Global Longitudinal Dependence Observation of the Neutral Wind and Ionospheric Density Distribution
The statistical global view of the low-latitude ionospheric density stimulates further interest in studying the strong longitudinal variability of the ionospheric density structures in low-to-equatorial latitudes. However, we are not completely certain how the electrodynamics and ion-neutral couplin...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Geophysics |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/342581 |
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| Summary: | The statistical global view of the low-latitude ionospheric density stimulates further
interest in studying the strong longitudinal variability of the ionospheric density
structures in low-to-equatorial latitudes. However, we are not completely certain how the
electrodynamics and ion-neutral coupling proceeds at low latitudes; in particular, the
longitudinal difference in the dynamics of plasma structures in the low-to-mid latitude
ionosphere is not yet fully understood. Numerical studies of latent heat release in the
troposphere have indicated that the lower atmosphere can indeed introduce a
longitudinal dependence and variability of the low-latitude ionosphere during quiet
conditions. For the first time, we present simultaneous observations of the tidally
modulated global wind structure, using TIDI observations, in the E-region and the
ionospheric density distribution using ground (global GPS receivers) and space-based
(C/NOFS in situ density and GPS TEC on CHAMP) instruments. Our results show that
the longitudinally structured zonal wind component could be responsible for the
formation of wave number four pattern of the equatorial anomaly. |
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| ISSN: | 1687-885X 1687-8868 |