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Space and Time Correlations of Ionospheric Winds
Author(s) -
Rosenberg N. W.,
Justus C. G.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1002/rds196612149
Subject(s) - ionosphere , wavelength , altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , geodesy , physics , scale height , dissipation , scale (ratio) , wind speed , meteorology , geology , geophysics , optics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Ionospheric wind patterns between 90 and 150 km were studied by distortion of chemiluminous vapor trails released from rockets. Fifteen trails, closely paired in space or time, are reported. Profiles show well‐organized sinusoidal patterns of near‐constant wavelength, if the vertical coordinate is measured in integrated scale heights rather than kilometers. Dominant wavelength is 2–4 scale heights, similar in NS and EW components, and phase progresses downward about 1 wavelength per night. Horizontally spaced trails show vertical profile displacement corresponding to horizontal scales of 1000–4000 km in NS wind, longer in EW profiles. Viscous energy dissipation from observed waves is a significant heat source at 150 km altitude.