Ionospheric total electron content disturbance associated with May 12, 2008, Wenchuan earthquake

Possible ionospheric disturbances relating to the May 12, 2008, Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake were identified by Global Positioning System (GPS)-derived total electron content (TEC), ionosonde observations, the global ionospheric map (GIM), and electron density profiles detected by the Constellation Observation System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC). We applied a statistical test to detect anomalous TEC signals and found that a unique enhancement in TEC, recorded at 16 GPS stations, appeared on May 9, 2008. The critical frequency at F2 peak (f0F2), observed by the Chinese ionosondes, and maximal plasma frequency, derived from COSMIC data, revealed a characteristic similar to GPS TEC variations. The GIM showed that the anomalous variations of May 9 were located southeast of the epicenter. Using GPS data from 13 stations near the epicenter, we analyzed the TEC variations of satellite orbit traces during 04:00–11:00 UT. We found that TEC decreased to the east and increased to the southeast of the epicenter during this period. Results showed that the abnormal disturbance on May 9 was probably an ionospheric precursor of the Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008.