Simultaneous HF measurements of E- and F-region Doppler velocities at large flow angles

Abstract. Data collected by the CUTLASS Finland HF radar are used to illustrate the significant difference between the cosine component of the plasma convection in the F-region and the Doppler velocity of the E-region coherent echoes observed at large flow angles. We show that the E-region velocity is ~5 times smaller in magnitude and rotated by ~30° clockwise with respect to convection in the F-region. Also, measurements at flow angles larger than 90° exhibit a completely new feature: Doppler velocity increase with the expected aspect angle and spatial anticorrelation with the backscatter power. By considering DMSP drift-meter measurements we argue that the difference between F- and E-region velocities cannot be interpreted in terms of the convection change with latitude. The observed features in the velocity of the E-region echoes can be explained by taking into account the ion drift contribution to the irregularity phase velocity as predicted by the linear fluid theory.

Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities; plasma convection)