We have solved numerically equations of motion for the evolution of a one‐level two‐dimensional F region ionospheric plasma cloud with five different ratios of cloud‐to‐background integrated Pedersen conductivity. The simulations show that (1) physically small clouds striate because of the gradient drift instability more rapidly than large clouds simulated previously and (2) there exists a minimum striation onset time as a function of the Pedersen conductivity ratio. Observation 1 is in agreement with the rapid striation development exhibited by the physically small Avefria barium cloud releases, relative to the large Secede or Stress type releases.
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McDonald et al. (1980) studied this question.