Plasma Transport in the Equatorial F Region

From simultaneous observations of vertical drift velocity and electron concentration near the dip equator, the photoionization and chemical loss rates for the electrons are deduced. At 300 km, q = 200 to 400 ion‐pairs cm −3 sec −1 , and β = 2 to 4 × 10 −4 sec −1 . The horizontal plasma transport term of the continuity equation is derived and compared with the corresponding vertical transport term. These terms dominate the electron concentration profiles above 500 km.