An explanation for the seasonal dependence of midlatitude sporadic E layers

Abstract

The midlatitude sporadic E layers form when metallic ions of meteoric origin in the lower thermosphere are converged vertically in a wind shear. The occurrence and strength of sporadic E follow a pronounced seasonal dependence marked by a conspicuous summer maximum. Although this is known since the early years of ionosonde studies, its cause has remained a mystery as it cannot be accounted for by the windshear theory ofEs formation. We show here that the marked seasonal dependence of sporadic E correlates well with the annual variation of sporadic meteor deposition in the upper atmosphere. The later has been established recently from long‐term measurements using meteor radar interferometers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Knowing that the occurrence and strength of sporadic E layers depends directly on the metal ion content, which apparently is determined primarily by the meteoric deposition, the present study offers a cause‐and‐effect explanation for the long‐going mystery of sporadic E layer seasonal dependence.