Altitudinal Extent of Winter Anomaly and Its Manifestation in the Total Electron Content

Abstract: Using a global, self-consistent model of the thermosphere, ionosphere, and protonosphere, as well as satellite and radar data, the spatiotemporal extent of the ionospheric winter anomaly is studied. It is shown that the morphological features (longitudinal variation and dependence on solar activity) of the manifestations of winter anomaly in the total electron content and in the electron concentration at altitudes above the maximum of the F2 layer are similar to each other. The results of simulation indicate that the high-altitude region of the manifestation of the winter anomaly is much wider than earlier reporting has found.