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Articles 31 - 60 of 96
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Radar Studies Of Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Plasma Drifts, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer, J. Holt, L. Goncharenko, C. Armory-Mazaudier, M. J. Buonsanto
Radar Studies Of Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Plasma Drifts, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer, J. Holt, L. Goncharenko, C. Armory-Mazaudier, M. J. Buonsanto
Bela G. Fejer
We use incoherent scatter radar measurements from Millstone Hill and Saint Santin to study the midlatitude F region electrodynamic plasma drifts during geomagnetically quiet and active periods. We present initially a local time, season, and solar flux dependent analytical model of the quiet time zonal and meridional E × B drifts over these stations. We discuss, for the first time, the Saint Santin drift patterns during solar maximum. We have used these quiet time models to extract the geomagnetic perturbation drifts which were modeled as a function of the time history of the auroral electrojet indices. Our results illustrate the …
Seasonal And Magnetic Activity Variations Of Ionospheric Electric Fields Above The Southernmid-Latitude Station, Bundoora, Australia, M. L. Parkinson, R. Polglase, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess, P. L. Dyson, S. M. Ujmaia
Seasonal And Magnetic Activity Variations Of Ionospheric Electric Fields Above The Southernmid-Latitude Station, Bundoora, Australia, M. L. Parkinson, R. Polglase, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess, P. L. Dyson, S. M. Ujmaia
Bela G. Fejer
We investigate the seasonal, local solar time, and geomagnetic activity variations of the average Doppler velocity measured by an HF digital ionosonde deployed at Bundoora, Australia. The Doppler velocities were heavily averaged to suppress the short-term effects (<3>hours) of atmospheric gravity waves, and thereby obtain the diurnal variations attributed to the tidally-driven ionospheric dynamo and electric fields generated by magnetic disturbances. The observed seasonal variations in Doppler velocity were probably controlled by variations in the lower thermospheric winds and ionospheric conductivity above Bundoora and in the magnetically conjugate location. The diurnal variations of the meridional (fieldperpendicular) drifts and their …
The Lunar Tide In The Equatorial F Region Vertical Ion Drift Velocity, R. J. Stening, Bela G. Fejer
The Lunar Tide In The Equatorial F Region Vertical Ion Drift Velocity, R. J. Stening, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
Vertical ion drift velocity data from Jicamarca have been analyzed for a lunar semidiurnal tide using a least squares fitting method. Amplitudes of up to 6 m s−1 are obtained with phases in agreement with lunar tidal determinations of other associated physical parameters. Variations between season, solar activity, and day to night are also examined. Generally, amplitudes are larger in the southern summer. Much of the phase variation with season is very similar for solar maximum and minimum years. There is a summer to winter phase change that is most distinct at solar maximum nighttime. A day-to-night phase reversal can …
De-2 Observations Of Morningside And Eveningside Plasma Density Depletions In The Equatorial Ionosphere, M. Palmroth, H. Laakso, Bela G. Fejer, R. F. Pfaff
De-2 Observations Of Morningside And Eveningside Plasma Density Depletions In The Equatorial Ionosphere, M. Palmroth, H. Laakso, Bela G. Fejer, R. F. Pfaff
Bela G. Fejer
The occurrence of equatorial density depletions in the nightside F region ionosphere has been investigated by using observations gathered by the polar-orbiting Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite from August 1981 to February 1983. A variety of electric field/plasma drift patterns were observed within these depletions, including updrafting, downdrafting, bifurcating, converging, subsonic, and supersonic flows. The depletions, 116 events in total, are distributed over two groups: group I (eveningside depletions) consists of the events in the 1900–2300 MLT sector, and group II (morningside depletions) are the events in the 2300–0600 MLT sector. A statistical analysis reveals clear differences in the density depletion …
Simulation Of The Prereversalenhancement In The Low Latitude Vertical Drifts, C. G. Fesen, R. G. Noble, A. D. Richmond, G. Crowley, Bela G. Fejer
Simulation Of The Prereversalenhancement In The Low Latitude Vertical Drifts, C. G. Fesen, R. G. Noble, A. D. Richmond, G. Crowley, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
