Observations reveal a downward drifting band-like irregularity in the ionosphere, suggesting connections to equatorial plasma bubbles and electric fields.
Based on the Fuke VHF radar, we observed a downward drifting band‐like irregularity (∼3 m scale) in the ionospheric F region on 5 November 2011. The radar observations reveal that this irregularity is generated 1 hr after local sunset, and covers the entire field of view of the Fuke radar without zonal drifting. Its initial height and thickness are about 465 and 10 km, respectively, but they finally become 325 and 50 km. The lifetime of the downward drifting band‐like irregularity is about 54 min, with an average downward velocity of about 65 m/s. Observations from GNSS TEC and the C/NOFS satellite suggest that the band‐like irregularity is associated with equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs), and a westward polarization electric field may be responsible for its downward movement.
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Meng et al. (2025) studied this question.
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