Suppression of the Polar Tongue of Ionization During the 21 August 2017 Solar Eclipse

Abstract

It has long been recognized that during solar eclipses, the ionosphere‐thermosphere system changes greatly within the eclipse shadow, due to the rapid reduction of solar irradiation. However, the concept that a solar eclipse impacts polar ionosphere behavior and dynamics as well as magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling has not been appreciated. In this study, we investigate the potential impact of the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse on the polar tongue of ionization (TOI) using a high‐resolution, coupled ionosphere‐thermosphere‐electrodynamics model. The reduction of electron densities by the eclipse in the middle latitude TOI source region leads to a suppressed TOI in the polar region. The TOI suppression occurred when the solar eclipse moved into the afternoon sector. The Global Positioning System total electron content observations show similar tendency of polar region total electron content suppression. This study reveals that a solar eclipse occurring at middle latitudes may have significant influences on the polar ionosphere and magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling.