Metal Layer Depletion during the Super Substorm on 4 November 2021

Abstract. Metal layer forms as a result of meteoric ablation and exist as a layer of metal elements between approximately 80 and 105 km altitude, and it provides information about the physics and chemistry of the boundary between the atmosphere and space. Due to the viscous force of air, the wind and electric field disturbances of a magnetic storm is hard to penetrate deep into the Earth’s dense atmospheric region. It is generally believed that the influence of storms cannot reach the metal layers. However, during the super substorm on 4 Nov. 2021, the atmospheric metal layers were observed to deplete by three lidars at the mid-latitudes of China. The Na , Ca and Ni densities on the storm day were significantly lower than those on other days in October and November. The O/N₂ column density ratio observed by the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) on the storm day was much higher than that on the quiet days, and the numerical simulation results demonstrate a substantial increase in atomic oxygen density at the heights of the metal layer. The increase in oxygen density may lead to the formation of more metal compounds, thus more metal atoms are consumed. This is an interesting phenomenon that magnetic storm can perturb the atmospheric metal layer through chemical reactions.