Stripe‐Like Echoes Scattered From Nighttime F‐Region Field‐Aligned Irregularities at Low‐Latitudes

Abstract

AbstractThe unusual stripe‐like scattered echoes were observed by the Hainan Coherent Scatter Phased Array Radar (HCOPAR) in the nigh of 9 Sep. 2017. There were parallel stripes with the interval of ∼33 min appearing from 12:57 to 17:50 UT. While the emergence of the scattered echoes, the Hainan Digisonde has observed the Spread‐F, and the Total Electron Content (TEC) maps recorded by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in China show that there was no Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB), but the Medium‐Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance (MSTID) traveled southwestward. The spatial and temporal distributions of the stripe‐like echoes and the MSTID show great consistency, indicating that the F‐region Field‐Aligned Irregularities were generated in the wave peaks and troughs of the MSTID. The MSTID has decayed greatly while reaching the HCOPAR, and the echo pattern is determined by the wave features of the MSTID.