Articles | Volume 28, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-28-449-2010
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-28-449-2010
08 Feb 2010
 | 08 Feb 2010

Relationships between pre-sunset electrojet strength, pre-reversal enhancement and equatorial spread-F onset

J. Uemoto, T. Maruyama, S. Saito, M. Ishii, and R. Yoshimura

Abstract. The virtual height of the bottom side F-region (h'F) and equatorial spread-F (ESF) onsets at Chumphon (10.7° N, 99.4° E; 3.3° N magnetic latitude) were compared with the behaviour of equatorial electrojet (EEJ) ground strength at Phuket (8.1° N, 98.3° E; 0.1° N magnetic latitude) during the period from November 2007 to October 2008. Increase in the F-layer height and ESF onsets during the evening hours were well connected with the EEJ ground strength before sunset, namely, both the height increase and ESF onsets were suppressed when the integrated EEJ ground strength for the period from 1 to 2 h prior to sunset was negative. The finding suggests observationally that the pre-sunset E-region dynamo current and/or electric field are related to the F-region dynamics and ESF onsets around sunset.