Low latitude F region ion motions exhibit strong seasonal and solar cycle dependences. The pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) in the vertical ion drifts is a particularly well-known low latitude electrodynamic feature, exhibited as a sharp upward spike in the velocity shortly after local sunset, which remains poorly understood theoretically. The PRE has been successfully simulated for the first time by a general circulation model, the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere/ionosphere/electrodynamic general circulation model (TIEGCM). The TIEGCM reproduces the zonal and vertical plasma drifts for equinox, June, and December for low, medium, and high solar activity. The crucial parameter in the …
An Incoherent Scatter Radar Technique For Determining Two-Dimensional Ionization Structure In Polar Cap F-Region Patches, T. R. Pedersen, Bela G. Fejer, R. A. Doe, E. J. Weber
An Incoherent Scatter Radar Technique For Determining Two-Dimensional Ionization Structure In Polar Cap F-Region Patches, T. R. Pedersen, Bela G. Fejer, R. A. Doe, E. J. Weber
Bela G. Fejer
We present a technique which combines time series of line-of-sight (LOS) velocity and electron density measurements from the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar (74.5° invariant latitude) to reconstruct the large-scale horizontal structure of the F region ionosphere during polar cap patch events. This reconstruction technique provides a new density-based means of examining patch morphology. Its wide region of coverage also facilitates comparison of radar measurements with other observational data sets. For two periods when patches were present and convection conditions in the nightside polar cap could be adequately approximated by the simple velocity model used in this initial implementation of the …
Optical Remote Sensing Of The Thermosphere With Heater Induced Artificial Airglow (Hiaa), P. A. Bernhardt, M. Wong, J. D. Huba, Bela G. Fejer, L. S. Wagner, J. A. Goldstein, C. A. Selcher, V. L. Frolov, E. N. Sergeev
Optical Remote Sensing Of The Thermosphere With Heater Induced Artificial Airglow (Hiaa), P. A. Bernhardt, M. Wong, J. D. Huba, Bela G. Fejer, L. S. Wagner, J. A. Goldstein, C. A. Selcher, V. L. Frolov, E. N. Sergeev
Bela G. Fejer
Optical emissions excited by high-power radio waves in the ionosphere can be used to measure a wide variety of parameters in the thermosphere. Powerful high-frequency (HF) radio waves produce energetic electrons in the region where the waves reflect in the F region. These hot or suprathermal electrons collide with atomic oxygen atoms to produce localized regions of metastable O(1D) and O(1S) atoms. These metastables subsequently radiate 630.0 and 557.7 nm, respectively, to produce clouds of HF pumped artificial airglow (HPAA). The shapes of the HPAA clouds are determined by the structure of large-scale (≈10 km) plasma irregularities that occur naturally …
Average Daytime Disturbanceneutral Winds Measured By Uars: Initial Results, Bela G. Fejer, J. T. Emmert, G. G. Shepard, B. H. Solheim
Average Daytime Disturbanceneutral Winds Measured By Uars: Initial Results, Bela G. Fejer, J. T. Emmert, G. G. Shepard, B. H. Solheim
Bela G. Fejer
Thermospheric neutral winds play important roles on the dynamics of the upper atmosphere. We use extensive F region zonal and meridional wind data measured by the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) instrument on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) to study the mid-and low-latitude daytime average perturbation winds during magnetically disturbed periods. We have determined the perturbation winds by subtracting the quiet time wind values along the satellite orbits. Our data indicate large changes in the latitudinal profiles of both the zonal and meridional disturbance winds from morning to afternoon hours. The early morning zonal disturbance winds are eastward near …
Effects Of The Vertical Plasma Drift Velocity On The Generation And Evolution Of Equatorial Spread F, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess, E. R. De Paula
Effects Of The Vertical Plasma Drift Velocity On The Generation And Evolution Of Equatorial Spread F, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess, E. R. De Paula
Bela G. Fejer
