Analysis of Positive Ionospheric Storm Disturbances

Geomagnetic storms affect the electron density in the ionosphere. Storm-time dynamics, electrodynamics, and composition changes can cause an increase (positive storm) or decrease (negative storm) of the electron density, which can in-turn affect satellites and radio signals traveling through the ionosphere. While the culprit of negative storms is largely credited to neutral composition changes, a variety of mechanisms are responsible for positive storms. In this study, we investigate the cause of long duration positive storms by analyzing TEC data from 2000-2018. We perform a statistical analysis by grouping the storms by season, longitude, latitude, and UT to determine the occurrence pattern. This process will help scientists better understand how these storms behave and hopefully guide them towards understanding what dictates these different effects.