Dayside E-region Large Wind Shears observed by ICON MIGHTI

The large neutral wind shears in the E-region ionosphere can lead to ion convergences and polarization electric fields, which are closely associated with the sporadic E layers and the equatorial electrojet. The structured polarization electric field is then transmitted to the F-region due to high magnetic field-aligned conductivity, potentially related to bubble plasma irregularity in the F-region. Thus, large neutral wind and shears may take an important role in affecting the E region dynamo and carrying this effect into the equatorial F-region through E-F coupling. With the neutral wind data from Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI), we conduct a climatological and morphological study of large wind shears in the dayside region. The global distribution of strong wind shears was estimated in altitudinal and local time dependence from a statistical perspective. Seasonal and solar activity effects on neutral wind shears as well as short-term variations during geomagnetic storms have been studied. In addition, with the conjugated plasma density data form ICON Ion Velocity Meter, the correlation between neutral wind shears and F-region plasma irregularities has been investigated. This study will provide an unprecedented climatology of E-region neutral wind shears, which will strongly improve the neutral dynamics and its impact on the ionosphere.