We use radar observations from the Jicamarca Observatory from 1968 to 1992 to study the effects of the F region vertical plasma drift velocity on the generation and evolution of equatorial spread F. The dependence of these irregularities on season, solar cycle, and magnetic activity can be explained as resulting from the corresponding effects on the evening and nighttime vertical drifts. In the early night sector, the bottomside of the F layer is almost always unstable. The evolution of the unstable layer is controlled by the history of the vertical drift velocity. When the drift velocities are large enough, the …
Equatorial And Low Latitude Thermospheric Winds: Measured Quiet Time Variations With Season And Solar Flux From 1980 To 1990, M. A. Biondi, S. Y. Sazykin, Bela G. Fejer, J. W. Meriwether, C. G. Fesen
Equatorial And Low Latitude Thermospheric Winds: Measured Quiet Time Variations With Season And Solar Flux From 1980 To 1990, M. A. Biondi, S. Y. Sazykin, Bela G. Fejer, J. W. Meriwether, C. G. Fesen
Bela G. Fejer
Thermospheric winds have been systematically determined at Arequipa, Peru, and Arecibo, Puerto Rico, from Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts in the nightglow 630 nm line. The wind databases (1983 – 1990 at Arequipa and 1980 – 1990 at Arecibo) have been edited to eliminate measurements during geomagnetically disturbed conditions, then sorted by season and solar flux level. Following this, they were averaged to obtain the climatological behavior of the nighttime wind variations at the two locations. A new averaging technique, multivariate regression analysis, has been applied to the data, and the results compared to our prior binning averages. The …
Radar And Satellite Global Equatorial F-Region Vertical Drift Model, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer
Radar And Satellite Global Equatorial F-Region Vertical Drift Model, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
We present the first global empirical model for the quiet time F region equatorial vertical drifts based on combined incoherent scatter radar observations at Jicamarca and Ion Drift Meter observations on board the Atmospheric Explorer E satellite. This analytical model, based on products of cubic-B splines and with nearly conservative electric fields, describes the diurnal and seasonal variations of the equatorial vertical drifts for a continuous range of all longitudes and solar flux values. Our results indicate that during solar minimum, the evening prereversal velocity enhancement exhibits only small longitudinal variations during equinox with amplitudes of about 15–20 m/s, is …
Mid- And Low-Latitude Prompt-Penetration Ionospheric Zonalplasma Drifts, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess
Mid- And Low-Latitude Prompt-Penetration Ionospheric Zonalplasma Drifts, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess
Bela G. Fejer
We have used ion drift observations from the DE-2 satellite to determine the latitudinal variation and the temporal evolution of mid- and low-latitude prompt penetration zonal plasma drifts driven by magnetospheric electric fields. Our results indicate that sudden increases in convection lead to predominantly westward perturbation drifts which decrease equartorwards and have largest amplitudes in the dusk-midnight sector. The diurnal perturbation drift patterns shift to later local times with increasing storm time and decay to new quasi-equilibrium values in about 2 hours, as the ring current readjusts to the new polar cap potential. The daily and latitudinal variations and temporal …
Satellite Studies Of Mid- And Low-Latitude Ionospheric Disturbancezonal Plasma Drifts, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer
Satellite Studies Of Mid- And Low-Latitude Ionospheric Disturbancezonal Plasma Drifts, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
We use low- and mid-latitude zonal ion drift observations from the DE-2 satellite and auroral electrojet indices to study the temporal and latitudinal variations of F-region perturbation drifts during magnetically disturbed conditions. These perturbation drifts are driven by magnetospheric and ionospheric disturbance dynamo electric fields with time constants from less than one to several hours. We determine, initially, the drift patterns due to the prompt penetration of magnetospheric electric fields and of longer lasting disturbances. In this study, we concentrate on the properties of the longer lasting perturbations which occur with latitude-dependent time delays after enhancements in the high-latitude ionospheric …
Empirical Models Of Storm-Time Equatorial Zonal Electric Fields, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess
Empirical Models Of Storm-Time Equatorial Zonal Electric Fields, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess
