The global morphology of the vertical ExB drift in the equatorial region
Abstract
We investigate the global distribution of the vertical ExB drift in the equatorial region using the in-situ measurements of the ion velocity from the ROCSAT-1 and DMSP F13 satellites and the TIMED/GUVI OI 1356- nm images of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). The ExB drift shows a strong dependence on the solar flux (F10.7) that varies with the solar rotation and 11-year solar cycle. The excellent correlation of the ExB drift with the topside plasma density indicates that the ExB drift plays a major role in the electrodynamics and chemical processes in the equatorial ionosphere. The ExB drift shows seasonal, longitudinal, and local time variations. We grid the data by longitude, season, and local time into 12, 4, and 8 sectors, respectively, and investigate the global distribution of the ExB drift. The altitudinal difference of the ExB drift at 1800 LT will be investigated by comparing the measurements of the F13 and ROCSAT-1. The effect of the ExB drift and neutral winds on the equatorial plasma distribution will be investigated by comparing the in-situ velocity measurements with the global EIA morphology deduced from the TIMED/GUVI.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFMSA13B0286K
- Keywords:
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- 2411 Electric fields (2712);
- 2415 Equatorial ionosphere;
- 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions (0335);
- 2437 Ionospheric dynamics;
- 2499 General or miscellaneous