Ionospheric variability due to planetary waves and tides for solar minimum conditions

The variability includes change of electric field/ion drift, F2 peak density and height, and the total electron content. The electric field/ion drift change is the largest near dawn in the numerical experiments.

Analysis of model results suggests that, although the quasi-stationary planetary wave does not propagate deep into the ionosphere or to low latitudes due to the presence of critical layers and strong molecular dissipation, the planetary wave and tidal interaction leads to large changes in tides, which can strongly impact the ionosphere at low and middle latitudes through the E region wind dynamo. Large zonal gradients of zonal and meridional winds from the tidal components and the zonal gradient of electric conductivities at dawn can produce large convergence/divergence of Hall and Pedersen currents, which in turn produces a polarization electric field.