The formation of sporadic E layers by a vortical perturbation excited in a horizontal wind shear flow

Abstract. The formation of the mid-latitude sporadic E layers (E_s layers) by an atmospheric vortical perturbation excited in a horizontal shear flow (horizontal wind with a horizontal linear shear) is investigated. A three-dimensional atmospheric vortical perturbation (atmospheric shear waves), whose velocity vector is in the horizontal plane and has a vertical wavenumber k_z≠0, can provide a vertical shear of the horizontal wind. The shear waves influence the vertical transport of heavy metallic ions and their convergence into thin and dense horizontal layers. The proposed mechanism takes into account the dynamical influence of the shear wave velocity in the horizontal wind on the vertical drift velocity of the ions. It also can explain the multi-layer structure of E_s layers. The pattern of the multi-layer structure depends on the value of the shear-wave vertical wavelength, the ion-neutral collision frequency and the direction of the background horizontal wind. The modelling of formation of sporadic E layers with a single and a double peak is presented. Also, the importance of shear wave coupling with short-period atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) on the variations of sporadic E layer ion density is examined and discussed.