Accession Number:
ADA101425
Title:
The STP/S3-4 Satellite Experiment: Equatorial F-region Irregularities.
Descriptive Note:
Memorandum rept.,
Corporate Author:
NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
1981-07-14
Pagination or Media Count:
17.0
Abstract:
The S3-4 in situ satellite observations near the nighttime equator 2230 LT have shown irregularity structures with depletions in plasma density up to 3 orders of magnitude and ranges in horizontal extent from less than 1 km to tens of kms. The holes have sharper gradients on the eastern boundary than across the western counterpart, and the power spectral indices in the irregularities lie between 1.9-2.5 in the intermediate wavelength domain. The east-west assymmetry of the depletions is also shown in the irregularity intensity and spectral strengths. The variations in density are more intense on the western wall of the holes suggesting a scintillation enhancement on the western boundary. In addition, the results of power spectral analyses support the role of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the generation of intermediate scale size irregularities during the occurrence of equatorial spread-F. Author
Descriptors:
Subject Categories:
- Atmospheric Physics