Zoom-in to plasmapause-induced TEC enhancement - April 2001
Space weather events which disturb the plasmapause (displayed here as a green surface enclosing the Earth) can propagate down to the Earth's ionosphere. There they enhance the ionosphere electron content which can disrupt radio signals from satellites.
NOTE: This visualization shows the Earth's magnetic dipole field lines rotating rigidly with the Earth. Technically, this is inaccurate. Ions and electrons in the lower atmosphere can create currents which can make these lines 'drag' with Earth's rotation, but this will occur mostly near the Earth and not higher up. More details on this process can be found in the FAQ at the The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere web site, Does the Earth's magnetic field rotate?.
