Electrified Postsunrise Ionospheric Perturbations at Millstone Hill

We provide evidence that midlatitude postsunrise traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are comprised of electrified waves with an eastward propagation component. The post-sunrise gravity wave (GW) wind-induced dynamo action effectively generated periodic meridional polarization electric fields (PEFs), facilitating TID zonal in a similar fashion as GW-driven neutral perturbations. A combination near-simultaneous and upward observations using the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar along 2-dimensional total electron content maps allowed resolution vertical horizontal well ion drifts (meridional PEFs). In multiple observations, oscillated early morning during periods when TIDs exhibited downward phase progression, 30–60 min period, 140 m/s speed, 70 km wavelength. Inside these TIDs, flow vortexes occurred vertical-zonal plane spanning topside bottomside. Subsequently, PEFs weakened after few hours wavefronts rotated clockwise.