Thermospheric meridional wind control of equatorial spread F and evening prereversal electric field

Autor(es)

Abdu‚ MA ; Iyer‚ K.N. ; de Medeiros‚ RT ; Batista‚ I.S. ; Sobral‚ J.H.A.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Geophysical Research Letters; v. 33, n. 7, p. L07106, 2006.

Resumo

The role of the evening prereversal zonal electric field enhancement (PRE) as conducive to equatorial spread F (ESF)/plasma bubble development versus that of the magnetic meridional wind as a suppressing factor is examined using digital ionosonde data from an equatorial site, Sao Luis (SL), and a low latitude site, Cachoeira Paulista (CP) in Brazil. The evening vertical plasma drift (Vz) over SL is used, together with the F layer peak height (hmF2) over CP, to compute the magnetic meridional wind. The analysis performed for two epochs, that is, March-April of 1999 and 2001, provide consistent evidence that the magnetic meridional wind can negatively influence the ESF development in two ways: (a) by reduced development of the PRE and. (b) by direct suppression of the bubble growth. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 99/00437-0 - Estudos dos processos interativos do sistema ionosfera-termosfera equatorial
• Beneficiário: Mangalathayil Ali Abdu
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático