residual measurements of a 10 MHz HF link between Fort Collins, CO, and Newark, NJ, to characterize the impact of ionospheric conditions on the link. We report that daytime measurements of Doppler variability exhibit Cauchy statistics, while nighttime measurements show a combination of exponential and log-normal statistics. These patterns correlate with solar activity and solar zenith angle. We also use PHaRLAP numerical ray tracing simulations through the IRI 2020 ionosphere to provide insights into signal ray paths and the altitudes of the ionosphere contributing to the observed Doppler shifts. By examining diurnal variations and statistical properties of Doppler residuals, this study aims to enhance our understanding of ionospheric dynamics and their influence on HF signal characteristics.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1781474</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1781474</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The prevalence and significance of wave cross-scale coupling in the Earth’s magnetosphere: observations from the Van Allen Probes]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>S. S. Elliott</author><author>C. A. Colpitts</author><author>K. Seebaluck</author><author>C. A. Cattell</author><author>J. Wygant</author><author>A. Singh</author>
        <description><![CDATA[We present a novel technique for detecting cross-scale coupling of plasma waves in Earth’s radiation belts through the use of the Van Allen Probes (RBSP) filterbank data products. We find that intermediate frequency (18.5 Hz–4.85 kHz) waves modulated at low frequencies (0.7–3.0 Hz) are more common in the magnetosphere than was previously understood. Our results show the modulations are more frequent on the dawn side, between magnetic local times (MLTs) of ∼2–14, with peak occurrence at L values of 5–6. The modulation peak occurrence moves from the dayside to pre-dawn as geomagnetic activity levels increase. As the modulated wave frequency increases, the occurrence probability moves from pre-dawn to noon. These results may have important implications for wave-particle interactions and radiation belt dynamics because modulated waves can more efficiently scatter electrons than non-modulated waves.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2025.1749271</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2025.1749271</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Composition dependence of ion heating in dayside magnetopause reconnection: MMS observations]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-04T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Elizabeth L. M. Hanson</author><author>Laura Balboa</author><author>Alayna Corona</author><author>Cynthia A. Cattell</author><author>Evan Tyler</author><author>Tai D. Phan</author><author>Stephen A. Fuselier</author><author>Roman G. Gomez</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionMotivated by observed composition dependence in reconnection energy outflow and by theoretical and simulation studies predicting differences between heating of H+ and heavier ions, we investigated the ion composition dependence of heating associated with reconnection in 28 dayside magnetopause crossings in Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) data.MethodsWe applied Least Squares fitting to analyze the relationship of temperature change across the magnetopause exhaust to available magnetic energy. Available magnetic energy per ion-electron pair flowing into the magnetopause from the magnetosheath and magnetosphere ranged between a few tens of eV and ∼1750 eV.ResultsThe individual fits for composition-nonspecific ions and for H+ were significantly lower than the empirical scaling relationship found previously between the temperature change and the inflowing magnetic energy; the fit for He++ was higher, with marginal significance. A composite data product combining H+ and He++ agreed with the empirical scaling relationship to within 95%.DiscussionAlthough comparisons between heating of H+ and He++ are suggestive of enhanced heating of heavy ions, differences could not be identified conclusively due to high scatter and a small number of events with adequate densities of heavy ions.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1723511</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2026.1723511</link>
        <title><![CDATA[HamSCI HF multipath propagation mode analysis using amateur radios and audio waveforms sensitive to time difference of arrival]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-27T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Stephen A. Cerwin</author><author>Jesse T. McMahan</author><author>Alexandros S. Papadopoulos</author><author>Gerard N. Piccini</author><author>Nathaniel A. Frissell</author><author>Kristina V. Collins</author><author>Aidan Montare</author><author>Paul Bilberry</author><author>Samuel Blackshear</author><author>David R. Themens</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study describes a method to deduce the ionization layer virtual height and propagation path geometry responsible for communication between two HF radio stations a fixed distance apart. The method measures the Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) between multipath propagation modes involving the active ionospheric layers and reconciles the data with a virtual height model of the ionosphere. The TDOA approach was implemented by transmitting audio signals that are sensitive to a time delay when summed together as happens in a receiver during multipath reception. The TDOA method eliminates the need for any absolute time references or extensive equipment calibration that would be required for an absolute time of flight (TOF) measurement. The audio waveforms used by the method included 1-cycle audio bursts, linear audio chirps of controlled sweep rate, and pseudorandom noise (PN) bursts.]]></description>
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