Comparison of the orientation of small-scale electron density irregularities and F region plasma flow direction

• Published in: Annales Geophysicae
• Main Authors: E. D. Tereshchenko, B. Z. Khudukon, M. O. Kozlova, O. V. Evstafiev, T. Nygrén, M. T. Rietveld, A. Brekke
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2000
• Subjects: Science; Q; Physics; QC1-999; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; EISCAT
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00585-000-0918-9; https://doaj.org/article/5e0ff3e0f7d54943814077847917ec56

Results are shown from an experimental campaign where satellite scintillation was observed at three sites at high latitudes and, simultaneously, the F region plasma flow was measured by the nearby EISCAT incoherent scatter radar. The anisotropy parameters of field-aligned irregularities are determined from amplitude scintillation using a method based on the variance of the relative logarithmic amplitude. The orientation of the anisotropy in a plane perpendicular to the geomagnetic field is compared with the direction of F region plasma flow. The results indicate that in most cases a good agreement between the two directions is obtained. Key words: Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities)