ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECTS IN MIDDLE-LATITUDE F-REGION

Time-varying solutions of the F-region continuity equation are given, which show the effect of including an east-west electric field, such as may arise from ionospheric dynamo action, in addition to neutral air winds and other usual processes. Using ionospheric parameters representative of equinox conditions at middle latitudes, a reasonable magnitude of electric field is shown to give fairly small but not negligible effects in both the peak electron density Nm and the height of the peak hm. It is concluded that electric fields should not be neglected when attempting precise comparisons with experimental data. © 1969.