Possible Evidence of Earthquake Precursors Observed in Ionospheric Scintillation Events Observed from Spaceborne GNSS-R Data (original) (raw)

2021, 2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSS

Several factors may induce perturbations on the ionospheric plasma, changing its average electron density and creating small-scale irregularities, changing its shape and altitude. Solar irradiance and space weather are some of the main factors affecting the ionosphere. They produce a seasonal and daily dependence, modulated by the solar cycle, with more ionospheric activity during periods of higher solar activity. Recent studies shows that another source of perturbations for the ionosphere may be related to internal Earth parameters as seismic activity, in particular, earthquakes. In the period before an earthquake, rocks in the lithosphere are subjected to pressures and movements that may create variations of electromagnetic fields and low frequency waves interacting with the ionosphere. In this work, the ionospheric scintillation intensity index or S 4 is estimated from GNSS-R data collected by NASA CYGNSS, and it is correlated with earthquakes events in 2020. Furthermore, it is compared with plasma fluctuation indices measured by ESA Swarm satellites. Two earthquakes in 2020 with magnitudes larger than 7 in the central America region are shown in this work.

Sign up for access to the world's latest research.

checkGet notified about relevant papers

checkSave papers to use in your research

checkJoin the discussion with peers

checkTrack your impact