Bela G. Fejer
Ionospheric plasma drifts often show highly complex and variable signatures during geomagnetically active periods due to the effects of different disturbance processes. We describe initially a methodology for the study of storm time dependent ionospheric electric fields. We present empirical models of equatorial disturbance zonal electric fields obtained using extensive F region vertical plasma drift measurements from the Jicamarca Observatory and auroral electrojet indices. These models determine the plasma drift perturbations due to the combined effects of short-lived prompt penetration and longer lasting disturbance dynamo electric fields. We show that the prompt penetration drifts obtained from a high time resolution …
Auroral Electrojet Irregularity Theory And Experiment: A Criticalreview Of Present Understanding And Future Directions, J. D. Sahr, Bela G. Fejer
Auroral Electrojet Irregularity Theory And Experiment: A Criticalreview Of Present Understanding And Future Directions, J. D. Sahr, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
We review the experimental observations of meter scale plasma irregularities in the auroral E region and the status of their theoretical understanding. Most of the experimental data is derived from VHF radar scatter experiments, but sounding rockets also provide crucial information not obtainable from radars. Linear theories correctly predict the altitude of occurence, strong magnetic aspect sensitivity, marginal instability, and typical phase velocities. Subsequent nonlinear theories have been developed to account for other observed features but with less satisfying application. Further understanding of auroral electrojet irregularities is impeded by precision limitations of existing instruments, by radar data which may seem …
Observationsof Inner-Plasmasphere Irregularities With A Satellite Beacon Interferometer Array, A. R. Jacobsen, G. Hogeveen, R. C. Carlos, G. Wu, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley
Observationsof Inner-Plasmasphere Irregularities With A Satellite Beacon Interferometer Array, A. R. Jacobsen, G. Hogeveen, R. C. Carlos, G. Wu, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley
Bela G. Fejer
A radio-interferometer array illuminated by 136-MHz beacons of several geosynchronous satellites has been used to study small (≥ 1013 m−2) transient disturbances in the total electron content along the lines of sight to the satellites. High-frequency (ƒ> 3 mHz) electron content oscillations are persistently observed, particularly during night and particularly during geomagnetically disturbed periods. The oscillations move across the array plane at speeds in the range 200–2000 m/s, with propagation azimuths that are strongly peaked in lobes toward the western half-plane. Detailed analysis of this azimuth behavior, involving comparison between observations on various satellite positions, indicates compellingly that the phase …
Incoherent Scatter Radar, Ionosonde,And Satellite Measurements Of Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drifts In The Evening Sector, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, L. Scherliess, I. S. Batista
Incoherent Scatter Radar, Ionosonde,And Satellite Measurements Of Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drifts In The Evening Sector, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, L. Scherliess, I. S. Batista
Bela G. Fejer
Studies of equatorial F region evening vertical plasma drifts using different measurement techniques have produced conflicting results. We examine the relationship of incoherent scatter radar and ionosonde drift observations over the Peruvian equatorial region, and AE-E satellite drifts for different geophysical conditions. Our data show that there is large day-to-day variability on the ratios of radar and ionosonde drifts, but on the average the measurements from these two techniques are in fair agreement during low and moderate solar flux conditions. For high solar activity, however, the Jicamarca evening drifts during equinox and December solstice are significantly larger than the ionosonde …
Time Dependent Response Of Equatorial Ionospheric Electric Fieldsto Magnetospheric Disturbances, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess
Time Dependent Response Of Equatorial Ionospheric Electric Fieldsto Magnetospheric Disturbances, Bela G. Fejer, L. Scherliess
Bela G. Fejer
