Storm-enhanced plasma density and polar tongue of ionization development during the 15 May 2005 superstorm

We investigate the ionosphere's global response to the 15 May 2005 superstorm in terms of storm evolution and ionospheric electrodynamics. Our aim is to study the global distribution of plasma and the resultant large-scale ionospheric features including the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA), storm-enhanced density (SED), and polar tongue of ionization (TOI). We have combined multi-instrument ionospheric data, solar and terrestrial magnetic data, and polar convection maps. Results reveal the prompt penetration of the interplanetary electric field to the polar region and then to the equator with a dusk-to-dawn polarity during the initial phase and with a dawn-to-dusk polarity during the main phase. This drove during the initial phase a weak eastward equatorial electrojet (EEJ) in the American sector at nighttime and a weak westward EEJ in the Indian-Australian sector at daytime. During the main phase, these EEJs intensified and changed polarities. SED and polar TOI development was observed prior to and during the initial phase at evening-premidnight hours over North America and during the main phase in the south at afternoon-evening hours in the Australian sector. During the main phase and early in the recovery phase, the EIA-SED structure was well formed in the Asian longitude sector. Then, polar TOI development was absent in the north because of the long distance from the magnetic pole but was supported in the south because of the closeness of daytime cusp and magnetic pole. Thus, the EIA-SED-TOI structure developed twice but each time in a different longitude sector and with different characteristics.