Abstract We investigate the forces and atmosphere‐ionosphere coupling that create atmospheric dynamo currents using two rockets launched nearly simultaneously on 4 July 2013 from Wallops Island (USA), during daytime Sq conditions with ΔH of −30 nT. One rocket released a vapor trail observed from an airplane which showed peak velocities of >160 m/s near 108 km and turbulence coincident with strong unstable shear. Electric and magnetic fields and plasma density were measured on a second rocket. The current density peaked near 110 km exhibiting a spiral pattern with altitude that mirrored that of the winds, suggesting the dynamo is driven by tidal forcing. Such stratified currents are obscured in integrated ground measurements. Large electric fields produced a current opposite to that driven by the wind, believed created to minimize the current divergence. Using the observations, we solve the dynamo equation versus altitude, providing a new perspective on the complex nature of the atmospheric dynamo.

中文翻译：

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由蒸汽尾迹和探空火箭探测器揭示的强风驱动螺旋电流的日间发电机电动力学

摘要 我们使用 2013 年 7 月 4 日从美国瓦洛普斯岛几乎同时发射的两枚火箭，在 ΔH 为 −30 nT 的白天 Sq 条件下，研究了产生大气发电机电流的力和大气-电离层耦合。一枚火箭释放了从飞机上观察到的蒸汽尾迹，显示出在 108 公里附近的峰值速度 >160 m/s，湍流与强烈的不稳定剪切同时发生。在第二枚火箭上测量了电场和磁场以及等离子体密度。电流密度在 110 公里附近达到峰值，呈现出螺旋模式，其高度反映了风的高度，表明发电机是由潮汐力驱动的。这种分层电流在综合接地测量中被掩盖了。大电场产生的电流与风驱动的电流相反，被认为是为了最大限度地减少当前的分歧。使用观测结果，我们求解了发电机方程与高度的关系，为大气发电机的复杂性质提供了一个新的视角。