HR: 1340h
AN: SA23A-0386 [Abstracts]
TI: Simultaneous Radar and Optical Observation of E-region Irregularities and F-region Traveling
Ionospheric Disturbances
AU: * Onoma, F
EM: onoma@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp
AF: Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, 3-13 Honohara, Toyokawa, 442-8507!
Japan
AU: Ogawa, T
EM: ogawa@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp
AF: Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, 3-13 Honohara, Toyokawa, 442-8507!
Japan
AU: Otsuka, Y
EM: otsuka@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp
AF: Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, 3-13 Honohara, Toyokawa, 442-8507!
Japan
AU: Shiokawa, K
EM: shiokawa@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp
AF: Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, 3-13 Honohara, Toyokawa, 442-8507!
Japan
AU: Yamamoto, M
EM: yamamoto@rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp
AF: Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, 611-0011!
Japan
AU: Fukao, S
EM: fukao@rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp
AF: Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, 611-0011!
Japan
AB:
On the night of August 6, 2002, the 46.5-MHz middle and upper
atmosphere (MU) radar with 5 beam directions at Shigaraki, Japan,
observed typical quasi-periodic (QP) echoes from field-aligned electron
density irregularities in the ionospheric E-region.
The QP echoes exhibited a wavy structure which had a wavelength of 30 km and
propagated southwestward at 100 m/s.
During this QP event, an all-sky CCD imager at the MU radar site
detected medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTID)
in 630 nm airglow images.
The MSTID also propagated southwestward at 80 m/s with relative fluctuation
amplitudes of 30-50 percent and a wavelength of 300 km.
This propagation direction is very similar to the direction of the QP echoes
movement.
Also, a 630.0 nm Fabry-Perot interferometer at the radar site detected
southeastward neutral winds (U) of 106 m/s.
U would generate an electric field of 4.5 mV/m through UxB,
where B is the geomagnetic field.
From these observed values and average F-region electric field of 1.0 mV/m
that is derived from previous MU radar observations in summer
under high solar activity conditions, we estimate polarization electric fields
associated with MSTID are 1.2-2.0 mV/m.
When these polarization fields are mapped down along B without attenuation,
ExB plasma drift velocities of 28-47 m/s are induced in the E-region.
In actual, drift velocities in the QP echoes observed with the MU radar
was 42 m/s, which is very consistent with the values (28-47 m/s) estimated
above.
Moreover, the direction of the ExB drift estimated is almost identical to
that of the plasma drift in the QP echoes observed with the MU radar.
Thus, the electric fields associated with the F-region MSTID seem to be closely
coupled to those that generate QP echoes in the E-region.
DE: 2411 Electric fields (2712)
DE: 2435 Ionospheric disturbances
DE: 2439 Ionospheric irregularities
DE: 2443 Midlatitude ionosphere
DE: 2487 Wave propagation (6934)
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting