Separating Contributions to Plasma Vorticity in the High‐Latitude Ionosphere From Large‐Scale Convection and Meso‐Scale Turbulence

Abstract

AbstractMeasurements of ionospheric flow vorticity can be used for studying ionospheric plasma transport processes, such as convection and turbulence, over a wide range of spatial scales. Here, we analyze probability density functions (PDFs) of ionospheric vorticity for selected regions of the northern hemisphere high‐latitude ionosphere as measured by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network over a 6‐year interval (2000–2005 inclusive). Subdividing these PDFs for opposite polarities of the By component of the prevailing interplanetary magnetic field allows the separation into two distinct components: (a) A single‐sided Weibull distribution which relates to the large‐scale convection driven by magnetic reconnection; (b) A double‐sided and symmetric q‐exponential distribution which arises from meso‐scale plasma flow related to processes such as turbulence.