HR: 0800h
AN: SA51A-0243    [Abstracts]
TI: A mechanism for the formation of plasma patches in the high-latitude ionosphere¹
AU: Gondarenko, N A
EM: ngondare@umd.edu
AF: IREAP, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
AU: * Guzdar, P N
EM: guzdar@umd.edu
AF: IREAP, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
AB: One of the important features of the high-latitude ionospheric plasma is the occurrence of plasma patches. Statistical studies of their size distribution indicates that plasma patches are typically 300-400 Kms in extent and have density enhancements of at least a factor of two compared to the background density. We present results on 2D and 3D simulations addressing the issue of structuring of a large tongue-of-ionization which enters the polar region through the cusp. The dissipative Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the localized anti-sunward flow of the two-cell convection pattern for southward IMF provides a natural mechanism for the creation of structures comparable to the width of the flow channel. This can provide one possible explanation of the occurrence of patches in the high-latitude ionosphere. ¹ Work supported by NSF
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 2463 Plasma convection (2760)
DE: 2475 Polar cap ionosphere
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting