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www.ann-geophys.net/22/3789/2004/
doi:10.5194/angeo-22-3789-2004
© European Geosciences Union 2004
Mid-latitude E-region bulk motions inferred from digital ionosonde and HF radar measurements
1Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
2Physics Department, University of Crete, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
3Laboratoire IETR, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
4Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Abstract. In the mid-latitude E-region there is now evidence suggesting that neutral winds play a significant role in driving the local plasma instabilities and electrodynamics inside sporadicE layers. Neutral winds can be inferred from coherent radar backscatter measurements of the range-/azimuth-time-intensity (RTI/ATI) striations of quasi-periodic (QP) echoes, or from radar interferometer/imaging observations. In addition, neutral winds in the E-region can be estimated from angle-of-arrival ionosonde measurements of sporadic-E layers. In the present paper we analyse concurrent ionosonde and HF coherent backscatter observations obtained when a Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI) was operated under a portion of the field-of-view of the Valensole high frequency (HF) radar. The Valensole radar, a mid-latitude radar located in the south of France with a large azimuthal scanning capability of 82° (24° E to 58° W), was used to deduce zonal bulk motions of QP echoing regions using ATI analysis. The CADI was used to measure angle-of-arrival information in two orthogonal horizontal directions and thus derive the motion of sporadic-E patches drifting with the neutral wind. This paper compares the neutral wind drifts of the unstable sporadic-E patches as determined by the two instruments. The CADI measurements show a predominantly westward aligned motion, but the measured zonal drifts are underestimated relative to those observed with the Valensole radar.
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Citation: Hussey, G. C., Haldoupis, C., Bourdillon, A., Delloue, J., and Wiensz, J. T.: Mid-latitude E-region bulk motions inferred from digital ionosonde and HF radar measurements, Ann. Geophys., 22, 3789-3798, doi:10.5194/angeo-22-3789-2004, 2004. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
