ELF Electromagnetic Waves and Ionospheric Physics Seminar


                                  October 28, 2026




Mark Golkowski (UCD, Denver University) and Zenon Nieckarz (Jagiellonian University)

"ELF Propagation Signatures of the 12 August 2026 Total Solar Eclipse"


Abstract:

A collaboration between the Kraków ELF Group and the University of Colorado Denver has developed a technique for remotely sensing the lower ionosphere using the propagation velocity of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic signals generated by lightning. By combining lightning locations and occurrence times from global lightning detection network WWLLN with high-fidelity ELF measurements at the Hylaty ELF observatory in Poland, changes in ELF propagation velocity can be measured and related to variations in the state of the lower ionosphere. Previous studies have demonstrated the sensitivity of this technique to diurnal ionospheric variability and transient ionization associated with solar flares and gamma-ray bursts.

The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 provided a unique opportunity to investigate the response of ELF propagation to a rapid and spatially localized reduction in solar illumination. The observations reveal a distinct eclipse-associated perturbation in ELF propagation velocity as the eclipse traversed the relevant propagation region. While ionospheric effects of solar eclipses have been extensively studied using VLF propagation, these observations are believed to represent the first detection of a solar-eclipse signature using ELF propagation velocity. The presentation will describe the measurement technique, the observed eclipse response, and preliminary modeling aimed at relating the measured propagation-velocity perturbation to changes in the lower ionosphere.



Contact: Contact_ELFseminar(at)oa.uj.edu.pl