Horizontal structure of convergent wind shear associated with sporadic E layers over East Asia

At present, the main detection instruments for observing sporadic E (Es) layers are ground-based radars, dense networks of ground-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, and GNSS radio occultation, but they cannot capture the whole picture of the horizontal structure of Es layers. This study employs the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere eXtension model (WACCM-X 2.1) to derive the horizontal structure of the ion convergence region (HSICR) to explore the shapes of the large-scale Es layers over East Asia for the period from June 1 to August 31, 2008. The simulation produced the various shapes of the HSICRs elongated in the northwest−southeast, northeast−southwest, or composed of individual small patches. The close connection between Es layer critical frequency (f_oEs) and vertical ion convergence indicates that the HSICR is a good candidate for revealing and explaining the horizontal structure of the large-scale Es layers.