On the production of glow discharges in the ionosphere by winds

It is suggested that a source of excitation of the airglow and aurora is to be found in potential differences generated by zonal ionospheric winds cutting the earth's magnetic field. A return path of current flow (glow discharge) in the higher ionosphere appears plausible. The principal effect in this process arises from the cutting of the vertical component of the field by broad horizontal winds. An auroral, zone results as the region where the product of wind velocity and vertical field intensity has a maximum. From this point of view, the aurora and the airglow (at least a portion of it) are manifestations of the same thing. The aurora occurs under high excitation when the winds are strong in high latitudes, while this portion of the airglow is always present in some measure in most latitudes, arising from lower velocity winds. Patterns in the large-scale air circulation should lead to patterns in the intensity of the emission, and the regular diurnal disturbance of these upper atmosphere zonal winds should lead to diurnal features in the aurora and airglow.