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A large‐scale ionospheric depletion by intense radio wave heating
Author(s) -
Wright J. W.,
Kopka H.,
Stubbe P.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl015i013p01531
Subject(s) - daytime , ionosphere , instability , atmospheric sciences , geophysics , f region , geology , scale (ratio) , radio wave , meteorology , physics , environmental science , mechanics , quantum mechanics
A large (100 km N/S), stable, smoothly‐structured and significant depletion (15% in number density) of the daytime Tromsø F‐region was produced inadvertently during a Heater polarisation and beam‐forming procedure. We show that the depletion coincided with the passage of an atmospheric gravity wave of natural origin which served as a large‐scale ‘seed‘ depletion for the self‐focussing instability.