Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered equatorial plasma bubbles above the Giza pyramids in Egypt from a distance of 8,000 kilometers in real-time.
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) are phenomena that occur in the ionosphere near the Earth’s magnetic equator during nighttime. These are superheated gas pockets that form at low latitudes, typically after sunset. They affect radio waves by causing various delay signatures, which can degrade the performance of GPS.
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) appearing above the Giza pyramids. (Photo: AlexAnton/Shutterstock)
The scientific community still lacks a comprehensive understanding of EPBs due to their impact on Earth’s connection to space. Specifically, understanding properties such as the location, size, and timing of EPBs is crucial to minimizing disruptions to satellites used for communication and navigation.
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a Low-Latitude Ionospheric Radar System (LARID) capable of monitoring anomalies caused by plasma bubbles. Just as radio waves can be transmitted around the world by reflecting them off the plasma layer of the ionosphere, radar signals can also be sent in a similar manner.
LARID can detect and track changes caused by plasma bubbles in real-time. Consequently, the researchers propose creating a radar network that could revolutionize the monitoring of these phenomena. The study has been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
The detection of a large plasma bubble over the Egyptian sky is not surprising, as dozens of EPBs form in this region each year. However, they were previously observed mainly from space. Ground-based observations, particularly of the closest ionosphere, can be challenging due to the curvature of ground radar, making it difficult to see targets below the horizon. Therefore, understanding these phenomena is of great significance for satellite communication operations.
