Numerical and observational study of ion layer formation at Arecibo

Ion layer formation is a manifestation of the complex physical and chemical processes in the ionosphere. This study explores how tidal winds, ambipolar diffusion, meteoric ablation and lower ionospheric chemistry contribute to the vertical distribution of metallic ions. In this paper, we develop a one-dimensional model to understand the time-dependent distributions of metallic ions from 80 to 150 km. This paper focuses on the effect of ambipolar diffusion, which has been neglected in previous studies. Ambipolar diffusion greatly reduces the peak density of layers above 120 km and broadens the layer width below 120 km. Furthermore, we present the layer trajectory and layer width results using data conducted from Arecibo incoherent scatter radar data.