We use extensive radar measurements of F region vertical plasma drifts and auroral electrojet indices to determine the storm time dependence of equatorial zonal electric fields. These disturbance drifts result from the prompt penetration of high latitude electric fields and from the dynamo action of storm time winds which produce largest perturbations a few hours after the onset of magnetic activity. The signatures of the equatorial disturbance electric fields change significantly depending on the relative contributions of these two components. The prompt electric field responses, with lifetimes of about one hour, are in excellent agreement with results from global convection …
Global Equatorial Ionosphericvertical Plasma Drifts Measured By The Ae-E Satellite, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, R. A. Heelis, W. B. Hanson
Global Equatorial Ionosphericvertical Plasma Drifts Measured By The Ae-E Satellite, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, R. A. Heelis, W. B. Hanson
Bela G. Fejer
Ion drift meter observations from the Atmosphere Explorer E satellite during the period of January 1977 to December 1979 are used to study the dependence of equatorial (dip latitudes ≤ 7.5°) F region vertical plasma drifts (east-west electric fields) on solar activity, season, and longitude. The satellite-observed ion drifts show large day-to-day and seasonal variations. Solar cycle effects are most pronounced near the dusk sector with a large increase of the prereversal velocity enhancement from solar minimum to maximum. The diurnal, seasonal, and solar cycle dependence of the longitudinally averaged drifts are consistent with results from the Jicamarca radar except …
Comparison Between Calculatedand Observed F-Region Density Profiles At Jicamarca, Peru, A. J. Preble, D. N. Anderson, Bela G. Fejer, P. H. Doherty
Comparison Between Calculatedand Observed F-Region Density Profiles At Jicamarca, Peru, A. J. Preble, D. N. Anderson, Bela G. Fejer, P. H. Doherty
Bela G. Fejer
Electron density profiles and isodensity contours derived from Jicamarca incoherent scatter radar observations in Peru for October 1–2, 1970, are compared in detail with results from the Phillips Laboratory global theoretical ionospheric model. This model solves the ion continuity equation for O+ concentration through production, loss, and transport of ionization. The primary factor controlling the peak plasma density at Jicamarca is the vertical E×B drift, which drives the ionization upward during the day and downward at night. When we use the measured drift in the model, we achieve excellent results with the measured electron density profiles. We illustrate the sensitivity …
Solar Cycle And Seasonal Variationsin F Region Electrodynamics At Millstone Hill, M. J. Buonsanto, M. E. Hagan, J. E. Salah, Bela G. Fejer
Solar Cycle And Seasonal Variationsin F Region Electrodynamics At Millstone Hill, M. J. Buonsanto, M. E. Hagan, J. E. Salah, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
Incoherent scatter radar observations of ion drifts taken at Millstone Hill (42.6°N, 288.5°E) during 73 experiments in the period February 1984 to February 1992 are used to construct, for the first time at this station, average quiet-time E×B drift patterns for both solar cycle maximum and minimum, for the summer, winter, and equinox seasons. The daily variation of V⊥N shows a reversal from northward to southward drifts near noon, and a return to northward drifts in the premidnight hours. The weaker southward drift in the afternoon in summer noted by Wand and Evans (1981) is shown to occur only at …
F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Arecibo: Solar Cycle, Seasonal And Magnetic Activityeffects, Bela G. Fejer
F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Arecibo: Solar Cycle, Seasonal And Magnetic Activityeffects, Bela G. Fejer
Bela G. Fejer
We have used Arecibo incoherent scatter measurements from 1981 to 1990 to determine the characteristics of low-latitude F region plasma drifts. The measurements show large day-to-day variability even during magnetically quiet periods. The average poleward/perpendicular plasma drifts do not change significantly with season and solar cycle except in the midnight-morning sector. The zonal drifts show clear solar cycle and seasonal effects. The afternoon-nighttime eastward drifts increase with solar flux; the westward drifts in the early morning-afternoon sector show a large increase from summer to winter but are independent of solar activity. The two perpendicular velocity components also respond differently to …
Ion Composition Of The Topside Equatorial Ionosphere During Solar Minimum, S. A. Gonzales, Bela G. Fejer, R. A. Heelis, W. B. Hanson
