Identifying Correlations between Ionospheric Neutral Winds and Day-to-Day variability in Pre-Reversal Enhancement of Equatorial Zonal Electric Field

The equatorial ionosphere and the thermosphere constitute a coupled system with an electric field whose phenomenology is primarily driven by interactions between the ionospheric plasma, thermospheric wind, and the geomagnetic field. One such observable phenomenon that arises from these interactions is known as “pre-reversal enhancement” (PRE), which is the enhanced zonal electric field arising from the F-layer neutral wind dynamo and occurs during sunset. Variabilities in PRE have been linked to variabilities in other ionospheric phenomena, including equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) and equatorial spread-F (ESF), which are known to scatter communications and GPS signals. While PRE has been observed for decades, the mechanisms that control its occurrence and predict its strength are still debated. We leverage data from the Ionospheric Connection Explorer’s (ICON) Ion Drift Meter (IVM) and Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instruments to study how changes in neutral winds and plasma drifts are correlated. We present correlation studies to identify local times and latitudes of neutral winds that may drive day-to-day variability in PRE.