Table 2
Diversity of one-dimensional spectral indices for typical nonlinear processes and instabilities in the ionosphere. The abbreviations HL and E refer to high-latitude and equatorial regions, respectively. The ranges of indices, p1 and p2, of two component spectra are given as (p1) (p2).
| Phenomenon |
Region |
Index, experiment |
Index, theory/ simulation |
| 3D turbulence |
HL |
~ 5/3 |
5/3 (Kolmogorov) |
|
|
Kelley et al. (1980), Cho & Kelley (1993), Consolini et al. (2000) |
Kintner & Seyler (1985), Guio & Pécseli (2021) |
| 2D turbulence |
|
() (~ 5/3) |
(1) (5/3) |
|
HL |
De Michelis et al. (2020)
|
Kelley & Ott (1978)
|
|
E |
|
Hysell & Shume (2002)
|
|
|
|
Kintner & Seyler (1985)
|
| Nonlinear convection |
E |
(1.8–2.2) (4.2–5) |
(1.5–2) (5–5.5) |
|
|
Hysell et al. (1994a)
|
Hysell et al. (1994b)
|
| Rayleigh–Taylor instability |
E |
1.9–2 |
2–2.5 |
|
|
Kelley et al. (1982)
|
Keskinen et al. (1980)
|
| Plasma bubbles |
E |
(0.7–1.7) (3.4–4) |
(0.5–1) (1.2–3) |
|
|
Rino et al. (1981), |
Hysell & Kelley (1997), |
|
|
Basu et al. (1983), |
Yokoyama (2017b)
|
|
|
Muralikrishna et al. (2007)
|
|
| Gradient drift inst. |
HL |
1.8–3.5 |
1.7–2.3 |
|
|
Basu et al. (1990), |
Gondarenko & Guzdar (2004), |
|
|
Kivanç & Heelis (1997)
|
Gondarenko & Guzdar (2006)
|
| (electrojet inst., type 2) |
E |
2–3.5 |
2.5 |
|
|
Prakash et al. (1971b)
|
McDonald et al. (1974)
|
| Two-stream inst. |
HL |
0.5–1 |
~1 |
|
|
Krane et al. (2000)
|
Young et al. (2020)
|
| (electrojet inst., type 1) |
E |
0–1 |
1 |
|
|
Prakash et al. (1971a)
|
Weinstock & Sleeper (1972)
|
| Kelvin–Helmholtz instability |
HL |
1.4–2.2 |
1.5–2.3 |
|
|
Basu et al. (1988b)
|
Keskinen et al. (1988)
|
| Shear-driven instability |
HL |
1.8–2.0 |
1.8–1.9 |
|
|
Basu et al. (1998)
|
Carlson et al. (2007)
|
| Reversed flow event |
HL |
(1.5) (3.3) |
|
|
|
Jin et al. (2019)
|
|
| Polar cap patch |
HL |
(1.6–1.9) (4.7) |
(5/3) (5) |
|
|
Spicher et al. (2015)
|
Kintner & Seyler (1985)
|
