Study of factors influencing the occurrence rate of 60 Hz power line radiation in the topside ionosphere: A systematic survey using the CSES satellite

We analyze the topside ionosphere power line radiation (PLR) at 60 Hz over the US using electric field data collected by CSES satellite between January 2019 and December 2022. The study aimed to further investigate the month-to-month variation characteristic of PLR occurrence rate observed by satellite and its several influencing factors, including solar radiation, lightning activity, and try to clarify the influence of electricity consumption. The results show that the solar radiation (solar zenith angle and F_10.7) plays a major role in the variation of the PLR occurrence rate, and that there is no direct connection with the number of lightning. For the relationship between PLR occurrence rate and electricity consumption, the low occurrence rate associated with decreased weekend electricity consumption was not observed in the US. However, there is a significant difference in PLR occurrence rate between the East and West Coasts of the US at the same latitude during the same time period, suggesting that the significant difference in PLR occurrence rate is caused by the significant difference in electricity consumption between the two coasts. After excluding the effect of solar radiation on PLR occurrence rate, we concluded that only a significant difference in regional electricity consumption could lead to a corresponding change in PLR occurrence rate detected by the Low-Earth-Orbit satellite. Finally, we also found there is seasonal variation in the diurnal differences of the PLR occurrence rate caused by seasonal variation of the lower ionosphere.