Ion Composition Of The Topside Equatorial Ionosphere During Solar Minimum, S. A. Gonzales, Bela G. Fejer, R. A. Heelis, W. B. Hanson
Bela G. Fejer
We have used observations from both the Bennett ion mass spectrometer and the retarding potential analyzer on board the Atmosphere Explorer E satellite to study the longitudinally averaged O+, H+, and He+ concentrations from 150 to 1100 km in the equatorial ionosphere during the 1975–1976 solar minimum. Our results suggest that the ion mass spectrometer measurements need to be increased by a factor of 2.15 to agree with the densities from the retarding potential analyzer and with ground-based measurements. The peak H+ concentrations are about 2.5×104 cm−3 during the day and 104 cm−3 at night and vary little with season. …
Equatorial Thermospheric Wind Changes During The Solar Cycle: Measurements At Arequipa,Peru From 1983 To 1990, M. A. Biondi, J. W. Meriwether, Bela G. Fejer, S. A. Gonzalesz, D. C. Hallenbeck
Equatorial Thermospheric Wind Changes During The Solar Cycle: Measurements At Arequipa,Peru From 1983 To 1990, M. A. Biondi, J. W. Meriwether, Bela G. Fejer, S. A. Gonzalesz, D. C. Hallenbeck
Bela G. Fejer
Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts in the nightglow 630-nm emission line have been used to determine near-equatorial thermospheric wind velocities at Arequipa, Peru, over ∼2/3 of a solar cycle. Monthly-average nocturnal variations in the meridional and zonal wind components were calculated from the nightly data to remove short term (day-to-day) variability, facilitating display of seasonal changes in the wind patterns, as well as any additional changes introduced by the progression of the solar cycle. The measured seasonal variations in the wind patterns are more pronounced than the solar cycle variations and are more readily understandable in terms of the …
Average Vertical And Zonal F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, S. Gonzalez, R. F. Woodman
Average Vertical And Zonal F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, S. Gonzalez, R. F. Woodman
Bela G. Fejer
The seasonal averages of the equatorial F region vertical and zonal plasma drifts are determined using extensive incoherent scatter radar observations from Jicamarca during 1968–1988. The late afternoon and nighttime vertical and zonal drifts are strongly dependent on the 10.7-cm solar flux. We show that the evening prereversal enhancement of vertical drifts increases linearly with solar flux during equinox but tends to saturate for large fluxes during southern hemisphere winter. We examine in detail, for the first time, the seasonal variation of the zonal plasma drifts and their dependence on solar flux and magnetic activity. The seasonal effects on the …
Lowand Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Electric Fields During The January 1984 Gismos Campaign, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley, C. Senior, O. De La Beaujardiere, J. A. Holt, C. A. Tepley, R. Burnside, M. A. Abdu, J. H.A. Sobral, R. F. Woodman, Y. Kamide, R. Lepping
Lowand Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Electric Fields During The January 1984 Gismos Campaign, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley, C. Senior, O. De La Beaujardiere, J. A. Holt, C. A. Tepley, R. Burnside, M. A. Abdu, J. H.A. Sobral, R. F. Woodman, Y. Kamide, R. Lepping
Bela G. Fejer
This paper examines in detail the electrical coupling between the high-, middle-, and low-latitude ionospheres during January 17–19, 1984, using interplanetary and high-latitude magnetic field data together with F region plasma drift measurements from the EISCAT, Sondre Stromfjord, Millstone Hill, Saint-Santin, Arecibo, and Jicamarca incoherent scatter radars. We study the penetration of both the zonal and meridional electric field components of high-latitude origin into the low-latitude and the equatorial ionospheres. In the dusk sector, a large perturbation of the zonal equatorial electric field was observed in the absence of similar changes at low and middle latitudes in the same longitudinal …
Seasonal Variations In Theequatorial Thermospheric Wind Measured At Arequipa, Peru, M. A. Biondi, J. W. Meriwether, Bela G. Fejer, S. A. Gonzalez
Seasonal Variations In Theequatorial Thermospheric Wind Measured At Arequipa, Peru, M. A. Biondi, J. W. Meriwether, Bela G. Fejer, S. A. Gonzalez
Bela G. Fejer
