Ionospheric Response to M-Class Solar Flares: Analysis of Electron Temperature, Ion Temperature, and Total Electron Content during January–March 2025

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/10/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 5 (2026)

Article No.

080

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-KL6K9V9Z

Received

25 Sep 2026

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18

Downloads

11

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive statistical analysis of the ionospheric response to 91 M-class solar flares observed between 1 January and 14 March 2025. We examine simultaneous measurements of electron temperature (Te), ion temperature (Ti), and total electron content (TEC), together with contextual solar parameters including solar zenith angle, sunspot number, and 10.7 cm radio flux (F10.7). The mean values during the flare intervals were Te = 1669 ± 193 K, Ti = 1175 ± 74 K, and TEC = 13.4 ± 8.7 TECU, yielding a mean Te/Ti ratio of 1.42. Strong positive correlations were found between Te and TEC (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and between Ti and TEC (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). In contrast, flare magnitude (GOES class) showed only weak, statistically non-significant associations with the ionospheric temperatures and TEC. The dominant controlling factors were solar zenith angle (r = −0.60 with Te) and sunspot number (r = −0.50 with Te), indicating that background solar activity and illumination geometry exert a greater influence on the observed ionospheric state than the instantaneous soft-X-ray flare intensity in the M-class range. Multiple linear regression models incorporating zenith angle, sunspot number, and F10.7 explained approximately 39 % of the variance in Te. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for solar-cycle and geometric context when interpreting flare-driven ionospheric perturbations and provide a quantitative baseline for modeling M-class flare effects on the mid-latitude ionosphere, consistent with recent regional studies of flare–ionosphere coupling (Meena et al., 2024a; Meena et al., 2024b; Meena, 2026a).

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.