Studies have been carried out at Arequipa, Peru, of the seasonal variations in the thermospheric winds at moderate solar flux levels and low geomagnetic activity. Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of the Doppler shifts in the 630.0 nm nightglow emission line from March to August 1983 and from April to October 1988 have yielded monthly-average meridional winds that are nearly zero (<50 m/s) and possibly fluctuating in direction through much of the night but develop a southward flow at 50–100 m/s in the early and the late night from May onward. The average zonal winds are eastward throughout the night, reaching peak velocities before local midnight and then decreasing. The peak velocities increase to a maximum around the June solstice. The winds are generally stronger in 1988 than in 1983, even though the solar EUV fluxes are comparable for both years. Comparison of the present results with earlier satellite measurements, as embodied in the Horizontal Wind Model of Hedin et al., reveals generally satisfactory agreement at the equinox and June solstice, except for the June 1988 period. Killeen et al.'s vector spherical harmonic form of the NCAR Thermospheric General Circulation Model, calculated for similar solar flux levels, yields meridional and zonal wind variations which exhibit the same temporal behaviors but generally smaller values than the present measurements. The present wind patterns are also compared with those measured during the same years at Arecibo, Puerto Rico; one finds oppositely directed meridional flows and similar, eastward zonal flows at the two locations, as expected from a consideration of solar EUV heating as the principal driving force.
Equatorial F-Regionvertical Plasma Drifts During Solar Maxima, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, I. S. Batista, E. Bonelli, R. F. Woodman
Equatorial F-Regionvertical Plasma Drifts During Solar Maxima, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, I. S. Batista, E. Bonelli, R. F. Woodman
Bela G. Fejer
Incoherent scatter radar measurements at Jicamarca are used to study the effects of large solar fluxes and magnetic activity on the F region vertical plasma drifts. The average drifts from the two last solar maxima are almost identical except in the late afternoon-early evening sector where their variations with solar flux and magnetic activity are strongly season dependent. The average evening winter (May-August) drifts appear to remain almost constant after a certain solar flux level is reached but increase with magnetic activity. The equinoctial evening drifts increase systematically with solar-flux but decrease with magnetic activity. Very large prereversal enhancement velocities, …
Electric Field And Plasmadensity Measurements In The Strongly-Driven Daytime Equatorial Electrojet: 1. The Unstablelayer And Gradient Drift Waves, R. F. Pfaff, M. C. Kelley, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, K. D. Baker
Electric Field And Plasmadensity Measurements In The Strongly-Driven Daytime Equatorial Electrojet: 1. The Unstablelayer And Gradient Drift Waves, R. F. Pfaff, M. C. Kelley, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, K. D. Baker
Bela G. Fejer
Electric field and plasma density instrumentation on board a sounding rocket launched from Punta Lobos, Peru, detected intense electrostatic waves indicative of plasma instabilities in the daytime equatorial electrojet. Simultaneous measurements taken by the Jicamarca radar showed strong 3-m type 1 electrojet echoes as well as evidence of kilometer scale horizontally propagating waves. The in situ electric field wave spectra displayed three markedly different height regions within the unstable layer: (1) a two-stream region on the topside between 103 and 111 km where the electron current was considered to be strongest, (2) a gradient drift region between 90 and 106.5 …
The Condor Equatorial Electrojetcampaign: Radar Results, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, D. T. Farley, C. Hanuise
The Condor Equatorial Electrojetcampaign: Radar Results, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, D. T. Farley, C. Hanuise
Bela G. Fejer
A review of the experimental and theoretical background to the Condor equatorial electrojet campaign is followed by the presentation and discussion of VHF radar interferometer and HF radar backscatter data taken concurrently with two rocket in situ experiments reported in companion papers (Pfaff et al., this issue (a, b). Both experiments were conducted in strongly driven periods with the on-line radar interferometer displaying signatures of what has been interpreted in earlier radar work (Kudeki et al., 1982) as kilometer scale gradient drift waves. Low-frequency density fluctuations detected by in situ rocket sensors confirm the earlier interpretation. VHF radar/rocket data comparisons …